Christ in the Goblin Market

Through colorful and theatrical poetry, Rossetti describes the mystical and unusual happenings of two sisters in the poem Goblin Market. The story opens with the readers being welcomed into a haunting garden full of goblins who are selling every fruit imaginable. As the story unfolds, readers are whisked into the journey of Lizzie and her sister Laura who are tempted by the fruits and eventually face detrimental loss due to their choices concerning the fruits. While the poem itself is an artistic narrative, there is room for much interpretation. Taking an allegorical approach to the story, readers can see the symbolism that is involved in the characters of Laura, who can be depicted as the fallen and sinful mankind, and Lizzie, who can be compared to the redemptive and selfless Savior. Utilizing both artful language and delicately woven symbolism, Rossetti’s Goblin Market can be viewed as an allegory of the free will of man, the temptation and fall of humanity, the paralyzing weight of sin, and the redemptive sacrifice of the Savior.

The symbolism of the fall of man begins with Laura and Lizzie entering the garden and being tempted by the vast kinds of fruits that the goblins have to offer. Lizzie is tempted by the fruit but chooses to look away, wisely acknowledging that “Their offers should not charm us, their evil gifts would harm us.” (Rossetti 2). Laura, on the other hand, chooses to linger to look at the temptations, “wondering at each merchant man.” (Rossetti 2). The symbolism Lizzie’s character offers is that of Christ, Who, in His fleshly state, was capable of being tempted, but chose to obey the Lord and resist evil. Conversely, Laura can symbolize mankind, in that she has the free will to look at the fruit and choose whether or not to partake of it, just as we have free will to choose whether or not we will sin. The story deepens when Laura decides to indulge her longing and purchase the forbidden fruit. Upon realizes she has no money, the goblins encourage her to pay with a golden lock of her hair (Rossetti 4). Laura agrees, cuts her hair, and eat the fruit. The fruit is described as “Sweeter than honey from a rock, stronger than man-rejoicing wine” (Rossetti 4). However, as soon as she has consumed the fruit, Laura disconnects from reality and is unable to determine whether it is night or day. Lizzie begs Laura to remember the tragedy of their friend Jeanie who also partook of the fruit, and how her act of consuming it eventually rendered her dead. Despite Lizzie's plea, Laura proclaims that “I ate and ate my fill, yet my mouth waters still; to-morrow night I will buy more.” (Rossetti 5). This portion of text can symbolize the price we as humans pay for our sins and the effect such sins have on our lives. The fact that Laura cut her hair can signify the loss of her innocence in purchasing the fruit she knew was forbidden. In the same way, there is always a price and a loss that comes with our own sins. When we choose to do wrong, we are giving up a part of ourselves to evil and lose a portion of our purity and innocence that can never be fully restored. The fruit causing Laura to not think clearly can be connected to what happens to our minds when we indulge in sin. Sin often distorts our view of reality, making us blind and numb to truth—more susceptible to believing lies. In Lizzie’s case, she is delusional and physically unable to care for herself. Eventually, the poem describes how Lizzie was silenced by “exceeding pain” because of her passionate desire for more fruit and how her hair grew “thin and grey” (Rossetti 8). The vividly descriptive language Rossetti uses to convey the consequence of the vile fruit effectively symbolizes the detriment our own sins can have in our lives.

Eventually, Laura’s state becomes so severe that Lizzie decides to bring back more fruit for Laura to ease her pain. The text describes how Lizzie “weighed no more better and worse but put a silver penny in her purse” and began to journey back to the Goblin Market to retrieve the fruit (Rossetti 9). This may appear as shocking to readers, as the fruit was what made Laura so delusional in the first place. Readers may question why Lizzie would venture back into the Goblin Market, risking her own safety, and bring back more vile fruit for Laura to indulge in. Perhaps it was the fact that Laura was in such a poor state that Lizzie knew the only thing to comfort her suffering was more fruit. In an allegorical approach to this section of the text, readers can see how this may once again connect to man’s free will. While God certainly does not want us to indulge in sin, He has given us enough power to make the decision for ourselves. If we choose to sin, He will not stand in our way just as Lizzie knew Laura deeply desired the forbidden fruit. The connection between the story and Christ’s sacrifice for our sins can be seen when Lizzie brings the fruit back to Laura after escaping from the brutality of the goblins in the forest. Lizzie is described as running fearlessly from the forest and begging Laura to “Never mind my bruises, hug me, kiss me, suck my juices squeezed from the goblins fruits for you” (Rossetti 12, 13). However, as soon as Laura tastes the fruit juices from Lizzie’s own lips, a bitterness fills her mouth and she realizes her foolish choice to take the fruit that Lizzie sacrificed herself for. The allegory that can be highlighted from this instance is that of Christ’s sacrifice for mankind. Just as Lizzie put her life in jeopardy and tasted the forbidden fruit in an attempt to revive her sister, so Christ sacrificed Himself by dying on the cross and bearing the weight of all the sins in the world. He was burdened with the taste of the sins He did not commit in order to save His children. The way in which Laura immediately tastes bitterness when she eats the fruit Lizzie has brought back to her can be connected to how we should be repulsed by our sins once we realize Who our Savior is and the magnitude of His sacrifice. Rosetti’s story of Laura and Lizzie can have many interpretations, however, this interpretation likely carries the most weight. When we come into fellowship with Christ and know Him as our Savior, it should so radically change our lives that we turn away from and are no longer tempted by our sins. Our past transgressions should be so bitter to us that we are not even tempted to turn back and look at the forbidden fruits in our lives.