Love, Stargirl

Stubborn and stalwart, five-year old Dootsie Pringle becomes Stargirl’s best friend and honorary little sister. Dootsie is independent and curious, often going off on her own to explore, which panics her mother, although Dootsie never thinks she is lost. Curly-haired Dootsie proudly declares she is a “human bean.” She loves attention and enjoys turning invisible when she feels ignored. Dootsie has her flaws: She admits she lies a lot, and she can be a bully to other little kids when there is free candy available. Dootsie is has a tough core and she stands up to bigger, fiercer Alvina until the two become friends. Dootsie also has an impressionable side. She cries when she sees Alvina fighting and is awed by the sunrise.

Dootsie loves Stargirl fiercely: She is furious at Leo for “dumping” Stargirl and devastated when Stargirl is injured. She even attempts to find the lost Cinnamon by herself. Early on, Dootsie’s selfless act of giving helps Stargirl realize she is being untrue to herself. As Stargirl’s first friend in her new town, Dootsie introduces Stargirl to others in the community, helping her form and deepen social ties.

Alvina is “a pip.” The 11-year-old, self-professed boy-hater works at Margie’s donut shop, sweeping and cleaning for free donuts. When Alvina brings her boy-fighting ways to work too many times, Margie fires her. Alvina is aggressive and irritable and has a chip on her shoulder. Alvina is easy for boys to tease and torment due to her angry reactions. Alvina hates her name, hates her little brother, Thomas, and sneeringly calls Stargirl and Betty Lou “wackos.” Alvina is frequently described using canine imagery to illustrate her uncivilized and violent responses: When angry, Alvina bares her teeth and snarls. Alvina has a lot of anger and conflicted emotions, but she also has a hidden soft side. Although she rarely smiles, she cherishes her cheerful Pooh Bear necklace. Alvina is also Betty Lou’s gruff “donut angel.” In continuing to deliver Betty Lou’s donuts even after she is fired, Alvina shows her kind heart.

Stargirl sees that Alvina is a tomboy on the verge of becoming a teenager. Her single sparkly pink fingernail reflects the beginning of this transition. Alvina recognizes her self-limiting behaviors and declares that she will become a great teenager. Stargirl helps Alvina manage her anger and shows her how to relate better to others—from the blonde-haired boy to Betty Lou. Stargirl, in turn gains a devoted, if grumpy, friend in Alvina.

An agoraphobic, Betty Lou is terrified of the outside world. She spends most days in her purple bathrobe and red slipper socks. Stargirl feels that Betty Lou tries to maintain a positive attitude despite her fears, joking about her illness and her ex-husband, Mr. Potato Nose, but Stargirl knows that Betty Lou is wistful, sad, and often lonely.

Betty Lou advises Stargirl to live in the present, not to dwell on the past or fret about the future. Betty Lou tries to do this herself, but her present is often focused on simply “coping” with her limitations. Betty Lou often thinks of the past, sharing cherished memories from being in the Dogwood Queen’s Court, and talking ruefully about the wonderful garden she used to tend. Betty Lou’s connection to her cherished cereus plant and its fleeting, natural magic helps her bond with Stargirl, who also reveres nature. Betty Lou becomes another of Stargirl’s sister-friends.

Stargirl and Dootsie bring the outside world to Betty Lou. Their love for Betty Lou helps her emerge from her isolation and connect with the community again.

With his long dark hair, vivid blue eyes, and his swagger, Perry attracts admiring females of all ages like bees to a flower. Nicknamed Dandy, for dandelion, Perry maintains a harem of Honeybees: three high-school girls who share his affection. Perry enjoys the attention of his Honeybees, as well as Alvina’s infatuation and Dootsie’s affection. Perry is conscious of his magnetism, and perfectly aware that Stargirl likes him, but he is not big on commitment.

Perry does not talk a lot but likes people who do. He can be terse, grumpy, sarcastic, and irritating in Stargirl’s opinion. He enjoys sucking lemons and spitting seeds at her. Perry has a cynical attitude towards life, caused by growing up poor, with an absent father who has a gambling addiction. He thinks that characters like Ondine—a character with whom Stargirl identifies—are annoying and “too happy.” Perry plays up his bad-boy reputation, skipping school, stealing, and confirming he went to boot camp for delinquent kids. He asserts that he is not introspective. Perry also lies: Stargirl learns that he is practiced at meditation and was never sent to boot camp.

