Addiction In Christina Rossetti's Goblin Market

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“Goblin Market”, written by Christina Rossetti in 1859 tells the story of two sisters, Laura and Lizzie, who face temptation on the daily basis from the goblin men who sell enchanting fruit. It is evident, that Christina Rossetti’s poem “Goblin Market” has a strong parallel to Christianity, more specifically the story of Adam and Eve. Temptation is prevalent in Lizzie and Laura towards the goblin’s fruit. In the beginning, they try to ignore the enticing calls of the goblin men, but eventually Laura renders to the goblin men and starts to waste away. The goblin’s fruit represents the “forbidden fruit” from the original Adam and Eve, and serves to signify the Christian themes written within the poem. However, aside from the obvious, this essay aims to explore the interlinked themes of drug addiction and withdrawal. …show more content…

“I ate and ate my fill, yet my mouth waters still; Tomorrow night I will buy more” (Rossetti,165-167). Laura can’t wait for her next taste of the goblin fruit. She starts becoming addicted, and is only focused on when her next “fix” is going to be. This shows how addicting drugs can be and the withdrawal symptoms that are associated with it. In fact, according to Anna L., drugs are addicting because they produce a state of happiness. The experience is rewarding and motivates the user to consume the drug repeatedly in order to experience the same effect. The craving for the drug maintains the vicious cycle of drug addiction. It is evident that Laura greatly suffers from withdrawal as her appearance begins to be affected. “Her hair grew thin and gray; to swift decay and burn her fire away”. A common characteristic seen in drug addiction, is the physical transformation the drug user undergoes. The consumption of the fruit has a deteriorating effect on Laura’s appearance, similar to the way drugs are characterized by their negative

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