Works Cited

Doherty, Patricia, Marge Piercy: An Annotated Bibliography, Wespoa, CT: Greenwood Press, 1997. www.margepiercy.com

Piercy, Marge, Barbie Doll. Perrine's Literature Structure, Sound, and Sense. 9th Edition. Ed. Michael Rosenburg. (2006); 761-762.

Shands, Kerstin W, The Repair of the World: The novels of Marge Piercy, Greenwood Publishing Group, Connecticut, 1994.

Analysis

Society's idea to be attractive is to be nothing less than ideal. To lack perfection is not acceptable in today's society; therfore we have come to see what society sees in us as "ugly". The desire to be accepted destroys our self-esteem. We will do whatever it takes to not think of what society views as disturbing. We lose sight of our true beauty. When we change ourselves to live up society's expectations of us, we either are at peace or we continue to see what others made fun of. In the poem, "a classmate said: You have a great big nose and thinck legs". She could have either took it in and swallowed her pride and not said anything and stayed at peace or continue to face the fact she was different.
At the end of the poem the casket represents her mental, emotional, and physical state now that she is perfected. Now she does not have to listen to the mean things kids say. She is at peace with society and herself. The casket could also mean that she she dead. She committed suicide by cutting off her nose and legs. Her life is now fullfilled now that she looks pretty even though the cost was her life.

THE AUTHOR

Marge Piercy was born on March 31, 1936 in Detroit. She is a poet, novelist, essayist, and playwright. She tends to write frequently about womens issues, particuraly in ways that women have been made inferior both about their minds and their bodies.

"Marge Piercy is not just an author, she is a cultural touchstone. Few writers in modern memory have sustained her passion, and skill, for creating stories of consequences."
- The Boston Globe

THEME

In Marge Piercy's "Barbie Doll", we find a young girl growing up through the adolensence stage and look through only her apperance. The girl struggles alot during her teenage years and she shows us the effects that can happen when the world only looks on the outside of a human being.
The World today has a way of placing unrealistic expectations on women. By using television, the internet, magazines, billboards and even toys we see a mold of what women are supposed to look like. The world in our eyes make us women think we should look like a Barbie Doll.

An Analysis of "Barbie Doll" by Marge Piercy

THE POEM

This girlchild was born as usual
and presented dolls that did pee-pee
and miniture GE stoves and irons
and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy.
Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said:
You have a great big nose and fat legs.

She was healthy, tested intelligent,
possessed strong arms and back,
abundant sexual drive and manual dexerity.
She went to and fro apologizing.
Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs.

She was advised to play coy,
exhorted to come on hearty,
exercise, diet, smile and wheedle.
her good nature wore out
like a fan belt.
So she cut off her nose and her legs
and offered them up.

In the casket displayed on satin she lay
with the undertaker's cosmetics painted on,
a turned-up putty nose,
dressed in a pink and white nightie.
Dosen't she look pretty ? everyone said.
Consummation at last.
To every woman a happy ending.
Marge Piercy (b.1936)