70 pages • 2 hours read
Jerry SpinelliStargirl
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2000A 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.
Themes
Becoming Your Best Self and Having Confidence in Your Identity
Spinelli dedicates Stargirl in part to philosopher, anthropologist, and educator Loren Eiseley, who, Spinelli says, “taught us that even as we are, we are becoming” (i). This quote expresses one of Spinelli’s major themes in the novel: the idea that our identities continually develop and grow, just as Stargirl changes her name as she matures and learns more about herself. The two main characters in Stargirl are at different stages in their becoming. Stargirl and Leo present a contrast in emotional development.
Stargirl is secure in her current identity. Arguably, she is already her “best self.” She fearlessly embraces life and follows her joy. Stargirl does not care what others think of her and does not need others to like her. She knows and likes the person she is. Stargirl is confident enough in herself to erase her individuality and remove the boundary between herself and others to become one with the universe. She stays true to herself and her beliefs. She has few friends, but the ones she chooses are individuals whom she values and who value her: her family, Dori, Archie, Leo, Cinnamon, and Señor Saguaro (134). Stargirl values substance over appearance. Despite her confidence in her own identity, Stargirl has a lot of room for personal growth. She compromises her values for Leo’s sake, tempted by his affection and the promises of friendship and popularity. Ultimately, however Stargirl rejects giving up her ideals to “vanish into a sea of them” (140). She cannot control group opinion, but she can control her happiness by being true to herself.
Leo hungers for the freedom, wonder, and happiness that Stargirl models for him. He is thrilled when Stargirl’s kindnesses begin to spread in Mica High, calling it a “miracle” (41). But Leo does not have the same self-confidence in who he is. He is unwilling and emotionally unready to step away from the safety of the group and the identity it confers. Leo’s fear of rejection from the group holds him back from being his best self. He needs others to validate his identity. Leo hides even from himself: The one passion he follows is that of a television producer, directing camera shots. Leo acts as observer rather than participant, a dynamic that is mirrored in his personal life. He values blending in and acting in accordance with “what the rest of the world thinks” (136), more than finding his authentic self.
Unlike Stargirl, Leo also avoids self-introspection. He resists choosing between Stargirl and group approval, preferring instead to coerce Stargirl into effectively making the decision for him. Archie’s sage advice, intended to help Leo better understand himself, rolls off the young man until he examines it in retrospect when he is older. Teenage Leo is less secure in his identity than Stargirl and far from being his best self. It takes the loss of Stargirl and the passing of time to push Leo toward a more mature self-awareness.
What Would Stargirl Do? Offer Kindness to Everyone
Stargirl stresses the values of positivity and empathy. Spinelli gives Stargirl characteristics of a Christ figure to emphasize the underlying theme of kindness and the importance or celebrating the intrinsic worth of all individuals. By making Stargirl a Christ figure, Spinelli also gives deeper insight into Leo’s character and reveals the dark side of group conformity.
When Stargirl first arrives at Mica High, she is considered “weird,” “strange,” and “not real” (11). Students do not understand Stargirl; she is a mystery. Stargirl, however, knows each one of them by name. She perseveres in the face of criticism and denigration, modeling how to be kind to one another. She is selfless, freely giving away her time and attention for the sake of others without expecting any reward. Spinelli sets Stargirl up as an exemplar of good.
Stargirl’s actions are also Christlike. She leads a “rebellion for, rather than against” (40). Breaking traditional cultural norms, Stargirl introduces the students to a different mindset. She teaches others to be inclusive and kind. She brings the students closer together, whereas previously they did not know or care about each other. Their stultifying uniformity allowed them to be ignorant or dismissive of unique personal attributes. Because of Stargirl, Leo says, “we discovered the color of each other’s eyes” (40). The students become Stargirl’s followers, and her iconoclastic influence is like a “miracle” (41). Stargirl’s self-imposed “work” is to support people in need and those “victimized by life” (54), spreading encouragement and happiness. Her vision of running a magical, bottomless lunch truck which can go anywhere shows her desire to spread her nurturing to everyone, inviting comparison to Christ’s miracle of feeding people in the desert. Stargirl believes that everyone is worthy of happiness. She is literally “Everybody’s cheerleader” (65).
Stargirl’s revolution shows that the ordinary kids at Mica have the potential for good, but their narrow-minded conformity and herd mentality make them cruel. The students become a mob, turning against Stargirl and persecuting her, like Christ, for her ideals. Her teachings of compassion for everyone—including athletes on opposing sports teams—grow sour. Even Leo finds Stargirl’s happiness in her devotion to others hard to understand, commenting “sometimes she seemed so far from me” (114). This gap between them reveals Leo’s lack of self-confidence. He feels inadequate, unable to empathize with or emulate Stargirl’s altruism.
