#13

In "Barbie Doll," society is paradoxical. Society will only accept the girl in the poem once her true self is dead. In society, her life begins when the person she truly is dies and a new personality and character takes over. This paradoxical view is used as a criticism of society. The speaker uses the seemingly contradictory values of society to make society appear backwards and nonsensical. To the reader, though, the paradox makes sense after some thought. How often are we told indirectly that there is a certain image which is defined as "pretty"? It allows the reader to relate more fully to the feelings of the girl in the poem because the reader has likely experienced a similar occurrence.