Goblin Market By Christina Rosetti

In this essay, I will argue that the poem, Goblin Market by Christina Rosetti, is a biblical allegory that compares Laura’s temptation, indulgence, and losing herself to the story of Adam and Eve and the forbidden fruit. This expression, as a biblical allegory, is critical to a reader because the theme of experiencing temptation, indulging in it, and suffering the consequences of it are relevant to many people, and has been present for a longggg time. Additionally, there are many metaphors and uses of literal imagery in the poem that allude to sexual desires, which can have the same ideas from the thesis applied. Understanding this progression provides insight into common behaviour from people who suffer the consequences of their indulgence.

Describing the red fruit provides literal imagery which gives the reader the impression that the fruit is truly desirable. Laura desires to consume the fruit of the goblins, which is a metaphor for the sexual temptations that many women experience. Her enticement only increases when she “chose[s] to linger” (Rosetti 64), and to watch the goblins. This allurement is one of the first ideas present in the poem, and it appears to become more relevant as a metaphor for sexual temptation as the poem progresses. For example, when she gives into the temptation, “then suck’d their fruit globes fair or red” (Rosetti 123), and when her want for more increases, “then sat up in a passionate yearning/and gnash’d her teeth and baulk’d desire, and wept” (Rosetti 262-263), these are metaphors for the actions and desires of sexual acts. Between the metaphors and imagery regarding the fruit and temptation, there is a connection to the story of Adam and Eve and the idea of desiring forbidden fruit which contributes to the argument that the poem is a biblical

Laura indulges in the goblin’s fruit, and it is made evident that she deeply enjoys it as “she suck’d and suck’d and suck’d the more/she suck’d until her lips were sore” (Rosetti 129/131). Laura’s indulgence in the fruit is a metaphor for engaging in sexual acts. Evidently, the detail that Rosetti puts into the action of Laura eating the fruit proves that the sensation goes beyond simply consuming fruit. Once “Laura turn’d cold as stone/to find her sister heard that cry alone” (Rosetti 248-249), it is apparent that the fulfillment she has been experiencing is no longer attainable. That is until her sister, Lizzie, came home with a face covered in fruit juice, and Laura once again indulges as “she clung about her sister/kiss’d and kiss’d and kiss’d her” (Rosetti 479-480). Laura’s inability to go without the goblin’s fruit proves the idea that there is great satisfaction from succumbing to desire, which is similar to how Adam and Eve had a shift in perspective after consuming the forbidden