Introduction
Christina Rossetti’s poem, “Goblin Market,” is allegorical in the sense that it is an extended metaphor in which key social fears of the period are expressed. Rossetti sets her characters against the lures of the world, which in this case are represented by the goblin men and their fruit. Children are voyeurs who are always analyzing and watching. Rossetti features two main children characters and contrasts their response to the lures. Against these lures or temptations, Laura succumbs, while Lizzie is headstrong. One may argue that the poet uses character foils to contrast the characters, Lizzie and Laura. The purposes of this contrast would be to highlight the protagonist’s traits. However, a more likely proposition presented in this paper is the explanation that the gothic literature lens suggests on the characters. This argument is important because the poet’s approach in linking the characters has a bearing on the emphasis made on the text’s message. In Christina Rossetti’s allegorical poem, “Goblin Market,” taking Lizzie as Laura’s doppelganger rather than character foil is makes more sense in advancing the poet’s message.
The first reason why Lizzie is more of Laura’s doppelganger than character foil is that the poet links the two characters in a dreamy and ghostly way that is common in gothic doppelganger literature. Doppelgangers are usually linked where one character is the other character’s ghost or where one character dreams of themselves as someone else. On the other hand, foils involve contrasting one character with another to bring out the qualities of the main character. In “Goblin Market” Rossetti makes more of an effort to highlight the connection between Laura and Lizzie than she does to set them apart. There is a dreamy sensuality in the manner in which Rossetti links the two characters. For example, the two sisters sleep ‘Golden head by golden head” (Rossetti 184-186). These words suggest a dreamy linkage between the thoughts of Lizzie and Laura. These words seem to imply that the two characters have the same thinking. One may argue that Rossetti’s intention in illustrating the closeness of the character’s heads may have been to highlight their unity of thought or the fact that one of them was a result of the other’s thought. Maybe Lizzie is imagined by Laura and hence the flow of thought from one to the other. This linkage cannot exist in the case of a character foil. Foils serve to highlight the distance between two characters and not to link them. Besides this dreamy linkage, there are also other reasons why a doppelganger approach is more likely than a foil approach in painting the characters Laura and Lizzie.
The second reason why Lizzie is Laura’s doppelganger is that the character and physical traits of the two girls intertwine. The poet proceeds to build a link between the two characters and despite the obvious physical appearance differences, their speech and behavior are confusing at first. The reader is almost left wondering which one is Lizzie and which one is Laura. For example, when the two encounter the goblin men selling their fruits, it is difficult to tell who is talking at what point. It is like an internal discussion is going on whereby every decision is rationalized. “’Lie close,’ Laura said, "We must not look at goblin men; We must not buy their fruits” (Rossetti 40-44). It is interesting that even though Laura is the first to remind Lizzie that they should not look at goblin men, she is the first to do it and buy their fruit. In this regard, their discussion and different decisions could represent a single individual’s struggle to make the right choice in the face of temptation. At some point in the poem, the differences between the characters’ choices take a back seat and the message becomes about making the right choice even when the wrong choice seems to promise more rewards. In this regard, Laura and Lizzie appear to be the same person taking different paths in life. This line of thought suggests that Lizzie cannot be Laura’s foil because there are great similarities between the two characters.
Another reason why Lizzie is Laura’s doppelganger and not foil is that there is a ghostly cause-and-effect relationship between the two girls. This cause-and-effect relationship between Laura and Lizzie suggests a doppelganger relationship rather than a character foil one. In the poem, the suggestion is that Laura’s selfish actions may bring harm to Lizzie directly or indirectly particularly because Lizzie risks her life to save that of her sister. Laura laments about how she has wasted her life by making the wrong decisions. “Must your light like mine be hidden? Your young life like mine be wasted, Undone in mine undoing and ruined in my ruin, thirsty, cankered, goblin-ridden? (Rossetti 484). From these words, it becomes apparent that Laura’s actions have a direct part to play in Lizzie’s life. Laura’s sickly nature is brought about by her selfish actions. Laura laments that her undoing could lead to Lizzie’s downfall. It is clear that she is the part of Lizzie that is weighing her down. This poem relates to young people who do not like to be scolded for something they have not done. The thought of one being punished for something they have not done is likely to fuel the anxiety and compassion of the reader towards Lizzie. While one may be attracted to Laura’s impulsive actions, they connect with Lizzie’s efforts to remain healthy and safe amid the sickness and danger that surround her. Adopting a doppelganger relationship between Lizzie and Laura has a considerable bearing on the poet’s intended message.
Treating Laura and Lizzie as doppelgangers instead of character foils advances the poet’s message in different ways. First, by using the characters as doppelgangers instead of foils, the poet illustrates the teaching that everybody has the power and potential for good or evil within them. In the doppelganger approach, the poet underlines a duality to do right or wrong that exists in every person. Rossetti underlines the power of choice and the reality of consequences. If one were to adopt a character foil approach to this poem, one might miss this teaching. The character foil approach favors the view that a person is either good or bad, with the potential to do right or wrong. However, the doppelganger approach is more effective, especially when using the poem as a teaching for children.
Another reason why a doppelganger approach is more effective than a character foil is that it teaches that one person’s actions can affect the people around him. In the character foil approach, the individual makes choices and performs actions that the reader compares and contrasts with that of another person to understand the two. However, in a doppelganger relationship, the action of one character, directly and indirectly, affects their other half. In Laura’s case, her selfish actions affect Lizzie because they are one and the same person. In this regard, it is easier for the poet to advance this teaching using the doppelganger approach than the character foil one.
Conclusion
Christina Rossetti’s allegorical poem, “Goblin Market,” explores the characters of two sisters, Laura, and Lizzie, who encounter temptations. Laura succumbs to the lures of the goblin men against what she has been taught in the past. Lizzie manages to remain unwavering. This paper provides evidence that Lizzie is Laura’s doppelganger and not her character foil. A doppelganger is a double or spirit of the main character. A foil contrasts the protagonist, helping to bring their character traits to the fore. For this poem, however, the doppelganger standpoint is because of three main reasons. First, there is a dreamy linkage between the two characters that suggests that they are halves of one self. This relationship is more akin to a doppelganger link than a foil one. The poet goes to great lengths to underline the intellectual relationship between the two characters and hardly makes any effort to show their differences. Secondly, there is an intertwining of traits and utterances between the characters. This seamless flow of ideas between Laura and Lizzie underlines the claim that they are likely to be halves of the same one self. From the poem, it appears that the two characters represent a struggle by one self to make the right decision in the face of temptation. The third reason is that there is a cause-and-effect link between Laura and Lizzie. Laura’s actions seem to affect Lizzie directly and indirectly. This link suggests a doppelganger relationship more than a character foil one. Undoubtedly, using the doppelganger approach provides the poet with better tools to pass her message than if she were to use the character foil approach. The doppelganger approach helps the poet pass a moral message more effectively than a character foil approach. The doppelganger implies that one person has two paths possible in life: The path of good decisions and the path of poor decisions. In this regard, the doppelganger approach seems to offer more hope to the individual than the foil approach. Undoubtedly, Christina Rossetti’s poem lends itself to interesting interpretations with regards to the characters of Laura and Lizzie.
Work Cited
Rossetti, Christina G, Elizabeth B. Browning, Emily Dickinson, and Edna S. V. Millay. Great Women Poets: Dickinson, Rossetti, Browning, [and] Millay. New York: Dover Publications, 1990. Print.
