Where is the metaphor? by Kristy Maczko

I had the most amazing realization while reading the books for this class, even the books that seem unrealistic or supernatural in basis use ideas or problems based on a reality. Once I had this realization it made it much more interesting to read these books. This is a seemingly minor revelation, I know, but it makes the reader look at these books in a different light. For instance, the author may want to discuss low self-esteem, but just writing a self help book will not attract younger readers. So, in order to pull in these readers, the author writes about the same topic, low self-esteem, but disguises it by writing about a child with super hero capabilities that feels out of place in the modern world. The disguise allows young readers to enjoy the novel while still learning the lessons that the author intended for them to receive on low self-esteem. I think that young adult literature authors have done this for years in order to make their books more interesting to kids, and I think that this is a great way to make young adults read more.

One example of this use of metaphor technique is in Translucent by Kazuhiro Okamoto, the main character, Shizuka, has Translucent Syndrome. This means that whenever she becomes too nervous or stressed out she starts to disappear. Shizuka worries that she does not really exist, especially because she feels like no one really notices her even when she is not translucent. Shizuka learns to deal with her Translucent Syndrome problem by relying on her friends and parents for support. She receives a tremendous amount of support from her boyfriend, Tadami, and at one point she needs to learn to drop her guard and learn to trust him. Shizuka believes that he is better off without her and the threat of her disappearing forever. This problem of Shizuka's is clearly a metaphor for finding your place in life and trying to stand out in a crowd. This is an amazing was for an author to convey the problem of shyness and fear without it coming off as a lecture.

Another example of this metaphor technique is in New Moon by Stephenie Meyer, Bella Swan is an average teenager dealing with a move to Washington State from Arizona. She hates everything about the move until, of course, she meets Edward. Bella and Edward are soul mates, and the fact that he is a vampire doesn't even bother Bella. It does bother her best friend Jake and everyone else that knows the truth though. Bella knows that Edward isn't just another 'bad boy' and that her life would be safer without him, but how can you give up on love? It is interesting how a book about a relationship with issues becomes so much more interesting when the issues are supernatural in nature. Meyer takes the 'bad boy' boyfriend to a whole new level by making him into a vampire who still has a heart, all he needs is a leather jacket and a motorcycle and the picture is complete. There are a million books about love gone wrong on the bookshelves, but how many young adult readers wouldn't rather read about vampires and werewolves? Probably just about all of them.

Another book that comes to mind is American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. In American Born Chinese Jin Wang is a student that just moved to a new town from San Francisco. When Jin goes to class, his fellow students all think he is straight off the boat from China, and Jin does his best to make himself as American as possible. He takes his Americanism to the point that you might never have known that he was Chinese. In fact, he even gets a perm and changes his name to Danny. In American Born Chinese, Jin no longer exists and Danny has completely taken over. It is a literal transformation for the reader, because it isn't until the end that we realize that Jin and Danny are the same person. The reader realizes that you should be true to who you are and not try to change yourself to make other people happy.

When authors are writing a book, I know that not all of them are using the metaphor technique to entice readers or to deliver a message. Most authors probably don't even think about this when they are writing their book, instead choosing a more direct way to get their message across. In order to encourage more young adults to read though, I think it is a great tool. For instance, in The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing by M.T. Anderson, there are not many metaphors used in the text. It is blatant from the beginning that Octavian is a slave trying to escape slavery and to determine who he is as a man. I have to admit, it was a very slow read compared to the other books that we have read in this course. The reality of it is so harsh that I found myself putting the book down often in order to digest the text. I am not saying that every topic needs to be lightened through metaphor, but to read a book that throws the harsh topic in your face is not easy to deal with. In fact, I am surprised that The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing is a book meant for young adult literature. I felt like it was a book more suited to adult readers. It seems that using the metaphor technique to disguise a more serious plot or message is a good way to make reading more enjoyable without losing the message that the author wants to pass on.