Symbolism in Marge Piercy's 'Barbie Doll'

Marge Piercy’s poem, “Barbie Doll”, is about the problems a teenage girl faces as she undergoes puberty. In just four stanzas, Piercy illustrates the confusion and sorrow that one girl experiences during this stage in her life. Using vivid language, powerful mental images are created for the readers to easily follow. Those images symbolize that the girl experiences hope, struggle, and despair. Symbolism is the most effective element in the poem. Several symbols in the poem help indicate a promising future. Early in the poem, evidence ensure that the girl is preparing for womanhood because of the objects she is presented by her parents. These presents included a doll, miniature appliances, and wee cherry candy-colored lipsticks. Each or the

Objects such as a casket, satin, cosmetics, and a turned-up putty nose are all symbolic because they represent the event of a funeral. Death normally suggests the end of something; likewise, the fact that these objects don’t occur to the end of the poem is symbolic. The cosmetics and turned-up putty nose also represent the idea of fantasy. Early in the poem, Piercy writes “The girlchild was born as usual”; whereas at the end of the poem, the woman is covered cosmetics that falsify her beauty. The most important symbol is the poem is the pink and white nightie. The nightie is significant because it represents the journey that the woman endured throughout the poem. Pink is a color that represents feminine passiveness and white represents purity; furthermore, the woman had to become passive to be accepted. In the poem, “Barbie Doll”, Marge Piercy uses symbolism to emphasize the idea of hope, struggle, and despair. Women have been and still face gender issues often; especially from their peers. Piercy explores the life of a young girl as she blossoms into womanhood, only to be hurt once she experiences reality. Women need to come together, rather than tearing each other down and in order to do so, they must learn to accept