There is a classic contrast in literature between the selfish and the selfless. This can be seen particularly in fairy tales, such as The Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia. The same holds true for the fairy tale poem Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti, first published in 1862. It tells the tale of two sisters who are tempted by goblins to eat forbidden fruit. The first, Lizzie, refuses and walks away. The second named Laura eats the fruit and suffers horribly afterward. Lizzie then obtains some more of the goblin fruit, withstanding their cruelties to make her eat it, and brings it back to her dying sister as an antidote. What I saw in the story was the contrast mentioned earlier, that of selfish and selfless. Obviously Laura is self centered to begin with and buys some of the fruit with “a precious golden lock” (Rossetti 126). The Goblins settle for so little for they are sure of the charm’s effectiveness. Laura will pine away and die. She becomes caught up in her addiction to the forbidden fruit and turns inward, creating a vacuum of despair. The Goblins too can be considered egocentric in their motives. By some art they enchant the fruit to create in the victim (for that is what the consumer truly is) a longing for the Goblin peddlers to bring the fruit once more. This is a form of selfishness, and a cruel one at that, for the Goblins take pleasure in the torture and loneliness of others. Only one person in the story shines out as the spirit of stout heartedness and generosity. It is Lizzie, Laura’s sister. She warns her sister out of concern for her to look away, not to heed the call of the Goblins. She worriedly awaits her arrival home. Then in the ultimate sacrifice, she goes herself to seek out the Goblins and gather the fruit that only now can save her sister’s life. The poem describes the Goblin cruelties:
404 Twitch'd her hair out by the roots,
405 Stamp'd upon her tender feet,
406 Held her hands and squeez'd their fruits
407 Against her mouth to make her eat. (Rossetti 404-407)
405 Stamp'd upon her tender feet,
406 Held her hands and squeez'd their fruits
407 Against her mouth to make her eat. (Rossetti 404-407)
The Goblins are less than civilized with Lizzie as she tries to obtain from them the fruit without daring to taste of it herself. Yet of all the characters she is the only one described as being truly happy. Rossetti is trying to demonstrate that egocentrism can only lead to misery. Generosity and a firm will to do good, on the other hand, bring happiness and content. Fairy tale or not, Goblin Market has some important life lessons embedded within it.
Works Cited
Rossetti, Chistina. "Christina Rossetti." Southern Methodist University Web site. 9 September 2011 <http://faculty.smu.edu/nschwart/2311/Goblin_Market.htm>.
Here is a link to a large selection of the Grimm brothers tales for more fairy tale reading!
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~spok/grimmtmp/
Wow! Excellent post! First of all you are a very brave person. I did not write about this poem mainly because it was very long and I could not understand it. However, you wrote about it and did and excellent job! Reading what you wrote helped me to really understand the poem from an emotional point of view. After reading your post I agree with you there are so many life lessons to learn in that poem. Great Job!
ReplyDeleteOutstanding! What a great concept you have attached to your analysis of this poem. This poem (like all) appeared to be so difficult to understand, not to mention analyzeable, however, I feel you have made it so easy a caveman can do it. Me being the caveman in that ordeal. I think its safe to say your handwork in this blog post will grant you a simple and enjoyable time writing your essay.
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