She is Jazz
The use of metaphor in I am Jazz is surprisingly sophisticated and subtle for an illustrated children’s book. The complexity begins with the title. While it does obviously refer quite literally to the name by which its co-author and protagonist is known, it is also easily interpreted as a metaphor for claiming autonomy over the identity which has been established for them at birth by parents or other adult guardians.
Visual Imagery
As is famously documented, Jazz was born with male sex organs and thus was legally identified as a boy at birth. Gender is not absolutely synonymous with sex, however, as it is a social construct and not a biological one. The book slyly comments upon this distinction with visual references that act as metaphors for the expectations of masculinity. The most striking example is the illustration accompanying the scene where a very young Jazz rejects her mother’s “You’re such a good boy” by correcting it “No, Mama, Good GIRL.” While Jazz is playing with dolls on the right side of the image, on the left side surrounding her mother race cars and building blocks, two of the most potential metaphors for male interests.
Textual Imagery
Interestingly, a catalog of textual references serves as a catalog of metaphorical imagery indicating social conventions related to expectations of femininity. While there are also visual punctuations such as the example above, when it comes underscoring feminine interests through metaphor, reading is required. Perhaps this is itself an even more subtle use of metaphor. It is the content of the text that is most persistent, however:
“for as long as I can remember, my favorite color as been pink”
“dancing, singing, makeup, and pretending I’m a pop star”
“My best friend are Samantha and Casey…We like high heels and princess gowns”
Pretense
The most heartbreaking moment in the story is also one of the few examples of a straightforward metaphor in the text. For much of her early childhood, Jazz’s parents engaged positively with her gender dysphoria while behind the closed doors of their home. Out in public, however, not so much, forcing her to conform to gender expectations relative to what was appropriate for boys and girls:
“Pretending I was a boy felt like telling a lie.”
Trans-Simile
One use of the “as” component of the literary device puts a spin on the comparative qualities of the simile. Or, at least, it will do so for some readers. Or, more likely, for some non-readers of the book. You have to accept the scientific evidence of gender complexity to get it. Otherwise, it won’t seem metaphorical in the slightest:
“At first my family was confused. They’d always thought of me as a boy.”
