Barbie Doll

Majority of the poems in this unit reflect the views and opinions of society. In "Barbie Doll," one can see the materialistic and superficial personality of society as a whole. To me, the poem was an example of a satire because society appreciated the girl, who had many appealing qualities to begin with, when she was transformed into society's image of the "perfect girl." In the end, they were not pleased with the girl herself, but with the body parts she had replaced using plastic surgery.

One of the symbols I noticed (and questioned at first) in this poem was the reference to "the casket displayed on satin she lay with the undertaker's cosmetics painted on." At first, I thought it may represent a literal casket, as though she had committed suicide due to her imperfections. However, after a group discussion, I am almost positive the casket referred to the doctor's operation table that she laid on during her plastic surgery. The speaker refers to it as a casket because she is putting an end to her original nose and legs; she is putting an end to herself and becoming something she is not. It drives me crazy to think that society would place this kind of pressure on a girl. Where did this "perfect girl" image come from in the first place!?