The goblins fell back a little when he began, and made horrible grimaces all through the rhyme 1920

Jessie Willcox Smith painted this illustration, titled "The goblins fell back a little when he began, and made horrible grimaces all through the rhyme," during a time when fairy tales were being reclaimed by artists. Note the goblins' grimaces, exaggerated and grotesque. These expressions tap into a primal fear of the Other, echoing the gargoyles of Gothic cathedrals designed to ward off evil. Observe how the shadow looming behind the boy amplifies this sense of dread, transforming the familiar into something monstrous. Consider, too, the protective gesture of the boy's raised hand, reminiscent of ancient apotropaic symbols meant to deflect harm. The symbol is charged with a psychoanalytic tension: the collective memory of humanity’s struggle against the dark forces of the unknown. The goblins' gestures, and that looming shadow, are not confined to the realm of fairy tales. They are non-linear, cyclical symbols that resurface, evolving and taking on new meanings in different contexts throughout history.