Stargirl

Stargirl becomes more of a character than a construct in these chapters. As Leo grows closer to her, the reader learns more about her life’s philosophy. Stargirl continues to reveal her altruism and empathy. She devotes significant time and energy to making strangers feel happy, encouraged, or supported. She demonstrates Christ-like self-sacrifice, refusing credit for her actions. Stargirl epitomizes Jesus’s instruction to love thy neighbor. Her selflessness reveals an advanced sense of self-understanding and enlightenment. Her ability to meditate and become one with the universe shows a deep connection to a more spiritual aspect of reality. Stargirl appreciates the intangibility of time and the ever present “enchantment” in life. Archie observes, “She seems to be in touch with something that the rest of us are missing” (102).

Archie appreciates Stargirl’s perceptiveness, commenting, “Sometimes I thought she should be teaching me” (102). Both Archie and Stargirl try to guide Leo to release his fear and his dependence on others’ approval. Leading by example, Stargirl attempts to teach Leo to broaden his self-awareness. The act of seeing beyond the surface and noticing the small things in life informs the novel’s theme of becoming a new, more mature person on the road to adulthood. Stargirl teaches Leo to observe details and people around him that he otherwise would not have noticed: the ants, the door, the old man, and the people they follow in their card game. As Leo learns to sees things differently, his sense of empathy expands. Archie also pushes Leo towards self-reflection. Leo is uncomfortable with Señor Saguaro’s penetrating question, however, because Leo knows that his loyalties are divided between his attraction toward Stargirl and his acceptance at MAHS. To achieve true growth, Leo must make an active choice with real stakes. Passively receiving Stargirl’s instruction is not enough.

Stargirl is a both source of happiness and embarrassment for Leo. When Leo is alone with her, he is dazzled by her uniquely joyful approach to life. In school however, Leo cannot achieve Stargirl’s indifference to others’ opinions. Leo fears losing himself when other students refuse to acknowledge him. This makes him feels paranoid and invisible, as Stargirl threatens his social identity. Archie compares Leo to a dolphin caught in a tuna net. The metaphor describes an innocent or unintentional victim caught in a dangerous situation intended for someone else. The students at MAHS punish Leo along with Stargirl, threatening to erase him from the school’s community. Publicly, Leo resists the urge to cheer when Stargirl’s oratorical victory is announced. Leo saves himself from censure and embarrassment, but in so doing breaks faith with his girlfriend. Leo tries but fails to understand Stargirl’s selfless motivation. This lack of understanding and fear of losing group approval reveals Leo’s less mature emotional development and exposes the distance between him and Stargirl.

Led by Hillari Kimble—the only student who acknowledges Stargirl and Leo by openly sneering at them—the student body shuns Stargirl. Because Stargirl acts so differently than the cultural norm, students feel that she has a sense of superiority over them, secretly disliking them. Her actions are so objectionable to the other students that they characterize them as “treason” (77). Kevin explains that a thousand people wanted to throw a tomato at Stargirl during the loss of the playoff game. They blame Stargirl for their loss and work drive Stargirl away, as the Pennsylvania Amish do to those they shun a member of the community who breaks with tradition. The students become a united force, which Leo thinks of in terms like “them” and “they,” a departure from his earlier rhetoric of “us” and “we.” By excluding the nonconformist Stargirl, the group reinforces the pressure to conform to their norms. Fearful of becoming like Stargirl, Leo uses cold imagery to describe his feelings of rejection: his isolation is “chilling,” and he feels “frost” form on the back of his neck when he thinks about the school’s attitude toward Stargirl.