Suffering and loss constitute a regrettable, though necessary, part of the human condition. It is a rare and privileged individual indeed who has not experienced these twin terrors at some point in their lives. To such fortunate souls, Rossetti can say nothing, Her ruminations on loss and suffering in “Remember” are addressed to those, like the speaker’s beloved, who are dealing with sorrow.

In the course of the poem, the speaker suggests two possible strategies for the addressee to use in coping with the death of his beloved. First of all, he can remember her, thus keeping her memory alive even though she herself has departed.

Failing that, if her beloved should forget her, then at least he’ll no longer be sad. Though this would not be a deliberate strategy on his part, it would have a very powerful effect, certainly a more beneficial one than the strategy of remembrance, which in all likelihood would keep the beloved in a permanent state of mournful sadness.

A rather different attitude to loss and suffering can be observed in “Goblin Market.” Here, the emphasis is on postponing the inevitable instead of dealing with it after it has already happened. Having seen what happened to her friend Jennie after she foolishly ate of the goblins’ tempting fruit, Lizzie wants her sister Laura to avoid a similar fate. Though death of course cannot be avoided completely, it can at least be postponed for another day. And it is always possible to do what one can to mitigate suffering.

There’s an element of sacrifice here, which links “Goblin Market” with “Remember.” Just as the speaker in “Remember” is willing that her beloved should forget her in order not to be sad, Lizzie risks her own life by going to the goblins to get some restorative fruit juice for her dying sister. In both cases, the principal characters are prepared to suffer in order to make their loved ones feel better.