Societal Morality and Female Virtue in Rossetti’s “Goblin Market”

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Christina Rossetti, a writer known for protofeminist and Christian exploration of the feminine identity within Victorian society, manages in “Goblin Market” to use the form of poetry to counter the prevailing societal view of fallen women that they cannot be redeemed and must be shunned. Rossetti does this by challenging society’s ostracism of such women. Rossetti tells the story of two sisters: Lizzie, the virtuous female who is resistant to temptation and sin; and Laura, who develops as the more curious and likely to succumb to temptation between the two. Laura becomes a fallen woman within the poem, allowing herself to indulge in the “fruit forbidden” of the goblin men (Line 479). The only way for Laura to achieve salvation is through rehabilitation back into Victorian society –something Rossetti implies is society’s responsibility. Rossetti explores each sister’s experience within the patriarchal realm of desire, temptation, and ostracism. Even though Laura begins her descent from society as a ‘fallen woman,’ Rossetti challenges this societal deterioration and reveals to her readers that female redemption is achieved through feminine unity and societal accountability.
Rossetti first challenges society’s ostracism of fallen women through her portrayal of not only streetwalkers and sinners but also loving sisters. Each sister is a definite contrast to the other. Lizzie is presented as more accountable than Laura and more resistant to temptation. When the goblin men tempt the girls with buying their “fruit forbidden” (479), Lizzie “[thrusts her] dimpled finger[s]/ In each ear, shuts [her] eyes and [runs]” whereas “Laura [chooses] to linger” (67-69). Laura appears more curious of the two and, therefore, the more likely to give int...

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...elationship with her children with, “joining hands to little hands” (560)
To conclude, Rossetti successfully challenges society’s banishment of fallen woman by portraying a female bond, heightening this bond to a societal construct, and implying the notion the society is accountable just as much as the fallen woman is. Although Laura chose to indulge in the forbidden fruit, this has not halted her ability to move on being married or having children. Only through her sister’s internal strength and embrace was Laura able to ascend back into society. This is suggestive towards a larger notion that a fallen woman needs embrace and support from feminine unity as well as the society. Therefore, Rossetti’s achievement lies in the indication that instead of shunning such women, Victorian society needs to restore these women back to their rightful place within the construct.

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