Comparing Laura And Lizzie

In following the initial guise of children’s literature, Laura and Lizzie are presented as foils to each other within the poem. Both sisters are described as having “golden” hair and portraying themselves as the typical virtuous female of the time (Rossetti Line 184). Additionally, their lack of physical description also suggests the possibility of them being twin sisters. Which is why the important factor in distinguishing between the two relies on their personalities. Laura is a “curious” individual who is easily tempted by the goblin’s voices and fruits to disregard the warning of Jeanie’s tale (Line 69). On the other hand, her sister Lizzie is the cautious one of the two, running away, while closing her eyes and ears, from the goblin men and the one telling Jeanie’s story.
Fitting in with the fairy tale conventions, the naughty character is punished for going pass their boundaries, in other words her curiosity, while the nice character saves her. Or as Clayton Carlyle Tarr states in “Covent Goblin Market”, “Laura’s binge on goblin fruit leaves her poisoned, and only heroic Lizzie’s corporeal sacrifice can save her” (Tarr 307). Notably, Lizzie is regarded as the heroine of the story while Laura is depicted as the fallen woman, victim or even damsel in distress, who needs to be saved for the sake of the plot. At the end of the poem, Laura proceeds to retell her story to her children, claiming “how her sister stood/[i]n deadly peril to do her good” (Rossetti Lines 557-558). By doing this, she further highlights the didactic nature of the poem. Meaning, if the reader does not attempt to deduce the moral message, Laura explicitly tells the reader by the end. Thus, these two character roles played by the women further enhances the idea of a fairy tale story for