51 pages • 1 hour read
Ann M. Martin, Laura GodwinThe Doll People
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2000A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Respecting People’s Differences
The Doll People is filled with characters who have opposing worldviews. Most of the adult members of the Doll family are timid people who worry constantly about violating the Doll Code. They fear being too loud, moving around too much, and leaving the confines of the dollhouse. They are terrified of drawing The Captain’s attention. They also live by a rigid schedule and a set of rules that they expect the children of the family to follow. By contrast, Annabelle and Auntie Sarah believe in adventure and exploration. They are curious people who feel restless within the constraints of the family conventions.
The Funcrafts’ worldview is even more sharply opposed to the Dolls’ worldview. They are not overly concerned with the Doll Code—or any other kind of convention. Mom Funcraft slides down banisters, the children are allowed to roam the Palmer house at will, and they even tease The Captain, who is one of the Dolls’ greatest fears. Far from being disgusted by the Rancher Family game, the Funcrafts enjoy its chaos, and they seem unaffected by the constant disorder that Nora creates in their dollhouse. Nora and her sister, Kate, also have opposing approaches to life: While Kate plays with her dolls in traditional ways—setting them up at the table for tea and tucking them into bed at night—and takes meticulous care of both the dolls and their dollhouse, Nora flies the Funcraft baby through the house in the Funcraft kitchen sink, leaves random jumbles of objects in each room, and creates a pool for them by dumping grape soda on their terrace.
Despite these differences, the narrative shows respect for all its characters and argues that even very different people can find value in one another. Even though the characters’ opposing worldviews sometimes cause discomfort or inconvenience, at no point does the story suggest that people should change themselves to conform to others’ beliefs. When Nora’s chaotic play upsets the Doll family and Kate, the novel’s solution is not to change Nora but to get her dolls of her own that are better suited to her style of play. Annabelle’s and Sarah’s adventurous spirits cause worry for Mama, Papa, Uncle Doll, and Nanny—but by the end of the narrative, they understand that they should not try to change Annabelle or Sarah or limit their choices. The Funcrafts’ rowdy behavior and lack of fear are initially disconcerting to the more conventional Doll family, but the Dolls come to the conclusion that there is nothing wrong with being different and that the Funcrafts are “amazing[,] […] friendly[,] […] [a]nd neighborly” and that they will make good friends (247).
The Importance of Friendship
The novel places a high value on friendship, demonstrating that people’s lives are richer and more satisfying when they maintain close friendships. In the beginning of the story, Annabelle feels restless and incomplete. She does not understand why at this point, but there are early hints that the problem is the lack of a close friend her own age. Annabelle’s conversation with Mama about why Kate cannot be Annabelle’s best friend and the repeated mention of Kate’s actual best friend, Rachel, both point to Annabelle’s need for companionship. Annabelle is drawn to the conversations about the Nancy Drew books that she overhears between Kate and Rachel. This is not just because the idea of investigating mysteries appeals to her natural curiosity but also because the Nancy Drew books are about a girl solving mysteries with her best friends. After Annabelle’s own investigations lead to her discovery of Sarah’s journal, her reluctance to share the secret of the journal with anyone in her family also demonstrates that she needs a friend outside the family.
When Tiffany comes into her life, Annabelle is immediately drawn to the new doll. Even before properly meeting Tiffany, Annabelle imagines how similar they will be, and after one brief meeting, Annabelle already considers Tiffany a friend. She tells Tiffany about Nancy Drew and the journal right away, and they form SELMP, a society of two that symbolizes their bond of friendship. Because of her friendship with Tiffany, Annabelle now has someone to confide in, a companion for her adventures, and a sounding board for her ideas, all things she was lacking at the beginning of the story. Together, they successfully rescue both Papa and Sarah, demonstrating the practical value of their friendship. By the end of the novel, Annabelle has left behind her restless dissatisfaction. When the two girls visit following Sarah’s rescue, Annabelle realizes that now that “[s]he [has] found Tiffany[,] she [feels] whole” (242).
The introduction of the Funcrafts into the Doll family’s lives brings far more than just Tiffany, of course. Despite some initial reservations about the Funcrafts’ unconventional personalities, the adults in the Doll family eventually make friends with the adults in the Funcraft family. Indeed, they wonder how they ever got along without neighbors to socialize with and look forward to more events like the barbecue and birthday party to break up their sometimes monotonous routine. Bobby and Bailey become friends, and by the end of the novel, they are looking forward to many nights of playing in the Palmer house’s attic together. Even Baby Betsy gains a companion in Baby Britney.
