In Literary Theory: The Basics, H. Bertens argues that even in the works of culturally and sexually liberal male writers such as DH Lawrence and Henry Miller, the male characters are "denigrating, exploitative and repressive in their relationships with women". In the poems Goblin Market and No, Thank You, John, Christina Rossetti overturns the idea that female characters must remain submissive and resigned to accepting the conventional, male-dominated heterosexual relationships that were promoted in Victorian patriarchal society , and should instead embrace independence, fraternity. and homosexuality. Rossetti's work provides a literary space for platonic, romantic, and even sexual female relationships to flourish, which serves to empower women as a whole. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why violent video games should not be banned'? Get an original essay By foregrounding his female characters' avoidance and outright rejection of male advances, as well as by presenting the quest to view women as perverse and predatory, Rossetti openly rejects conventional heterosexual relationships. Lizzie and Laura in Goblin Market do this at the beginning of the poem when the goblin men try to lure them in: “We must not look at the goblin men/We must not buy their fruit.” » The repetition of "you mustn't" implies a feeling of fear of giving in to desire, which Laura does moments later, rather than a feeling of defiance. However, Lizzie is firm but dignified when she rejects the goblins later in the poem, while their insistent advances are framed as an attack on Lizzie: "They began to scratch their paws, / Stir no more, purr no more ,/But visibly reluctant,/Growling and snarling./She was called proud,/Cross-grain'd, uncivil..." The powerful animal imagery here both emphasizes Lizzie's sense of dignity in refusing the goblins what they want, and the goblins' transformation of flattery used to seduce ("I hugged her and kissed her:/I squeezed and caressed her"), to "growl." and growl” to intimidate and frighten Lizzie into submission The rhyming ending “ing” and the hard, plosive “g” here are repetitive and could represent the multiple attacks the goblins subject Lizzie to. “goblin men” and animal descriptions (“One had the face of a cat/The other whipped a tail…”) can only be symbolic of their devious behavior; they may actually be human, with these descriptors simply referring to their monstrous behavior. In doing so, Rossetti ultimately presents Lizzie as an admirable heroine in comparison to the depraved goblins, and thus defies expectations of femininity by being stoic, rational, and self-reliant. However, in No, Thanks, John, the speaker not only makes it clear that she does not appreciate being repeatedly harassed by John; she also categorically rejects his offers of love. The “thanks” clause embedded in the title implies that this joke was an afterthought. The repetition of "never" in the first two stanzas is a sign that the speaker is adamant that her feelings must be respected and that she feels almost a sense of disgust at the idea of ​​courting him. This feeling of contempt is visible throughout the poem, notably in the scathing remark: "I'd rather say 'No' to fifty Johns/Than say 'Yes' to you." The powerful negative comparison contained in this statement would targetimmediately the man's sense of right to his attention; the stark contrast between the two statements is further emphasized by the enjambment between the two lines. The male character's demanding manner is arguably a deliberate reflection of Victorian patriarchal society, where men would be conditioned from a young age to believe that they were entitled to a woman's attention (in order to woo them), and later, to their partnership. In Goblin Market and No, Thanks, John, women's independence and empowerment are prioritized over the notion of entitlement instilled in men, which promotes women's freedom and happiness rather than being trapped in conventional relationships with (potentially abusive) men that would make them unsatisfied. Rossetti also allows female characters to dominate while positioning male characters on the periphery by promoting brotherhood rather than relationships with men and, in doing so, once again rejecting the conventional. In Krystal Krocker's thesis, she states that: "sisterhood and sisterhood also suggest the concept of good versus evil [...] the reason we know brotherhood is good is because we know how goblins are evil. This idea is supported by Rossetti's continued presentation of Lizzie and Laura's sibling relationship as pure and loving: "Head of gold by head of gold,/Like two pigeons in a nest/Folded in the wings the one from the other,/They lie down in their curtain. lit." The "golden head" imagery presents Lizzie and Laura as angelic figures. Pigeons also often represent domesticity and family life in literature, and the natural imagery of the simile "like two pigeons in a nest” may be evidence that Rossetti intended to portray Lizzie and Laura as a complete family unit. This does not conform to the typical model of the nuclear family that Victorian society would uphold and would be considered unnatural, but. it seems that by using natural images, Rossetti might have been trying to promote the then unconventional concept that a functioning family unit does not require a male figure or a heterosexual couple to be considered valid. positive presentation of brotherhood in Goblin Market, the brotherhood between goblins is presented as impure, even dangerous, and Rossetti expresses the idea that men collectively represent a danger to women: "They stood motionless on the moss,/looking at each other each other,/brother with a strange brother;/beckoning to each other,/brother with a sneaky brother. » Although an all-male family unit, and even same-sex relationships between men, would be just as unconventional as Rossetti's presentation of Laura and Lizzie's family unit, Victorian-era fraternities were widely accepted, including the Pre-Raphaelites and Freemasons. The repeated internal rhyme of the "-er" ending here may reflect the goblins' intimacy and secrecy, and gives the impression that they are getting ominously close to Lizzie. Rossetti's description of the goblins as "weird" and "sneaky" creates a sense of foreboding that is only heightened by the fact that the goblins "look at each other" and "sign at each other", which establishes the goblins as devious and crooked, as if they are plotting together to carry out a malicious plan. The pure, angelic presentation of platonic sisterhood juxtaposed with the unsavory nature of goblin sisterhood highlights the importance of female support against the forces of evil and, once again, rejects the notion of potentially harmful heterosexual relationships by.