Marge Piercy’s poem “Barbie Doll” gives insight on the societal and cultural expectations that American children suffer through every day. The poem is written as a narrative; the speaker is an observer, who follows the life of a young girl who struggles with the pressure to be perfect. The girl eventually conforms to society and gives up on her goal of validation. Piercy uses imagery, figurative language, and symbolism to convey her message in a expressive and memorable way.
Since the poem is told in a story-like manner, each of the four stanzas helps break the story into different parts of the girl’s life, beginning with her birth and ending with her death. As a child, the girl was presented with “dolls that did pee-pee/ and miniature GE stoves and irons/ and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy” (2-4). By providing concrete examples that many Americans are familiar with, Piercy uses vivid imagery and allows the story to resonate with some image of the reader’s past. Piercy not only creates a vivid image with these gifts, but she also adds symbolism. The gifts that the young girl is given are all conventional, feminine toys. All little girls are expected to enjoy playing with dolls and makeup; it’s a stereotype that is accepted by society as a whole. The feminine gifts symbolize how the ideals of how women should appear and behave are instilled in children at a young age.
Everything appears to be going well for the young girl until it is ironically stated by Piercy that the girl undergoes the magic of puberty. Puberty is an awkward time for all, especially for the young girl. She is ridiculed for her big nose and thick legs and is made fun of by her classmates. Despite the fact that “she was healthy, tested intelligent/ possessed strong arms and back/ abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity” (7-9), she is still unaccepted by those surrounding her. The young girl isn’t strong enough to deal with the pressures of society. She is presented as “[going] to...