66 pages • 2 hours read
Alex GinoGeorge
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2015A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Symbols & Motifs
The Pronoun “She”
The female pronoun “she” is a central motif in George. From the outset, the book’s male-presenting protagonist is referred to with female pronouns (1). Even when other characters think George is a boy, the narrator makes sure that the reader sees George as she sees herself, a girl. This writing choice makes the world that insists she is a boy abnormal, rather than making George abnormal herself.
The effect of George’s pronoun is heightened when others in her world refer to her as a boy. The first person to do this is George’s brother Scott, who says, “That’s my little bro! Growing up and looking at dirty magazines,” attributing typically masculine behavior to a girl-identifying person (8). In this case, George initially finds the misidentification funny and “almost laughed” because she was looking at more wholesome images of clothed girls (8). However, hiding who she really is deeply upsets George. It is hurtful for people such as Ms. Udell to see the more sensitive elements of her character as forming “a fine young man,” rather than the girl she is (15).
