Goblin Market: Symbolism In The Victorian Era

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Symbolism in the Victorian era Writers in the Victorian era, such as Christina Georgina Rossetti, use symbolism in their writing to demonstrate the different struggles, emotions, and ideas during that time. They use symbolism as a way to portray their deep meanings in the text of their poems, making the reader decode the simple, vividly written text. In doing this it lets the reader have a chance to interoperate their work in many ways and envision what is going on in the era, as if they were there. Symbolisms in Rossetti’s poems send the message of the dark underside of the Victorian era society and the effects brought on by it, weakness, bravery and sacrifice. To emphasize on effects that society brings, Goblin Market makes a bold…show more content…
Laura knows what the fruit of the goblin men will do to one if eaten, but still falls into temptation. There is a girl named Jeanie who falls into her own temptation, and eats the fruit. When Jeanie eats the fruit and becomes sick, she later dies, “But who for joys brides hope to have/ Fell sick and died/ In her gay prime, / In earliest winter time” (Lines 314-317). Lizzie thinks about Jeanie every time the goblin men chant, but Lizzie seems to let temptation take over. Lizzie is trying her hardest to keep Laura from falling into the trap of the goblin men, but Laura, hearing the sweet persuasive chants of the goblin, wants a taste of the fruit anyway. Ultimately Laura stays behind and gives the goblin men a lock of her gold hair, “Her hair grew thin and grey; / She dwindled, as the fair full moon doth turn/ To swift decay and burn/ Her fire away” (Lines 277-280). Laura starts to become a dull and depressed person, which is not who she is. Every day after Lizzie and Laura walk to the river to gather their water, and Laura waits to hear the chant of the goblin men, because she is weakened and addicted to the fruit. This ties into the era showing how many are put into positions because society tells them it is the right thing, or that it has to be a…show more content…
She goes to the goblin men to buy the forbidden fruit, but when they do not let Lizzie take the fruit home she wants her money back. The goblin men are angry, “They trod and hustled her, / Elbowed and jostled her, / Clawed with their nails, /…/ Stamped upon her tender feet, / Held her hands and squeezed their fruits/ Against her mouth to make her eat” (Lines 399-407). Lizzie’s bravery never fails her, as she is being attacked. Through all of beating Lizzie never separates her lips and never tastes the fruits. When it is all over Lizzie runs home, never looking back and never scared the goblin men are chasing her. Lizzie gets home and goes straight to Laura. The juices from the fruit were on Lizzie’s face acts as an antidote, which cures Laura of the horrible plague, “Laura awoke as from a dream/…/Her gleaming locks showed not one thread of gray,/ Her breath as sweet as May/ And light danced in her eyes.(Lines 537-542). Lizzie could have fell into temptation and ended up in the same situation as her sister, but her strong will power pulled her through. Sacrifice is shown in the act, because Lizzie sacrifices her happiness to save her sister from her depression. Dooley states, “But when Lizzie offers herself covered in juice to her sister, this food symbolizes a kind of body and blood, a kind of Christian Eucharist that will save her
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