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Sit Still, Look Pretty: How Society Expects Women to Be — A Sociological Analysis of "The Youngest Doll" by Rosario Ferré

Imagine having to sit still while the world moves around you, not being able to do the things you wish — similarly to a doll, waiting to get picked up. Rosario Ferré’s The Youngest Doll was set in Puerto Rico, around the colonial period under the Americans. Along with the political and economic shifts that have occurred, the island’s sugarcane aristocracy saw a decline. In this short story, we delve into the life of an aristocratic aunt who devotes her life to making dolls for her nieces after a river prawn had taken away her ability to walk. In the Youngest Doll, women are shown to be treated like dolls by society; they have always taken up lifeless roles and are objectified by the patriarchy. As social structure shifts, their confinement to the same roles further exemplifies their exploitation.

During the late 20th century in Puerto Rico, the social division between the urban and rural areas underlined the importance of wealth and social status to all of the characters. From an urbanized area, the doctor and his son were seen to care more about their wealth and status than the aunt and the youngest niece, who lived near a cane field. In contrast, the aunt and youngest niece valued nature more than the industrialized and capitalist aspects of life. The aunt would take baths in the river and make her dolls from natural resources, showing distrust in factory-made materials. She didn’t even consider making a profit by selling her dolls, but merely as sentimental gifts.

Aside from the urban-rural divide, Ferré reveals the deeper societal forces to be the patriarchy and capitalism. Though the aunt never married, the prawn in her leg symbolizes the power of the patriarchy held over her. It is said in the story that she locked herself in her house and “refused to see any suitors” as the prawn had “stripped her of all vanity.” The youngest niece was also a victim of the patriarchy, made to sit out on the balcony and shown off to the world as a sign of high status. Together with patriarchy, capitalism traps her further and is the reason why her doll is exploited by her husband. In addition, it’s the reason why the aunt was doomed to stay at home for the entire latter part of her life. The doctor who was supposed to remove the prawn in her leg chose to profit from it, calling it ”the prawn that has been paying for your education these twenty years." 

These forces, together with differences in social class, make way for an exploitative dynamic that can go either way. Though it’s usually shown that the rich exploit the poor, Ferré suggests in this story that the lower class could exploit the higher class to attain a higher status. High status gives privileges others can't afford but also gives way for exploitation by those who wish to achieve the same status. The doctor’s son marries the youngest niece, not out of love for her, but out of love for her riches and formerly high status. She was like her aunt’s doll, reduced to a symbol and accessory for her husband.

During the 20th century, women in this story were symbols of the men’s riches and rank in society, like dolls. Capitalism and patriarchy were driving forces in the characters’ lives. In the words of Daya, “I don't wanna sit still, look pretty” — and neither do other women. Though we live in a modern and progressive society, our society is still far from sincerely treating women with respect and equality.

References:

Ferré, Rosario, and Diana Vélez. “The Youngest Doll.” JSTOR, 1986, collegelit2014.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/the-youngest-doll-rosario-ferre.pdf. 

“Giant River Prawn (Macrobrachium Rosenbergii) - Species Profile.” USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.aspx?speciesID=1203. 

Prezi, Isabelle Laughlin On. “English 12: ‘the Youngest Doll.’” prezi.com, prezi.com/rvecd6lexjed/english-12-the-youngest-doll. 

Puerto Rico: The Bite of a Prawn in a Patriarchal Society. Martha Ellis, mds.marshall.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1220&context=colaconf.  The Youngest Doll Analysis - 1001 Words | 123 Help Me. www.123helpme.com/essay/The-Youngest-Doll-Analysis-PCQCKYWJV.  “The Youngest Doll (Latin American Women Writers).” Goodreads, www.goodreads.com/book/show/312915.The_Youngest_Doll.

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