Female Gender in the Goblin Market Essay

The poem "Goblin Market" by Christina Rosetti was written at a time when there was gender inequality in her society. During this time, women were denied the fundamental rights such as voting and their major roles were to satisfy their husbands. However, in the poem, Rosetti tends to disapprove with society on how women are viewed in the society. According to Rossetti, women are powerful, independent, and free human beings who can survive in a society without the male figures.

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Rossetti writes about two sisters, Lizzie and Laura, who lived alone in a society dominated by evil animal creatures called goblins. Often, the goblins would come near their house and pursued the two sisters to take the orchard fruits "Come buy our orchard, come buy, come buy" (line 3-4). The fruits were said to have an evil spell and Lizzie had warned Laura against listening to the goblins. However, Laura gave in and one day she decided to take the fruits from the goblins. From that moment, Laura's desire to have more fruit grew and her mind were fully occupied. However, when she went to seek more fruit she found neither goblins nor the fruits. The lack of the fruits makes her health deteriorate. Lizzie could not bear the pain of watching her sister die, therefore, she decides to go and find the goblins fruits. Although she hated the goblins, she agreed to be harassed by the creatures in order for her to get the juices of the fruit. Lizzie then goes home and hugs her sister as a way of administering the fruit juices to her. After that incident, Laura gets well and they both live a happy life telling tales how they overcame evil creatures. From the poem, Laura does not need a man in her life for her to cure the evil spirit. She recognizes the strength of women by reflecting on their bravery, independence, and power.

According to Rossetti, Women can live a happy sexual life without the male figures in a society. In the common society, men are viewed important because they are responsible for giving sexual satisfaction to women as well as playing a key role in giving women children. However, Rossetti tends to differ with this social perception by creating a sexual imagery in the poem. From Rossetti's description, Lizzie and Laura have a close relationship which makes the readers understand there was a lot of love between them. For instance, "hug me, kiss me, suck my juices" (line 468) shows the existence of a sexual relationship between the two sisters.

Additionally, Rossetti continues to create a more sexual language when she explains how Lizzie and Laura sleeps when giving her the fruit juices "Cheek to cheek and breast to breast / Locked together in one nest" (lines 197-198), and "Kissed and kissed and kissed her" (line 486). From readers' understanding, Rossetti is trying to show that women can sexually satisfy themselves without relying on men on this role. Consequently, at the end of the poem, Rossetti reflects on the lives of both sisters happily married and with children. It is interesting to note that despite Rossetti mentioning the children of both women, there are no male figures mentioned in the poem. Although in the real world this seems impossible, Rossetti tends to prove that women in the society can be happily married and with children without the help of the male figures.

Another way Rossetti supports women in the society is by reflecting on the impact of women being courageous and independent in male-dominated society. Over the years, women have been viewed as being dependent on men. In traditional society, men were responsible for providing everything in the household such as food and clothing. However, in the recent years, women empowerment has greatly encouraged bravely in women thus making them independent and of importance in the society. Women empowerment to be independent is reflected in the poem Goblin Market. For example, when Laura gets unwell due to lack of goblin fruit, Lizzie feels helpless and feels she has to do something extra ordinally to heal her sister. Despite hating the goblin creatures, she decides to go and seek the fruits from them. She is courageous to face the goblin creatures who she considers evil. The goblin creatures harass her and at the end, she manages to get the juices of the fruit. A few moments after administering the fruit juices to her sister, Laura's health gets better.

Rossetti is reflecting on the great impact of women in the society when they take a step of bravely. In traditional society, the male figures were respected because of bravely in the way of doing things. However, in the modern society, courageous women have emerged and they are accomplishing a lot in business, education, and sports. It is through such bravely that today's women are independent and can also contribute greatly to the development of the society. Therefore, for women to be independent, they do not require male figures in the society but they just need to be courageous just like Lizzie in the poem.

Also, women are powerful figures in the society and can bring change in a society. Over the years, power was something associated with male figures in the society. For instance, during Rossetti's time, only men were allowed to vote and be voted for. The female gender had been crowned as weak in the traditional society. However, Rossetti disagrees with the myth by associating Lizzie and Laura with powerful gesture in the poem. Firstly, Rossetti describes Laura and Lizzie as women living on their own. This shows that they are independent and can take care of themselves which reflects power. Additionally, Rossetti's begins the poem by recognizing Lizzie and Laura as powerful and important figures in the society "Morning and evening/ Maids heard the goblins cry" (lines 1-2). Rossetti's greetings have a respectful gesture of important people who have a certain power in that society. Also, Rossetti's poem ignores the existence of male gender in the poem. Although it may reflect a sense of favoritism, Rossetti's tries to show how women can be so powerful such that the male gender has little or no say in controlling the society.

Finally, women are free human beings who should decide what to do with their lives. In the traditional era, women had no freedom to exercise what they thought is right. It is a pity that women were not involved in any decision making in the society. From the poem, Rossetti describes Lizzie and Laura living alone surrounded by evil creatures. Rossetti describes how they make both good and bad decisions that help them endure the harsh environment of the goblin creatures. For instance, Laura decides to eat the gobbling fruit despite being warned by her sister. Although the decision was harsh, Rossetti aims at emphasizing the importance of women having the freedom to choose their way of life.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Rossetti's poem illustrates how women are powerful, independent, and autonomous beings in the society. The poem reflects on the actions of the female gender which should be celebrated rather than being assumed by the society. In the poem, men are represented as evil creatures whose importance in the society has just been a myth. On the other hand, the poem portrays the female gender as heroic by illustrating their bravely, power, and independence. Lizzie and Laura are able to endure the struggles of life in a society dominated by evil creatures. Therefore, the modern women should feel inspired to be courageous in order to overcome the challenges posed to them by the male gender in the society