Told through the eyes of one needy little girl, Barbie-Q, by Sandra Cisneros is a short story about what is perceived outwardly and what is known to be true inwardly. Cisneros pulls us into this yarn by hitting us with words like yours and ours, we and mine. By using this type of language we, as the reader, take on a guardian aspect. We are not directly intertwined with the girls actions, but rather we are a constant observer. As these words pour from the main characters mouth, I can imagine two young girls loudly squabbling and carrying on.Through the course of this story we see that the girls only have two Barbie dolls, one for each of them. When the author is not describing how the dolls change of clothes is an old sock, she delves into great detail on what the dolls originally wore. The striped swimsuit, stilettos and gold hoped earrings seems to be images of how a foreigner might envision a typical American woman to be. This perceived image is ultimately what the story is about. With her pretty clothes and perfect figure, the Barbie doll symbolizes a perfect American woman.The essence of title is eventually realized when the girls are allowed to get some more Barbie dolls. The newly acquired dolls where inexpensive, because they were damaged, or cooked (like a barbeque) in a warehouse fire. Externally they looked good, but if you lifted the dolls dresses you would smell smoke and see one foot was melted away. Even with this outward appearance of flawlessness, the author shows us that internally the Barbie doll has imperfections too....
