Character Analysis: Leelah's Identity

Due to the demands of making a person put up an act differently to fit in a community, one fears that his or her reputation would bring embarrassment and disgrace. A parent take matters into their own hands like when their child decides to be someone who is the opposite of what they expect. Forcing a person to change take a part of their happiness, which could be the only happiness they have. Josh Alcorn, also known as Leelah, always felt unsure of her identity. Leelah had mentioned how as a kid, she felt like she was a girl in a the wrong body part. As she grew older, she found out that she was not by herself and that she was actually transgender. She felt the weight on her shoulder lift and finally found her place on Earth, as a proud transgender.

Jing Mei, Leelah Alcorn and Neil Perry are victims that experienced the imprisonment of their parent’s control and wanting them to be someone who they expect them to be.The attempt on being a prodigy resulted in Jing Mei downgrading herself and believing she would never be good enough to her parent’s. The combinations of the useless tests, impossible hope and failure disrupted Jing Mei’s perspective of the good side of her. All Jing Mei focused on was how her parent is ashamed and disappointed at her, for not being what they hoped for. Neil Perry only goal was to be able to obtained his life and take the path of becoming an actor, but due to his father’s constant controlled of his life. Neil was not able to possessed what belonged to him and as his father’s living puppet, he must obeyed what his father commanded him to do. Leelah’s parent takes away Leelah only happiness by making her become someone who is considered as ideal to her parent’s religion instead of being someone who brings disappointment and shame to their Christian’s community. Although people should not change themselves to fit in society, there are time being a conformist would make individuals feel happy or relief from the situation they are in. Neil Perry understood that his father planning Neil’s future, because he did not want Neil to go through the hardship of becoming successful. So Neil proceed to conform by listening to his father’s demands and taking the assigned classes his father had chose for him.Jing Mei conform by also hoping she was a prodigy, because it would make her parent cherish and admire her. Lastly, Leelah Alcorn conform by going through the process of fulfilling her parent’s wishes, which was to be the Christian boy they want her to be. Leelah’s suicide defined that she listened to her parent, instead of standing up for herself and to her parent’s eyes, Leelah died as the Christian boy, not