Marge Piercy's Barbie Doll
A Woman’s Place in Society In Marge Piercy’s poem, “Barbie Doll,” the title carries a lot of meaning because a Barbie doll has long been an icon in society. Although it is a children’s toy, a Barbie doll exemplifies a woman with a perfect body exonerating beauty. This poem portrays a summary of a life since birth to the end of life at a funeral. The protagonist never had a chance to live her life to the fullest because she was always trying to please others and wanted to be accepted. She never got the chance to be herself which led her to a life of unhappiness. In the poem “Barbie Doll,” Marge Piercy uses repetition, simile and irony to show the expectation of society on women. First, the repetition of peer’s judgments of the
…show more content…
She is adorned with, “the undertaker’s cosmetics painted on/a turned-up putty nose/ dressed in a pink and white nightie” (20 -22). All of these things symbolize society’s views of a “perfect woman”. Piercy writes with ironic and sarcastic, “Doesn’t she look pretty? Everyone said / consummation at last / To every woman a happy ending” (23-25). For once in the young woman’s life she is viewed as pretty by everyone who symbolizes society. Even though the young woman is dead, society views her as pretty because she finally has a new acceptable nose. Her entire life, the subject of the poem has been ridiculed, leaving her without self-acceptance. After trying to fix her only "flaws" by cutting them off, she ends her life. Only when she is lying in her casket during her funeral, with plastic surgery that has created a false but acceptable nose, do people compliment her looks? In fact, the reason a person looks pretty in their casket is because they are “made-up” to look their best. Reader is lead to believe that the entire group of people at the funeral thinks she is pretty now that she is lying so serenely in her casket, like an image of a
She is adorned with, “the undertaker’s cosmetics painted on/a turned-up putty nose/ dressed in a pink and white nightie” (20 -22). All of these things symbolize society’s views of a “perfect woman”. Piercy writes with ironic and sarcastic, “Doesn’t she look pretty? Everyone said / consummation at last / To every woman a happy ending” (23-25). For once in the young woman’s life she is viewed as pretty by everyone who symbolizes society. Even though the young woman is dead, society views her as pretty because she finally has a new acceptable nose. Her entire life, the subject of the poem has been ridiculed, leaving her without self-acceptance. After trying to fix her only "flaws" by cutting them off, she ends her life. Only when she is lying in her casket during her funeral, with plastic surgery that has created a false but acceptable nose, do people compliment her looks? In fact, the reason a person looks pretty in their casket is because they are “made-up” to look their best. Reader is lead to believe that the entire group of people at the funeral thinks she is pretty now that she is lying so serenely in her casket, like an image of a