Barbie Doll

What is the theme in Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy?

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Obedience is the main theme of the book. "Barbie Doll" symbolically describes the inherently destructive nature of patriarchy. A system of social organization in which male prerogative is the ruling principle, patriarchy demands women's obedience to men. Historically, this obedience has been externally manifest through law; for example, until the twentieth century women had been denied voting privileges in the United States. But patriarchy also exhibits its power through the shaping of mind and serf-image.