Christina Rossetti: Poems

What is the symbolic significance of the goblins in Christina Rossetti’s ‘Goblin Market’?

What is the symbolic significance of the goblins in Christina Rossetti’s ‘Goblin Market’?

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In the Christian interpretation, Laura represents Eve, the goblin men are the equivalent of Satan, their fruit is the temptation to sin, and Lizzie is the Christ figure. The second interpretation of "Goblin Market" is based on symbols of repressed sexual desire and sexual violence. Amidst charged language like “sucked” and “heaved,” Laura loses her youth and bloom (her virginity, essentially) as a result of taking the goblin men's tempting fruit.

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http://www.gradesaver.com/christina-rossetti-poems/study-guide/summary-goblin-market-1862