SEX & GOBLINS - Sexual images in Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market”.
SEX & GOBLINS - Sexual images in Christina Rossetti's "Goblin Market".
In reading Christina Rossetti's "Goblin Market", I was first impressed by the
colourful imagery and exciting events that take place in Rossetti's fantastic and
mysterious creation. The adventures of Lizzie and Laura, and Lizzie's ultimate act of
heroism at saving her sister from becoming another victim of evil goblin men, was fun to
skim through quickly and enjoy on a surface level. But when I read the poem again, I
noticed some serious sexual undertones throughout the piece. The goblin men and what
they represented, their dealings with the sisters, and the sacrifices their victims must
make all carry very sexual meanings and messages. In fact, I think many of the images in
"Goblin Market" could be construed, in today's world, as a form of pornography. I'll go
through various elements of the poem and explain how the representation of men the
bonds of women can be interpreted as pornographic.
Christina Rossetti invented the characters of the goblin men in order to explore
many of the issues associated with feminism and gender roles in society. The goblin men
directly represent what men want from women. Men want sexual innocence from
women, the typical male fantasy of the willing virgin is laid out quite clearly. In
contemporary society men gawk over young looking pop icons such as Brittany Spears,
and pornographic movies reenact school detention scenarios with women dressed as
schoolgirls offering themselves to guidance counselors. The same is true in "Goblin
Market" the men only want virginal young women, and once the fantasy has been lived
out for them, they have no more use for the poor female victim, and throw her away.
Laura no longer hears the cries of the goblins therefore she is no longer worthy of men's
attention. Consequently after premarital loss of virginity, women, like Laura in the
poem, feels stripped of her dignity and self-worth, and can no longer go on living the
same way again.
Other examples of Rossetti's portrayal of the goblin men as sexual predators
abound throughout the poem. "One had a cat's face/One whisked a tail/One tramped at a
rat's pace/One crawled like a snail." Such variety in describing each goblin seems to
assert that such devious sexual predators can come in all shapes and sizes, and ...
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attention. Consequently after premarital loss of virginity, women, like Laura in the
poem, feels stripped of her dignity and self-worth, and can no longer go on living the
same way again.
Other examples of Rossetti's portrayal of the goblin men as sexual predators
abound throughout the poem. "One had a cat's face/One whisked a tail/One tramped at a
rat's pace/One crawled like a snail." Such variety in describing each goblin seems to
assert that such devious sexual predators can come in all shapes and sizes, and can easily
fool their unsuspecting victims. Rossetti does the same late in the poem when describing
the goblins' courting of Lizzie: "Snail-paced and in a hurry/Parrot-voiced and whistler"
This demonstrates that sexual predators can use many different methods in seducing a
victim. The goblin men also seem to possess biblical qualities as well. Such as when
Eve tempts Adam in the Garden of Eden, so do the goblin men try to tempt the virgin
maidens with their own 'forbidden fruit'. The men first seem perfectly nice and genuine,
but when they are rebuffed they become violent and angry. This too can be said for many
sexual predators. The "rape scene" with Lizzie later in the poem could be looked upon in
a contemporary light as the violent outbursts of a scorned man bent on wicked and
painful revenge. Whether Rossetti intentionally depicted the goblin men as such chilling
and horrible sexual predators is uncertain. However, it is clear that in "Goblin Market",
they are most definitely the villains.
When the goblin men deal with the sisters, there are some very sexual ideas
demonstrated. The objects of desire in the poem, the fruits, are described in an overtly
sexual manner, by both the goblin men, and later the sisters themselves. Strong sexual
suggestions are used in describing Laura's indulgence in the fruit, in her first encounter
with the goblin men. Such sentences as "She sucked and sucked and sucked the more."
And, "She sucked until her lips were sore." Of course like I have mentioned previously,
the goblin men have use only for virgins and as part of the same stanza as the 'fruit
sucking', "They flung the emptied rinds away." The throwing away of the female victim
is also tied into the fruit as the rinds describe the women who have lost their virginity.
