The Magazine Stash
The opening scene of the novel has George sneaky into the bathroom to breathlessly flip through her secret collection of magazines targeted to girls. The magazines feature images and articles about the secret life of girls—or, at least, the life of girls that remains a secret to most boys. The content of these periodicals is, symbolically speaking, nothing less than the magical hidden entryway into the life that George can only dream about until she becomes Melissa. Flipping open the magazine covers is the equivalent of saying, “Open sesame.”
Triangles
This simple and omnipresent geometric shape takes on a whole level of symbolic significance as a result of just three—appropriately—appearances. The first mention of them is when George becomes emotionally distraught over the death of Charlotte, causing her to rub her eyes until tiny triangles twinkle. Next is the unknown object in one of Kelly’s photos that is George’s favorite. The final triangle is the dress-shape indicating the ladies’ restroom. All three combine to endow the shape with the femininity which is perhaps an age-appropriate nod to the shape of female sexual anatomy.
Kelly
Kelly’s name is the only truly gender-neutral one in the book. Other named characters include Scott, Rick, Jeff, and Uncle Bill. While any of those could conceivably be applied to either gender, Kelly is distinctly gender neutral: plenty of men and women sport the name. The symbolism is ironic because while Kelly can be said to be a boy’s name, Kelly is very distinctly portrayed as a girly-girl of exactly the sort Melissa aims to become. The issue underscores the entire issue of how gender is socially constructed rather biologically predetermined.
Skirts
The sequence near the end when Kelly is sharing her girly-girl clothes with Melissa is one of the most joyous passages in the entirety of children’s literature. The descriptions of Melissa handling girl clothing for the first time and being overwhelmed by how much softer it feels than boy clothing and of looking in the mirror and twirling like a model one every trans girl can relate to in a visceral way informed by personal memories. This is the moment that George truly becomes Melissa in her own perception. Trying on the skirts becomes the symbolic end point of George.
Spiders
Charlotte’s Web plays a central role in the story. George wants to play Charlotte in the class production but is prohibited by the teacher because she views George as a boy which makes it inappropriate casting. Beyond the specifics of Charlotte, however, is the larger symbolism of spiders in general. One of the most commonly shared phobias in the world is arachnophobia, the fear of spiders. Even those who are not technically afraid of them often exhibit a discomfort level. This is partially due, no doubt, to their very appearance which is unlike almost anything else members of the general public actually come across in their lives. In this sense—both of fear and discomfort—spiders are very much symbolically linked to transgender issues. Some people simply manifest an irrational fear about the entire concept. Others do not fear trans people but are certainly made uncomfortable by it.