Even at the spring dance, Stargirl is Christlike, unabashedly meeting the gazes of the crowd with her uncanny wide eyes. The author writes, “Some turn aside, uneasy in a way they cannot account for; others feel suddenly empty when her eyes leave theirs” (169). Her confident, questioning gaze inspires guilt in some and leaves others bereft when she moves on, echoing Christian attitudes toward God. Stargirl then performs the ultimate Christlike act: forgiving her enemies and returning violence with love when Hillari slaps her. Stargirl disappears from Mica leaving Archie and Leo to puzzle her out, associating her with light and water elements also associated with Christ. In hindsight, Leo speaks of her with wonder and reverence, describing her as someone outside of time, “elusive…today…tomorrow” (15). Leo embraces Stargirl’s teachings and waits with “hope” for her to come again. Stargirl’s Christlike qualities complement Spinelli’s message of the importance of living with joy, acting with empathy, and spreading happiness even when faced with opposition.
The Price of Individuality: The Dark Side of Othering and Herd Mentality
Stargirl’s free-spirited self-expression stands out at Mica High which, Leo notes in a wry understatement of the year, is “not exactly a hotbed of nonconformity” (10). Stargirl’s individuality poses a threat to the student culture and prompts retaliation against her. Spinelli uses this conflict between individuality and nonconformity to deliver the important message to stay true to oneself and one’s beliefs.
No one at Mica High stands out in either a positive or negative way, and if anyone does, they “quickly snapped back into place like rubber bands” (10). They dress, eat, and act the same, thereby reinforcing and maintaining the status quo. The students at Mica High demonstrate herd mentality and groupthink. They follow along with group decisions that discourage individuality and creativity. They also pressure their members to conform to group thoughts. Hot Seat is an example of a leveling force. Students are put on the spot about their individual preferences, ensuring that they will uphold the group culture. The student body is like a group of sheep, each thoughtlessly following one another just because everyone else—epitomized by the undistinguished Wayne Parr, the “core” of the school—is doing it.
Leo is one of the sheep. He tells Stargirl he is “one of them” (135) and knows what “everybody” thinks. Leo’s self-confidence and identity are tied to group acceptance. Explaining the importance of fitting in with the group, Leo articulates the essence of herd mentality. He tells Stargirl that the “group thing” is important, and that acting the same as everyone else is what holds the group together. Aberrational behavior is not tolerated: Leo explains that those who cannot follow group culture belong in jails and mental hospitals, implying that Stargirl is deviant and therefore dangerous. Irving L. Janis first proposed the theory of groupthink in 1972. He observed that group members who set aside their personal beliefs and go along with the group—even when the group makes bad decisions—do so because they are afraid of disturbing the group and are afraid of being rejected. Leo demonstrates both of these fears. He chooses group approval over Stargirl’s love and friendship out of a well-founded fear of ostracizing and rejection.
Stargirl’s beliefs and self-expression do not align with Mica High’s norms. Initially, her eccentricities brand her as “unsafe” (26), and students are wary of her. When Stargirl usurps Wayne Parr’s influence, however, she dissolves the group unity, and the students experience a surge of self-expression. Leo notes that the “pronoun ‘we’ itself seemed to crack and drift apart in pieces” (41). Stargirl’s changes are undermined by Hillari’s campaign of othering. When a person is classified as other, or not a part of the group, they are considered dangerous. As a way of maintaining group identity, the group works to reject, stereotype, and dehumanize the other. Hillari spreads rumors and says disparaging things about Stargirl, like that she is “not real” or an “alien.” Hillari also highlights Stargirl’s differences from the school’s culture, pointing out that Stargirl says the Pledge of Allegiance incorrectly and inserts herself where she is unwelcome. Spinelli uses the language of disloyalty to describe the group’s feelings toward Stargirl; she commits “treason,” and it is a “crime” to interact with her. This language unifies the group, reinforces their norms, and excludes Stargirl.
Stargirl becomes an enemy, ironically, because of her kindness and inclusion. Stargirl represents the opposite of othering: belonging. She does not want everyone to be the same, but rather she affirms and accepts differences. Stargirl values uniqueness. Her very inclusiveness is what challenges—and threatens—the Mica group most. They come to interpret her unwillingness to be like them as criticism of their culture, accusing her in Hot Seat, “You don’t like us. Do you?” (67). Despite pressure from peers and her significant other, Stargirl stays true to herself. Ultimately her message of individuality is more powerful than the negative pressure to conform: While popular couple Wayne Parr and Hillari break up, Stargirl’s positive influences remain at Mica High years after she is gone.
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