Girl Planet (symbol)
“Girl Planet” was a game James invented. In it, the boy was “an astronaut who had crashed on an uninhabited world.” The thing was, though, that “anybody who breathed the air on this planet turned into a girl.” There was nothing you could do about it, it “just happened.” This girls’ planet is a symbol of James’ wish to be a girl. The boy is too little to understand that he is transsexual but he is old enough to realize that others will not understand him. That is why he plays this game when he is completely alone.
Transexuality (allegory)
In this story, transsexuality is allegory of a burden. This was “absurdity” James “carried everywhere, a crushing burden,” which was, “simultaneously, invisible.” He was trying “to make the best of things,” trying to “snap out of it,” but it didn’t help. “As time went on,” that “burden” only grew “heavier, and heavier, and heavier.” That was “a being alive problem.” A sex reassignment surgery helped Jennifer to get rid of that burden and move on. Of course, the process wasn’t easy, but the results proved to be worth the struggle.
Transition (motif)
James was a lucky man, since he knew that and treasured it. However, the problem was that he knew he could be happier. He was a woman but everyone saw him as a man. James’ “transition” from male to female was his way to liberty. As soon as he gathered enough courage to come out and tell his wife, kids, and friends the truth, everything became easier. The period of a double life was approaching its end. “The journey” of transition gave Jennifer a new start, opened the possibilities.
