Introduction
Christina Rossetti’s poem Goblin Market (1862) is a significant work in Victorian literature, often interpreted through its rich Christian symbolism and exploration of gender roles. This essay argues that Rossetti employs imagery of fall and redemption to challenge traditional gendered notions of sin, replacing the isolated figure of the fallen woman with a model of redeemed sisterhood, and redefining spiritual authority via female self-sacrifice. By drawing on secondary sources, including Gilbert and Gubar’s feminist analysis, Rappoport’s examination of economic and religious themes, and a thematic overview from LitCharts, the discussion will demonstrate how Rossetti subverts patriarchal expectations. The analysis focuses primarily on the poem’s text, using direct quotations to support arguments, while integrating secondary sources for contextual support. This approach highlights Rossetti’s contribution to nineteenth-century literature by foregrounding female agency within Christian frameworks.
Christian Imagery of Fall and Redemption
Rossetti’s Goblin Market extensively uses Christian imagery to depict themes of temptation, fall, and redemption, drawing parallels to the biblical story of Adam and Eve. The poem begins with the goblin men’s enticing cries, offering fruits that symbolise forbidden knowledge and sin: “Come buy, come buy: / Our grapes fresh from the vine” (Rossetti, 1862, lines 5-6). This mirrors the serpent’s temptation in Genesis, where the fruit leads to a loss of innocence. Laura’s consumption of the goblin fruit represents a fall from grace, as she “suck’d until her lips were sore” (line 134), resulting in her physical and spiritual decline. Her subsequent wasting away evokes the consequences of original sin, yet Rossetti adapts this imagery to emphasise redemption through relational bonds rather than divine intervention alone.
Secondary sources reinforce this interpretation. Gilbert and Gubar (2000) argue that Rossetti challenges literary traditions by presenting women as active negotiators of moral responsibility within Christian narratives. They note how the poem resists patriarchal stereotypes of female passivity, using symbolism to explore agency. Similarly, Rappoport (2010) highlights the religious undertones, suggesting that the goblin market contrasts selfish commodification with spiritual generosity, aligning with Christian ideals of selfless giving. For instance, Laura’s fall is not portrayed as irreversible damnation but as a precursor to redemption, underscoring Rossetti’s revision of sin as a shared human experience rather than a gendered failing.
Textual evidence abounds in the poem’s progression from fall to renewal. After her indulgence, Laura laments, “I ate and ate my fill, / Yet my mouth waters still” (lines 165-166), illustrating insatiable desire akin to postlapsarian longing. However, the narrative shifts towards hope, setting the stage for sisterly intervention. This use of Christian motifs allows Rossetti to critique traditional views where women are seen as inherently weak, instead proposing a pathway to redemption that empowers female figures.
Challenging the Fallen Woman Trope
Traditional Victorian literature often depicted the “fallen woman” as an isolated figure doomed by her moral lapse, embodying societal fears of female transgression. Rossetti subverts this trope in Goblin Market by transforming Laura’s fall into an opportunity for communal redemption through her sister Lizzie. Rather than permanent exile, Laura’s story culminates in restoration: “Laura awoke as from a dream, / Laughed in the innocent old way” (lines 537-538). This recovery replaces isolation with sisterhood, challenging the notion that women’s sins define them individually and irredeemably.
Gilbert and Gubar (2000) provide a framework for this analysis, discussing how Rossetti’s contrasting figures of Laura and Lizzie resist patriarchal expectations. They describe Laura as embodying temptation and Lizzie as moral fortitude, collectively negotiating sin in ways that affirm female strength. This supports the argument that Rossetti moves beyond the fallen woman stereotype, presenting sin as a collective burden overcome through mutual support. Rappoport (2010) extends this by examining the economic dimensions, where Laura’s commodification—symbolised by her “golden curl” traded for fruit (line 123)—traps her in a cycle of consumption. Yet, Lizzie’s refusal to engage in this system disrupts the trope, offering redemption through active resistance rather than passive suffering.
The poem’s emphasis on sisterly bonds is evident in Lizzie’s protective stance: “For there is no friend like a sister / In calm or stormy weather” (lines 562-563). This line, placed at the narrative’s close, reinforces the theme of redeemed sisterhood. Furthermore, Laura’s eventual role as a storyteller to her children—”She told them of her early prime, / Those pleasant days long gone” (lines 548-549)—transforms her experience into a cautionary yet hopeful tale, integrating her fall into a broader narrative of female resilience. Such elements demonstrate Rossetti’s challenge to gendered sin, where women are not merely victims but agents of their own and others’ salvation, arguably broadening the applicability of Christian redemption to female experiences.
Redefining Spiritual Authority through Female Sacrifice
Rossetti redefines spiritual authority in Goblin Market by centring it on female self-sacrifice, drawing on Christ-like imagery to elevate women’s roles in redemption. Lizzie’s confrontation with the goblins epitomises this, as she endures their assault without yielding: “Though the goblins cuffed and caught her, / Coaxed and fought her” (lines 424-425). Her body becomes a sacrificial vessel, smeared with fruit juices that she offers to Laura: “Eat me, drink me, love me; / Laura, make much of me” (lines 471-472). This echoes the Eucharistic language of Christ’s Last Supper, positioning Lizzie as a female redeemer and subverting male-dominated spiritual hierarchies.
Pouliot (2019) in the LitCharts analysis emphasises this Christ-figure role, noting how Lizzie’s suffering enables Laura’s salvation and reframes redemption around sisterhood. This aligns with the thesis by illustrating Rossetti’s use of Christian symbolism to challenge patriarchal authority. Rappoport (2010) complements this view, arguing that Lizzie’s selfless acts reflect Christian generosity, reshaping spiritual exchange from punitive to communal. Gilbert and Gubar (2000) further contextualise this within nineteenth-century feminist literature, where women writers appropriated religious motifs to assert agency.
Textual details strengthen this redefinition. Lizzie’s resolve—”I have no copper in my purse, / I have no silver either” (lines 325-326)—rejects material transactions, prioritising spiritual value. Her endurance, described as standing “White and golden Lizzie stood” (line 408), evokes purity and strength, contrasting with male-authored depictions of sacrifice. Therefore, Rossetti not only critiques gendered sin but also proposes female self-sacrifice as a legitimate form of spiritual leadership, with implications for understanding Victorian women’s roles in religious discourse.
Conclusion
In summary, Goblin Market employs Christian imagery of fall and redemption to challenge traditional views of sin as a female weakness, replacing the fallen woman with a redeemed sisterhood and redefining authority through female sacrifice. Through Laura and Lizzie’s dynamic, Rossetti asserts collective female strength, supported by textual evidence and secondary analyses from Gilbert and Gubar (2000), Rappoport (2010), and Pouliot (2019). This approach highlights the poem’s relevance to nineteenth-century gender debates, suggesting broader implications for feminist interpretations of religious narratives. Indeed, Rossetti’s work encourages a reevaluation of women’s moral agency, demonstrating her innovative engagement with Victorian literary traditions. While limitations exist in applying modern feminist lenses to historical texts, the poem’s enduring themes underscore its significance in English literature.
References
- Gilbert, S. and Gubar, S. (2000) The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination. 2nd edn. Yale University Press.
- Pouliot, A. (2019) Goblin Market Themes: Salvation and Sacrifice. LitCharts LLC.
- Rappoport, J. (2010) The Price of Redemption in ‘Goblin Market’. Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, 50(4), pp. 853-875.
- Rossetti, C. (1862) Goblin Market and Other Poems. Macmillan.
