I Am J

1383 Words6 Pages
I Am J The novel “I Am J”, by Cris Beam is about gender roles. This falls in the gender role category because in the story, J was always treated differently than others. J was mistaken as a girl, because he was a boy mistakenly born as a girl. J was a transgender. His body resembled a girls body and his body parts looked feminine. He was very insecure about his own body and how his friends and family reacted to it. J has a best friend who is always by his side and makes him feel like his life is going to get better. “In J’s head, he was nothing; in J’s head, he was just a head, floating, trying to forget he had body parts he hated.” (pg. 3) J wanted to figure out what he really was, but inside he didn’t really know. He hated every single body part he had. He was confused on why he had a body like this and why he was the only one. J felt like there was no one by his side or no one like him that would go through his same problem. J is treated differently in many ways. J was mistreated in school by his classmates who made him feel worse about himself. School was worse than his parents. J had to show a signed slip each day proving his attendance. J felt scared of his own school, he was locked in a bathroom, with a few teenagers kicking him to death. J thought, “I deserve to be here, too. Wherever here is.” (pg. 143). The quote means that when the students go to school, they should have the right to be treated the same way and ask for help whenever they want. They have a choice to find out where they belong. At home, J wasn’t treated any better. His parents were making fun of his own body and insecurities constantly. J saw two girls who wore tank tops and tight shorts with sneakers. J thought they were girls. His dad, Manny, said “They are all boys, you know that right? It’s disgusting”. (pg. 104) J then suddenly looked down and wondered if his

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