Sometimes, it can be difficult for a person to understand their own identity. Being in the state of mind of completely accepting who they are is by nature a difficult thing for a person to do. So, to assist people in their process of self-love, they can use inanimate things as outlets to express who they are. This could be an object that has significance to their life or a hobby that they are skilled in and passionate about. Authors often use this technique to define characters who may not be ready to accept who they are. Using inanimate things to represent a character’s identity allows them to express themselves, while they are on the journey to personal acceptance. In Sandra Cisneros's’ short story “Barbie-Q,” the narrator’s insecurities
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The narrator is so captivated by Barbie that she pays special attention to every detail about each doll outfit, “Mine, ‘solo in the Spotlight,’ evening elegance in black glitter strapless gown with a puffy skirt at the bottom like a mermaid tail, formal-length gloves, pink-chiffon scarf, and mike included,” (Cisneros 1). In her own mind, Barbie is the narrator’s vision of a perfect girl: one who has a petite figure, expensive clothes, lots of friends and is always the center of attention. Coming from a middle class family, Barbie’s lifestyle is not realistic for the narrator, so she immerses herself into studying each aspect of her beloved doll’s clothes because she fully appreciates what Barbie means to her and uses the doll as a distraction from her own insecurities. Furthermore, Barbie symbolizes how the narrator has an increased sense of self-worth when talking about her because she is insecure about her own appearance and does not believe she is as beautiful as Barbie is. In addition to being insecure about her appearance, the narrator is insecure about how society perceives her, “The other, ‘Sweet Dreams,’ dreamy pink-and-white plaid nightgown and matching robe, lace-trimmed slippers, hairbrush and hand-mirror included. How much? Please, please, please, please, please, …show more content…
Ten year old Myop’s innocent morning stroll is brought to a halt when she stumbles upon a dead man’s body, “He had been a tall man. From feet to neck covered a long space. His head lay beside him. When she pushed back the leaves and layers of earth and debris Myop saw that he’s had large white teeth, all of them cracked or broken, long fingers, and very big bones. All of his clothes had rotted away except some threads of blue denim from his overalls,” (Walker 5). Up until Myop found the decapitated corpse, she was naive and oblivious to the dangers of the real world. The skull represents how Myop must become more informed about what happens beyond her corner of the world now that she is soon approaching her transition into adolescence. Furthermore, when Myop connects the brutal murder to this dead body, her senses are heightened and she is more alert about the reality of the world, “Myop gazed around the spot with interest. Near where she’d stepped into the head was a wild pink rose. As she picked it to add to her bundle she noticed a raised mound, a ring, around the rose’s root. It was the rotted remains of a noose, a bit of shredding plowline, now blending benignly into the soil,” (Walker 6). Very abruptly Myop has now made the connection between the dead man and just how brutally
The narrator is so captivated by Barbie that she pays special attention to every detail about each doll outfit, “Mine, ‘solo in the Spotlight,’ evening elegance in black glitter strapless gown with a puffy skirt at the bottom like a mermaid tail, formal-length gloves, pink-chiffon scarf, and mike included,” (Cisneros 1). In her own mind, Barbie is the narrator’s vision of a perfect girl: one who has a petite figure, expensive clothes, lots of friends and is always the center of attention. Coming from a middle class family, Barbie’s lifestyle is not realistic for the narrator, so she immerses herself into studying each aspect of her beloved doll’s clothes because she fully appreciates what Barbie means to her and uses the doll as a distraction from her own insecurities. Furthermore, Barbie symbolizes how the narrator has an increased sense of self-worth when talking about her because she is insecure about her own appearance and does not believe she is as beautiful as Barbie is. In addition to being insecure about her appearance, the narrator is insecure about how society perceives her, “The other, ‘Sweet Dreams,’ dreamy pink-and-white plaid nightgown and matching robe, lace-trimmed slippers, hairbrush and hand-mirror included. How much? Please, please, please, please, please, …show more content…
Ten year old Myop’s innocent morning stroll is brought to a halt when she stumbles upon a dead man’s body, “He had been a tall man. From feet to neck covered a long space. His head lay beside him. When she pushed back the leaves and layers of earth and debris Myop saw that he’s had large white teeth, all of them cracked or broken, long fingers, and very big bones. All of his clothes had rotted away except some threads of blue denim from his overalls,” (Walker 5). Up until Myop found the decapitated corpse, she was naive and oblivious to the dangers of the real world. The skull represents how Myop must become more informed about what happens beyond her corner of the world now that she is soon approaching her transition into adolescence. Furthermore, when Myop connects the brutal murder to this dead body, her senses are heightened and she is more alert about the reality of the world, “Myop gazed around the spot with interest. Near where she’d stepped into the head was a wild pink rose. As she picked it to add to her bundle she noticed a raised mound, a ring, around the rose’s root. It was the rotted remains of a noose, a bit of shredding plowline, now blending benignly into the soil,” (Walker 6). Very abruptly Myop has now made the connection between the dead man and just how brutally