Perry feels chemistry with Stargirl, thinks she is “interesting,” and would happily add her to his harem. He proves both unreliable and thoughtful: jilting Stargirl but then placing Solstice markers for her when she is injured. Stargirl also discovers many of her assumptions about Perry were wrong: He worked hard to help his mother, Neva, and is an attentive, caring brother to his new baby sister. Perry’s unwillingness to be tied to one girl and his disappointing kiss help Stargirl clarify her feelings towards Leo.

Charlie spends every day sitting in the cemetery beside his wife’s grave. Charlie and Grace were married for 52 years, and first met in a fish market when they were both six years old. Charlie wears a bright red and yellow plaid scarf and brings his old lunch pail with him. Charlie is 74 years old now but is still big and “beefy” looking. He is deaf but does not wear his hearing aid in the cemetery so he “can hear Grace better” (132). Charlie lives in the past, and as he gets to know Stargirl, he shares his memories of Grace, which makes Stargirl feel honored. Charlie teaches Stargirl the importance of sharing one’s past, and, conversely, the importance of living for today.

“Are you looking for me?” Arnold asks, but never waits for an answer. In his green tasseled cap, and navy-colored peacoat, Arnold spends his days walking around town. He is “bulky and dark” (214), with eyes that do not seem to focus on things around him. When she first sees him, Stargirl says that if he were a Snow White dwarf, his name would be Droopy. Kids run up behind Arnold, poke him, and then run away. Alvina thinks Arnold is another one of the town wackos. Stargirl imagines Arnold as a child, playing hide and seek and never being found. Because of this, she thinks Arnold secretly likes it when the kids “find” him by tugging his coat. Arnold helps Stargirl in two ways: by being the silent listener she needs to share her memories with, and by finding and saving Cinnamon. Arnold helps Stargirl understand that people should not dwell in the past, seeking to be found, but live in the present and look forward to whatever the future offers.

The bleached-blonde, talkative owner of Margie’s donut shop pushes the limits of donut cuisine, offering donut soup and donut pudding. Her donuts are not only delicious, but ubiquitous. Margie sells them at the Dogwood Festival and makes a special Blobbogob for Blobfest. Margie has her finger on the pulse of the community. She hires Neva to replace Alvina, knowing that Neva needs the work. Margie enlightens Stargirl about Perry’s past. Margie also shares that she and Betty Lou went to school together, confirming that Betty Lou was a “looker” but too shy to make herself beautiful. Margie and her donuts tie the community together.

A retired professor and paleontologist, Archie is one of the three people Stargirl misses from Arizona. Archie homeschooled Stargirl, and she loves him like a third parent, signing her letter to him, “Your Pupil, Loving and Forever.” Stargirl relies on Archie—and his ancient cactus, Señor Saguaro—for truthful advice. She thinks fondly of his cherry-smelling pipe smoke and their Loyal Order of the Stone Bone club. Archie’s letter helps Stargirl recognize that her personality was not the cause of her breakup with Leo, rather, Leo lacked the maturity to appreciate her. Archie shows his love and support for Stargirl by attending her Winter Solstice celebration. Archie also helps Stargirl understand the true purposes of the Solstice: celebrating the cycle of seasons and the connections to nature and each other.

Perry drily characterizes Leo Borlock, Stargirl’s boyfriend while she lived in Arizona as “Arizona Leo. The guy who didn’t dump you” (184). While Stargirl dislikes being reminded of her rejection, and insists she was not dumped, Leo did turn his back on her. His abandonment is the source of her sorrow and self-doubt. Stargirl remains stuck on Leo, writing all her thoughts and feelings to him in her letter. Shy and sweet but intimidated by Stargirl’s exuberant nonconformity, Leo chose peer approval over his relationship with Stargirl. Archie thinks Leo now recognizes what he has lost and may someday truly value Stargirl for who she is. Stargirl is sure she and Leo are soulmates, which Leo confirms by answering “YES” to Stargirl’s question if they will meet again.