K.A. Applegate’s The Encounter of the Animorphs series showcases a main character Tobias, trapped in a Hawk’s body after morphing for longer than the limitation of a mere two hours. Tobias spends much of the book battling his identity and the desires of both human instincts and that of an animal. 
 While it’s easy to showcase Tobias as simply a character struggling with being an animal, Tobias however, rises as an ambassador for readers that are gender dysphoric and struggling with their identity, a classic battle of primal needs versus human wants comes into play ultimately signifying Tobias as a voice of reason for gender dysphoric issues as he struggles with his own identity as a hawk or a man.
	Firstly, it is perhaps important to acknowledge gender dysphoria as a feeling of identification opposite to one’s biological sex. This works great with Tobias as his identification issues go beyond simply sex, they go across species. 
This quote is especially important given it’s in the first person, it shows Tobias as a character that isn’t feeling as a part of society. Societal expectations of course emphasize uniformity, compliance, and stability. Yet at the same time, there is an intrinsic need for humans to fit-in and to feel wanted and accepted. Naturally, in adorning a label bearing oneself as a freak, Tobias clearly does not fit-in, nor likely to feel accepted for whom he is. Of course, with gender dysphoria, these same issues arise. If one does not feel comfortable with who they are, these same issues often plague the mind as they do Tobias. Right off the bat, gender dysphoric readers can relate to Tobias and the feelings of being labelled a freak, doubly so if one has been casted as an outcast by society.
	Of course, a counterargument arises when dealing with these sensitive topics. Rather than declaring Tobias as a voice of reason and metaphor for those with gender dysphoria, the argument can be made that Tobias is merely challenged on typical social struggles as a young teen. 
Certainly, jealousy is not mutually exclusive to those with gender dysphoria and it’s a far too common human emotion. Even though Tobias is trapped as a hawk, uncomfortable with his body and facing the issues that arise from it, his age comes into play as Tobias is in a transitionary age of his life filled with hormonal and growth development issues, puberty. Again, issues of uncomfortableness with one’s body are common feelings not exclusive to issues with one’s gender, especially during the time of puberty.
	However, the issue arises with the above counterargument in that, Tobias’ issues with his body go beyond simple uncomfortableness. Rather, they are issues with identity, much like gender dysphoria.
Tobias is keen to put a distinct divide in the word “true” regarding the other hawk, yet still limited by having “only” a hawk’s mind, whereas he of course has the mind of a human. Tobias cannot fully identify as a hawk, nor can he fully identify as a human given the body. In many respects, much like gender dysphoria, Tobias is without a proper identification that matches both his mind and body, whereas the aforementioned lack of comfort within one’s body is simply one aspect at play. 
