A Real Doll: The Power of Imagery
A.M. Homes’ short story “A Real Doll” provides readers with a provocative plot and characterization that engages readers from the very first sentence. She brings to the forefront conflict, aggression, and issues with sexuality. These subjects are essentially taboo in American society and Homes pulls no punches in her literature. All of the things that remain unsaid in our households are unapologetically exposed in this tale. It is Homes’ use of similes and constant repetition in an informal manner, however, that creates the powerful imagery which brings all of the characters to life and blurs the lines between fiction and reality.
Homes’ use of similes in this piece builds visuals of the main characters and their relationships. While the protagonist, a boy who remains nameless in the text, is having a brief conversation with a Barbie doll Homes demonstrates how he responds to her. She provides the reader with a simile of the boys head “bobbing up and down like a puppet on a weight” (Homes 1). This simile gives us a visual of the boy interacting with Barbie despite her being a doll. Further, she provides us with another simile describing Barbie’s eyes as “sparkling blue like the ocean on a good day” (Homes 1). Assuming the audience has experienced “the ocean on a good day” this vivid imagery would bring readers face-to-face with Barbie. One could imagine being in the boy’s position, falling in love with a beautiful woman and gazing into her eyes. As their relationship becomes more intimate similes used later in the story help develop a visual of the significant size difference between them. This brings attention to the reality of their situation while still embracing the idea of Barbie being alive and fully functional and can be seen in the text where Homes writes: “With Barbie caught in my shirt I slowly rolled over, like in some space shuttle docking maneuver.”(4), “[Barbie’s] fingers were like the ends of toothpicks” (4), and “Barbie crawled all over me like an insect” (4). The reader cannot help but to be confused and intrigued all while trying to make sense of this odd relationship, and eventually, coming to the conclusion that the text is fiction.
In addition to similes Homes uses repetition to add depth to her story and help readers understand its content. Contrary to other authors, her use of repetition is unlike that of the mocking bird approach where an author would simply repeat something in the exact some manner. Instead, she restates some of her words and ideas in a more defined or explanatory fashion. An early example of this repetition style is shown when the boy asks Barbie what type of Barbie she is and Barbie responds “I’m Tropical” (Homes 1), the boy then narrates “I’m Tropical” (Homes 1) and goes on to explain Barbie’s statement as “the same way a person might say I’m Catholic or I’m Jewish” (Homes 1). In the same paragraph Homes writes “Barbie squeaked. She actually squeaked.” (1). Then, she goes on to explain “It turned out that squeaking was Barbie’s birth defect” (Homes 1). Understanding that humans are sometimes born with birth defects as a result of poor prenatal care, this statement adds an element of reality to the story causing the reader wonder if Barbie was in fact conceived as a human would be or if she was produced in a factory like a toy. As the story progresses, so does the boy and Barbie’s relationship. Soon, they become sexually involved. After they finish having sex for the first time and the boy reaches his climax the boy narrates “I came. I came all over Barbie, all over her and a little bit in her hair” (Homes 4) repeating again “I came on Barbie and it was the most horrifying experience I ever had” (Homes 4). Whenever Homes uses the informal statement “I came” (4) in this piece she goes on to elaborate what the statement entails, beginning with the statement and then adding to it. She does this again in the story when the boy and his family are having dinner and a conversation is struck up about his grandmother and whether or not she’s a “girl” (Homes 4). This conversation humors the boy’s father so much that he “chuckled” (Homes 4). Homes then writes “He actually fucking chuckled. He’s the only person I ever met who could actually fucking chuckle” (4), adding depth to the statement each time it’s used.
Throughout the story, Homes speaks to the audience using her characters and creates a very down-to-earth, informal tone. Her use of informal terms and simplifications makes it easy for the reader to not only read the words on the paper but comprehend and relate situations to their everyday lives. In some cases, such as a research article, an author’s creditability might be negatively impacted by using such an informal approach but Homes’ informalities build trust with her readers. While Homes could have used the medical terminology in writing about the pills she mentions in the story she simply calls them by their brand name “Valiums” (1), and rather than saying penis when the referring to male genitals the term “dick”(Homes 4) is used. Other informal terms Homes uses in the story are “wow”(1), ”o.d.’ed”(1), ”faggot”(1), “ass crack”(4), “fucking”(4), ”fuck”(6), and “porno”(6) to name a few. Although these terms in particular can be found in the text, the informal vibe would still be prominent and just as effective without them.
The relationship between the boy and Barbie does not last as a result of Barbie undergoing a “[breast] reduction”(Homes7) and being “ruined” by her owner, the boys younger sister, Jennifer(Homes 7).Despite the somewhat tragic ending Homes’ story is imprinted into the mind of the reader. Homes use of similes brings the characters to life and at the same time calls attention to the truth about Barbie’s size. While using similes to create visuals, her use of repetition adds depth and definition to the characters. Finally, Homes informalities throughout appeal to a down-to-earth audience making it easy for the reader to relate. Using the three devices collectively Homes paints a vivid picture, creates powerful imagery and blurs the lines between fact and fiction.
Work Cited
Homes, A.M. “A Real Doll.” Barcelonareview.com. N.p. n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2011.
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