Let's Fix It: Characterization in "Barbie Doll"

         As the poem, progresses, Piercy continues to add to the unattractive bodily features of the "girl child" while not explaining much about her personality. She "possessed strong arms and back” (Piercy 8), features that truthfully are not suitable for a pretty girl. Features that are certainly not appropriate for Barbie, as the title ironically suggests. "Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs" (Piercy 11). Marge Piercy’s choice to characterize the “girl child” only by her physical characteristics sends the message about how people maliciously stereotype.

        As the poem progresses, Piercy begins to reveal the susceptibility that "girlchild" is facing as a result of the adverse comments from her peer. “Her good nature wore out
/ like a fan belt” (Piercy 15-16). We already know that she "possessed strong arms and back” (Piercy 8) and that the girl is in fact “healthy, tested intelligent” (Piercy 7). Although these features that are certainly not usually associated with Barbie, as the title ironically suggests, they are rather decent. Instead of focusing on the respectable qualities, the girlchild’s self esteem is drowning over the statement,"Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs" (Piercy 11). Marge Piercy’s choice to show that one nasty characterizing of the “girlchild” is eating her from within sends the message about how malicious stereotypes can shatter one’s mental stability.

Ophelia + Ophelia

As I watched the two clips of Hamlet, I was struck by how similarly the two actresses acted, yet they were so different. While reading this scene, I pictured Ophelia as a girl who received a ton of useless advise from everybody who was older than her. For some reason, I felt as if she was just playing along and not taking any of the advise seriously. The actress playing Ophelia in the Zeffirelli version of the film perfectly acts out exactly my thoughts on Ophelia. She continues to just laugh off all of the "wise" advise which she is receiving. She is not snobby and acting like a smart Alec but by her behavior, we can tell that the words of her brother and her father really don't mean much to her. Instead of stopping to listen, she attempts to avoid more advise by continuing with the task at hand. On the other hand, in the other Hamlet film, the actress playing Ophelia becomes more and more annoyed as her bother gives her advise. Her temper only worsens when her father speaks to her and attempts to rub more wisdom into her. She does not stay relaxed like the other character. Instead she became increasingly angry, as if what they were saying actually bothered her. This, in the end causes her to finally really snap at Laertes and call him a hypocrite. In both cases, I think we can really see that Ophelia isn't the stupid girl that everybody thinks she is. She is actually quite intelligent. She keeps her thoughts in her mind and superficially agrees to listen to avoid conflict and others' doubt in her.

First Impression of Hamlet

We first meet Hamlet in William Shakespeare's work, "Hamlet," at the beginning of Act 1 Scene 2. The prince presents himself in a black, mournful suit and is chastised for it by his mother and his uncle who is the new king of Denmark. Hamlet does not seem to care much for his uncle Claudius at all. He shows him no love and very little respect. In fact, Prince Hamlet later tells us himself that he does not like the man.

We can see that Hamlet is still in grief from his father's recent death. I think that this is only normal behavior. He clearly displays his belief that his father's death was not given enough attention because he still suffers from the sorrow. Everybody else, including his mother is over the fact that her former husband is dead. In fact, Hamlets mother has already remarried to his Uncle Claudius. She shows her lack of sensitivity to the topic of King Hamlet's death when she tells the prince, "All that lives must die." (I .II .72)

After everybody but Hamlet exits the room, he explains to us his true thoughts and emotion. He is upset because his father is dead. This, I think, is fully justified as it seems as if everybody else is more excited about the new king rather that showing grief about the one who has just passed. Futhermore, Prince Hamlet is bitter about the fact that his mother has so quickly remarried to his uncle Claudius. Hmmm...thats really pretty disgusting. If my mother was doing that, I'd be totally grossed out and super upset. That's just weird!!! What makes it even worse is that Queen Gertude does not even care. She's like, "Out with the old and in with the new. Thats life!"

In conclusion, I find Hamlet's behavior and thoughts to really relate well with the audience's thoughts and behavior. His actions actually make sense to me.

I find this picture to really well exemplify the scenario taking place in Act I Scene II

Piercy Discourages Shallow, Stereotypical Use of Characterization

A key element in any work of literature, characterization, proves to be an essential element which allows Marge Piercy to deliver her message in the poem, "Barbie Doll." Piercy uses characterization tremendously throughout the poem to emphasize and truly depict to us how "unattractive" the main character was based on how others described her. Piercy delves deep into every detail of her physical appearance while remaining shallow with her personality and true character. Using this technique, Piercy is able to highlight the cruelty that the girl is forced to face because she isn't exactly described as "beautiful." Finally, when the main character kills herself in an attempt to get rid of her fat legs and ugly nose, everybody characterizes her as pretty. Through the use of characterization in the poem, "Barbie Doll," Marge Piercy is able to convey her theme of the cruelty that people such as the girl child are forced to face just because of the stereotypes others make.

Piercy starts off the poem, "Barbie Doll," by using characterization to describe the main character's lack of physical beauty as she goes through puberty, a phase which usually has a positive effect on one's appearance. Unfortunately for the "girl child," others describe her with some unattractive features. The problem really starts when a classmate tells her, "You have a great big nose and fat legs" (Piercy 6). Piercy doesn’t directly tell the reader that the “girl child” is ugly; she only tells us what the peers think of her.

As the poem, progresses, Piercy continues to add to the unattractive bodily features of the "girl child" while not explaining much about her personality. She "possessed strong arms and back” (Piercy 8), features that truthfully are not suitable for a pretty girl. Features that are certainly not appropriate for Barbie, as the title ironically suggests. "Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs" (Piercy 11). Marge Piercy’s choice to characterize the “girl child” only by her physical characteristics sends the message about how people maliciously stereotype.

By the end of the poem, when our character is dead, with her nose chopped off and legs half gone, Piercy sends out a rather disturbing message. "'Doesn't she look pretty,' everyone said" (Piercy 23). This statement truly proves to us that the girl child’s mission is actually accomplished. The fact that somebody thinks that she looks pretty is absolutely absurd because a dead body is most definitely not pretty.  This is especially true in the case of the girl child because it is a dead body with a chopped off nose and legs sliced up. Are people really that coldhearted?  "Consummation at last” (Piercy 24). The disturbing message that Piercy sends us here is that now people actually think the girl looks “pretty.” The girl child did what it took to be called pretty. "To every woman, a happy ending" (Piercy 25) declares that her goal was finally achieved.

Marge Piercy, the author of “Barbie Doll,” utilizes characterization within the poem to show how numerous individuals make stereotypes about the girl child. Piercy uses these instances to show that people around the world think and operate in a similar fashion to the people in “Barbie Doll.” In conclusion, she is telling us that making stereotypes is a common trait of human nature. She tries to persuade us not to do so by showing the grief that it causes the recipient. Because so many citizens in “Barbie Doll” made generalizations toward the main character, much grief was inflicted upon her, which eventually led her to make irrational decisions. Marge Piercy’s lesson to us as people is to lessen anguish in others by avoiding characterizing people based on shallow observations, as it will make the world a much happier place.