The Victorian era was characterized by numerous writers from all walks of life. From Gothicism incorporated by Edgar Allan Poe to Emily Bronte’s nature and mysticism, the Victorian Era consisted of a variety of literature. A popular theme of many Victorian literatures was that the difficult lives in which hard work, perseverance, love and luck pay great dividends in the end; virtue would be rewarded and wrongdoers are rightfully disciplined. This theme is prevalent in “Goblin Market” by Christina Rossetti.
Another work that parallels this theme is the biography of Josh Hamilton titled “Beyond Belief”. Josh Hamilton, who at the age of 18, was picked first overall by Tampa Bay. Even at that time in his career he was predicted to be one of the greatest baseball players ever to play the game. After enduring a back injury Josh became addicted to narcotics, which later led to multiple tattoos and an addiction to various drugs such as crack and cocaine. Multiple incidents led to Josh’s suspension from major league baseball. With the drugs in his system, and no job, Hamilton began to see his life slowly slipping away from him. Josh’s choice to take drugs which caused an addiction shows similarities to Laura’s failure to resist the fruit in “Goblin Market”. Like Josh’s dependency on drugs, Laura was infected by something she knew would harm her and in effect she became ill. Hamiltion, who was punished by being kicked out of the MLB, and Laura, who developed a fatal sickness, both received adversity directly caused by their bad decisions. However, after Josh had an intervention with his family and close friends, he knew he had to persevere and get his life back on track. Inspired by all of the support, “Josh Hamilton, the slugger for the Texas Rangers, overcame substance abuse problems” (Travis, 3). Josh’s family in this situation closely resembles Lizzie in “Goblin Market” who saves Laura from her sickness. This symbolizes the hardships that must be gone through in order to attain success. Upon Hamilton’s reentering into the league, he also began to receive the attention that he once had before. Almost winning the homerun derby, and the Triple Crown Josh became an All-Star for the first time after just a year of returning to baseball confirming that he was there to stay. Winning one of the most prestigious awards in any sport, Josh won “MVP” in 2010. Lastly, this relates to “Goblin Market” by how after Lizzie saves Laura, they go on to live their lives and have children. Their children symbolize their reward for overcoming temptation like Josh Hamilton who achieved all of his awards in baseball. The ending of both “Beyond Belief” and “Goblin Market” prove that hard work pays out in the end.
Information Sources: Travis, Kevin. "Overcoming the odds." Sun Journal (New Bern, NC) 21 Oct. 2010: Newspaper Source. EBSCO. Web. 27 Apr. 2011.
Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. "Goblin Market." Encyclopedia of Feminist Literature. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EFL214&SingleRecord=True (accessed April 27, 2011).
Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. "Goblin Market." Encyclopedia of Gothic Literature. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EGL154&SingleRecord=True (accessed April 27, 2011).
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