The fruit is described to be fresh and beautiful and "unpecked" the women are tempted
with the fruit that is supposed to be a joy to eat. It sounds tempting and once had, Laura
wants more, she searches for it but is non-existent to the goblins. It sounds much like the
age-old story of young men coaxing women into sleeping with them with promises of
being around the next day. Laura describes the fruit to her sister, "What peaches with a
velvet nap." "Pellucid grapes without one seed." Which as I would decipher would refer
to sex that is not in the intention of procreation. Although the poem has not been given a
solid place or time, the activities of the sisters strike me as rural and pre-industrial which
might refer to a time when in many cultures sex was strictly an activity to procreate. Like
men offer love and passion, the goblin men offer incredible fruit the price however is
virginity and the result is being unwanted.
As shown in the poem, first by Jeanie and then by Laura, consequences of dealing
with the goblin men are very grave, and also bear some very sexual connotations. Jeanie
encountered the goblin men and then ached for them until her death. I believe Jeanie's
death to not be the important part of her story, although it may represent misogynistic
genocide, as premarital sex can lead to death in some cultures. What I do believe to be
important is Jeanie's aging and her gravesite. Jeanie was described to have "dwindled
and grew gray." She became old and unwanted after a single act with the goblins. Age is
definitely an important issue to discuss in the realm of women and therefore is mentioned
in women's literature. Age used to be of importance for child bearing endurance, today it
signifies beauty and the media attacks the self esteem of every women the minute she
looks a day over sixteen, refer to any Calvin Klein advertisement. Even more
interestingly there is a reference to Jeanie's fertility, "While to this day no grass will
grow, where she lies now." It is not hard to understand where this reference is coming
from as much of the reason men demanded to marry virgins was to carry a blood line and
a women who is not a virgin before marriage would be considered infertile or ruined.
The goblins traded fruit for virginity, today virginity is sold as an idea in primetime
television, movies, pornography and white wedding dresses.
Sexual references come to a peak near the end of the poem during Laura's
redemption. It has been read as a lesbian love scene, and acts as the pivotal point of
Laura regaining her virginity. They way this part of the poem is written makes it the
most erotic but this was where I had to stop and back track rereading very carefully. I
reassured myself that these two characters Laura and Lizzie were in fact sisters. They
had the sister bond, the female bond, which is reinforced at the very end, and now the
bond of lovers. I think Rossetti ignored the incestual side of this love making and used it
purely to empower women and display the strengthening of the female bond as well as
the absence of men. The three bonds between women are now displayed sisters, friends
and lovers however I cannot ignore the crossover of the sister and lover bond as Rossetti
surely must have considered this new addition, the topic of incest. Is the incestual
relationship an awakening for both of the women, a chance to experiment and exercise
sexual explorations in a harmless way before moving on to marry and have children? It
may be just a metaphor that the bond between women is so strong as we read that Lizzie
helps Laura regain her virginity. I can't help but see that this eroticism is also
representing a male fantasy. Two sisters in the act of lovemaking can very well be read
as pornographic if not taboo. Hue Hefner is dating twins, and many movies particularly
those that have themes of sex refer to such scenarios.
Christina Rossetti's "Goblin Market" a children's poem, tells a tale of
exploration, loss of innocence and redemption through the story of goblin men who sell
forbidden fruit. The imagery of the goblin men and their fruit has many sexual and
biblical undertones. The story raises issues of the premarital loss of virginity, bonds
between women including lesbian relationships and sexual exploration under the thumb
of society's view of women's sexuality. The goblin men represent what men want, they
offer forbidden fruit which is sweet yet devastating and the price is virginity. The
consequence of encountering the goblin men is the loss of control and becoming
unwanted. The story touches on many taboos, clearly portraying what men want and
what bonds should exist between women. The eroticism of the poem produces images
that can be construed as pornographic yet I will concluded that these images are issues
that exist even today in our society between men and women, and relationships.
