Why Is Stargirl Shunned?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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While people don't ignore Leo as totally as they do Stargirl, they seldom acknowledge him. He realizes “how much I needed the attention of others to confirm my own presence.” … Stargirl is shunned

because she violates both these frameworks

. Stargirl remains oblivious to her classmates' attitudes toward her.

Why were the students so mad at Stargirl?

Unable to believe that Stargirl can be as detached from what they understand as their normal reality, her behavior has shaken them to the core. Her

subversive

behavior is encouraging them to question their own—and by extension larger social—values, and they are unwilling (or unable) to be that introspective.

What is the problem in Stargirl?

Lesson Summary

There are three major conflicts in Stargirl. The first is

Stargirl's struggle to either fit in or to be herself

; the second is Leo's choice to be with Stargirl or to have everyone else like him; and the third is Hillari constantly opposing Stargirl.

What does Stargirl do when she's happy?

When she is happy,

she puts a pebble in the wagon

, and when she is sad, she takes a pebble out. Stargirl tells Leo that she has twenty pebbles in all. At the moment, she has seventeen pebbles in the wagon, which means that she is pretty happy with life.

How did the students honor Stargirl?

In fact, students from every clique in begin to embrace her! As a result, students

“honored her by imitation”

(38). Suddenly, students bring ukuleles to school and play them in the cafeteria just like she does.

Why did Stargirl quit homeschooling?

Someone else asks why she quit homeschooling, and Stargirl

responds that she wanted to make friends

. The jury thinks she's done a bad job of it, making the whole school angry with her. Finally, Hillari speaks up and comments that Stargirl must have come from Mars, and she should get out of her school.

Why are all the students at MICA now ignoring Stargirl?

Why are all the students at Mica now ignoring Stargirl?

They blame her for the basketball team losing

. They are jealous of her relationship with Leo. They are ashamed because someone threw a tomato at her.

Is Stargirl autistic?

At one point I actually started to feel guilty for being so annoyed with her because I felt that at the end of the book Jerry Spinelli was going to be like, “Oh, by the way,

Stargirl is totally autistic

(or has aspergers)and you are an awful person for being annoyed…” By the end of the book, I was even more out of …

How did Stargirl end?

By the book's end,

Stargirl has been ostracized

, temporarily accepted back into the fold, and cast out yet again. And then, something even more horrifying happens: she gets slapped by an angry classmate in front of the entire body at an especially fraught school dance.

What does Stargirl symbolize?

Stars. Another example of symbolism used throughout the novel is the stars. Susan was inspired to rename herself ‘Stargirl' when she was walking through the desert one night looking up at the stars. The stars represent

her bright, beaming personality when she is being true to herself

, or being ‘Stargirl'.

What does Stargirl want from her future job?

It is during this walk (in chapter 20) that Leo tells Stargirl he wants to be a TV director when he grows up, and she tells him she wants to be a “

silver lunch truck driver

.”

How did Stargirl feel about getting the silent treatment?

How did Stargirl feel about getting the silent treatment?

She didn't seem to notice

; she just kept talking to Leo.

Does Stargirl kiss Leo in the book?

He hurts her feelings by asking her if she is trying to be a saint. But he swears he didn't mean that to sound nasty; he's just amazed. Then, it happens. After a few more minutes of flirty banter,

they share their first kiss

, and the kiss sure ain't “saintly.”

Why did Stargirl become popular?

Leo's second theory is that Stargirl became popular

because everyone wanted to oppose, or go against

, Hillari for being exceptionally mean to Stargirl. The more Hillari disliked Stargirl, the more other people liked her.

What does the rat symbolize in Stargirl?

This rat symbolizes

her identity and her individuality

. No matter how much she experiences, no matter what actions she performs, her rat is always there, a rat that expresses the definition of “her”.

Why does Leo hate Mondays Stargirl?

Leo is being

shunned because he is ”Mr

. Stargirl. ” He understands, and even agrees with, the reason why everyone is mad at Stargirl and why they call her self-centered and phony. But although he still loves her, Leo is tired of not being acknowledged in the hallways.

Carlos Perez
Author
Carlos Perez
Carlos Perez is an education expert and teacher with over 20 years of experience working with youth. He holds a degree in education and has taught in both public and private schools, as well as in community-based organizations. Carlos is passionate about empowering young people and helping them reach their full potential through education and mentorship.