Goblin Market Thesis

The addiction to the magical fruits clearly impacts Laura because “she no more swept the house” (Rossetti). This section from “Goblin Market”, written by Christina Rossetti, uses the tidiness of the house as a metaphor for a relationship. The tidiness is set in play from the beginning of the poem, where Lizzie and Laura are introduced as sisters and they “aired and set to rights the house” (Rossetti). In the poem, goblins sell addictive fruits. The house is kept in impeccable conditions with the contribution of both sisters, however Laura refuses to work after trying the magical fruit . The sisters are separated by a barrier of beliefs. The idea of using a home to describe a protagonist's relationship with another is rather uncommon. Despite

This concept is mentioned when Patria question her involvement with the revolution; she has a “vision [of her] own house tumbling down” (168). To express her true feeling about the revolution and her belief in god, Patria names her newborn “Raul Ernesto”. Patria is passively involved with the movement. She “would never have thought of naming my son after revolutionaries” (151). However, Patria steers away from religion and more towards the revolution after witnessing the death of “her own”. Instead of finding peace and tranquility at her church retreat in Constanza, Patria experiences the destruction of Trujillo’s regime. Trujillo's troops shoots a revolutionist right in front of Patria. She formerly believed that Constanza was the land of god, only to behold god abandon her in a time of need. Patria is determined to overthrow Trujillo because she is no longer going to “sit back and watch [her] babies die” (162). Realizing that the only way to bring justice is by getting involved, Patria willingly joins the revolution. With her newly gained courage, she allows Minerva and her organization in her own home, which eventually becomes the “motherhouse of the movement” (166). Unknowingly, she is involved with Trujillo. Feeling invincible, Patria pays nominal attention to her house, which is crumbling in the

The fearless Patria becomes vulnerable after seeing her house “violated, desecrated, destroyed” (192). At first, Patria remains powerless without her home and her family. For, her sources of inspiration were either in captivity or destroyed. The devastating event clearly impacts her because she wants to “lie down and die” (200). After finally stabilizing herself, Patria worships Jefe and begs him to release her family from prison. During this time of weakness, she even offers to be “[his] sacrificial lamb” (203). Her ideology shifts back to the time, before she got involved. Patria no longer cares about the revolution but only wishes her family to remain safe. Even though the traumatic experience dragged her few steps back, Patria tries to resurrect and become her former self. Her intention is to “rise again” (205). While Patria relied on Jefe and god to help her recover, she continues to rebuild herself until she returns to where she left