Thursday, October 31, 2013

Goblin Market

As the Goblin Market began, I misunderstood what the contents of the story would be. I understood that goblins are characterized by trickery and underhandedness, if not evil intentions. However, the listing off of fruits gave me the impression that they would be described as merchants in a literal market trading with other mythical creatures. Once the two women appeared my original suspicion about the goblins was confirmed.
Lizzie was able to stay true to her convictions from the beginning of her presence in the story saying to Laura, "You should not peep at goblin men… Their offers should not charm us, their evil gifts would harm us." Learning from the fate of Jeanie, Lizzie ran back to the girls' home.
However, Laura is weak to the goblin's enticing and steps out to taste their fruits. She offers up a lock of her hair as payment for the fruit and is soon overwhelmed by it. "She never tasted such before." Losing all track of time or her surroundings she feasts upon the fruits she bought with her purity.
I quickly drew allusions to the Rape of the Lock given the description. "She clipped a precious golden lock, she dropped a tear more rare than pearl." Her hair is her pride and joy as a woman, but she agreed to the payment and had to go along with it just as with the card game. I took this as an emphasis of the great temptation that Laura faced and fell to as well as the temptation that Lizzie held fast against later in the story.
Contrary to the Rape of the Lock, Laura enjoyed reward for giving up her lock. She became obsessed with finding the goblins again so she could partake in the pleasure of the cursed fruit. Laura's search for the goblins was not for revenge, but because of obsession.
What other allusions to the Rape of the Lock did you notice? Can stronger allusions be drawn to Paradise Lost and Eve's temptation because of the use of fruit as the source of temptation in both situations?

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