Student Question

What is the most graphic or puzzling part of the poem "Goblin Market" for you?

Quick answer:

The most graphic or puzzling part of "Goblin Market" is the description of Jeanie's death after consuming the goblins' fruit. This imagery is unsettling, as it suggests a mysterious and premature demise, possibly linked to the poem's themes of sexuality and its dangers. The fruit may symbolize sexually transmitted diseases, highlighting the poem's exploration of the consequences of indulgence and temptation.

Expert Answers

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She thought of Jeanie in her grave,
Who should have been a bride;
But who for joys brides hope to have
Fell sick and died
In her gay prime,
In earliest winter-time,
With the first glazing rime,
With the first snow-fall of crisp winter-time.

I want to know exactly how Jeanie died.  I think this part creeps me out the most.  She tried the goblin's fruit, and since the poem is often seen as an expression of sexuality and the dangers inherent in this sexuality, I wonder if the goblin's fruit is not a metaphor for sexually transmitted diseases.

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