LITERATURE

Critical Analysis of “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy

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A Critical Analysis of “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy

“Barbie Doll” narrates a story of a young girl who finds out while growing up that she does not look exactly how she should. Since this young girl feels she needs other people's approval, she tries to change things in her body; she considers imperfections in other areas. However, she becomes weary as her relentless efforts to fit in by following all the advice given fail. Therefore, she cuts off the body parts that seem offending, taking her own life in the process. According to the undertaker, though, this unfortunate move gives her perfection and subsequently the approval she yearned for but could get while alive. The paper focuses on a critical analysis of “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy.

According to Frisk (2019), the poem’s title reflects the irony and symbolism, which are the controlling device in both the doll and the women in the poem. Besides, The Barbie Doll, which is a popular toy among teenage girls, represents a symbol of femininity culturally. The Barbie Doll is equated to ideal beauty and desirability. Through this poem, Piercy aims to show how this perception can be detrimental by highlighting the extent to which most women can attain this ideal beauty.

The third point of view is used to narrate the poem; the poem is a free verse made up of four stanzas. Using the third person point of view is symbolic. It emphasizes the rising sense of withdrawal and contempt of self endured by women in the poem because they feel not conformed to the status quo of being ideal (Frisk, 2019). The first stanza depicts how young girls are indoctrinated into stereotyping of ideal feminism. The second stanza shows the general societal view concerning the appearance of women. The next stanza, highlights the degree that women can go in order to fit in this ideal. Finally, in an ironic twist, the last stanza shows the achievement of the ideal though in death since she could not attain it while alive.

The first line of the poem gives an introduction of the subject of the poem, the girl child. Differentiating her using gender only objectifies the young woman. The phrase “born as usual” explains the fact that she is just an ordinary girl. Hudatullah (2016) argues that, enjambment of the first and second lines shows that "as usual" could also mean how girls are welcomed into the world; by being given gifts of “dolls that did pee-pee” and “miniature GE stoves and irons and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy.” Images of “dolls”, “GE stoves”, and “irons” depict introduction into motherhood and domesticity earlier in a woman’s life. The art of femininity is introduced through “wee lipsticks and the color of cherry candy."

Hudatullah (2016) argues that, the speaker serves the purpose of an impartial narrator. In every way, the tone of the poem is as though the speaker is telling the story of a fairy tale. The tale is, however, tragic and twisted. Through the first line, the tone and pattern of the poem are set by the narrator. Like in fairy tales, the narrator's tone in this poem is non-judgmental, and it doesn’t change even when the poem takes a dramatic turn. Therefore, the speaker is a storyteller who is non-committal, sharing a tragic fairy tale.

In the last line of the poem, “To every woman a happy ending,” Piercy uses irony since she remarks that the young woman had a happy ending. Therefore, sending a warning to other young women not to end their lives due to the stereotyping of an ideal woman. The last line is also an allusion like the one in fairy tales… “and they lived happily ever after." Irony and allusion in this last line reinforce the aftermath of gender stereotyping.

References

Frisk, P. (2019). Barbie Doll. Radical Teacher, (113), 29-122.

Hudatullah, M. (2016). Criticism On The Standard Of Beauty In Marge Piercy’s Poems Barbie Doll, The Woman In The Ordinary, And What Are Big Girls Made Of? (Doctoral dissertation, Universitas Brawijaya).