Following One’s Own Moral Compass
An important lesson that Annabelle learns is that it is fine to value pre-existing rules and ethical codes but that sometimes a person has to also trust their own moral compass. Annabelle, like the rest of her family, values propriety and is rather old-fashioned. She disapproves of the Rancher Family game and the grape-soda pool because she is drawn to order and cleanliness. As a Doll, she believes that The Captain is dangerous and must be avoided. She enjoys her family’s traditions like the sing-along, and despite technically being older than Nanny, she obeys Nanny’s directives without a fuss because she respects her elders. For many years, she has accepted her parents’ rules about not leaving the dollhouse, even though she is bored and she desperately misses Auntie Sarah. Again, this is because she respects her parents and believes in the Doll Code.
When Annabelle finds the journal, however, something inside her shifts. She realizes that, despite the rules, Sarah must have regularly traveled outside the dollhouse. She also realizes that Sarah may be in trouble somewhere in the Palmer house, waiting year after year for a rescue from her family. When Annabelle thinks about the other adult Dolls allowing their fear to get in the way of searching for Sarah, she thinks angrily that it is “[n]ot fair […] [n]ot right” (97). Annabelle decides to stand up for her own beliefs and search for Sarah, regardless of her family’s rules and the Doll Code. Uncle Doll tells her that her persistent efforts to investigate Sarah’s disappearance show that she is the only family member with “true integrity” (129).
Annabelle’s decision to follow her own moral compass leads to the discovery of the Funcraft family and a consequent enrichment of both her and her family’s lives. It leads to the revelation of family secrets about Sarah and about Mama, Papa, and Nanny’s belief that Sarah deliberately ran away. Simply speaking the truth out loud removes some of the weight that these secrets placed on the adult members of the Doll family, and it reassures Annabelle that the adults are not as craven as she feared, restoring her respect for them. Once the secrets are out on the table, Sarah can remove any doubt about her intentions, and the Dolls’ family bonds are strengthened. Most importantly, Annabelle’s decision to strike out on her own and do what she thinks is right regardless of her family’s rules leads to the rescues of Papa and Sarah and the novel’s happy ending.
The Benefits of Adventure and Discovery
On Annabelle’s very first day of life, another doll explained that Annabelle could choose whether to be a living doll or an ordinary one. She pointed out that an ordinary doll’s existence is much easier, but Annabelle proclaimed such an existence “[b]oring” and chose without hesitation to be a living doll (94). From the start, then, Annabelle was motivated by a spirit of adventure. Unfortunately, for the first 100 or so years of her life, she has not had any opportunities to explore the world outside the limited confines of the Doll family dollhouse. She treasures the stories that Sarah told her about women who were leaders and pioneers, but she is unable to act on her desire to emulate them. Year after year, things inside the dollhouse remained essentially the same, aside from Sarah’s mysterious disappearance. Annabelle became “used to feeling bored” (14). She eventually developed a restless dissatisfaction with her life that led to a Nancy Drew-inspired exploration of the dollhouse library. This small initial exploration pays off hugely in her discovery of Sarah’s journal. This discovery is immensely important to Annabelle: It is the first new thing that has happened in decades, and the journal’s contents further spark her curiosity, inspiring her to finally insist on leaving the dollhouse.
Annabelle’s subsequent adventures outside the Doll family home lead to a host of benefits for herself and her family. During her explorations, Annabelle discovers the Funcraft family, leading to a new source of companionship for herself and for each member of her family. Annabelle’s adventures broaden her family’s worldview by showing them that there are people who live differently from them and that the world is not as dangerous as they fear. Even if Mama, Papa, and Nanny are unlikely to start exploring the Palmer house, they are, at the end of the story, brave enough to plan regular visits with the Funcrafts and allow Annabelle and Bobby to have adventures outside the dollhouse. This eases the children’s boredom and lessens the tensions inside the family. By demonstrating courage, initiative, and an independent moral spirit, Annabelle earns the respect of the adults in her family and helps them see that even dolls can have efficacy in the world. Finally, Annabelle herself finally feels fulfilled: She can indulge her curiosity and learn new things, she can take pride in the accomplishments of saving Papa and finding Sarah, and she can enjoy the companionship of her new best friend, Tiffany.
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