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Chapter 4
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Stargirl, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Individuality and Conformity
Human Nature
Seeing, Visibility, and Invisibility
Friendship, Love, and Social Pressure
Summary
Analysis
One Friday night, Leo receives a frantic phone call from Kevin at the football game. Leo jumps in the family truck and races to the stadium, where Kevin pulls him into the stands. Leo sees the small, normally dull marching band standing on the field. But tonight, something’s different: Stargirl is dancing around them in her bare feet. She twirls and pantomimes her way around the field. When the band files off the field, she stays. She even joins in the football players’ warmup exercises. When the referee orders her off the field, she grabs the football instead, punting it over the opponents’ bench and running off the field with the officials in pursuit. Everyone cheers madly, prompting the cheerleaders to perform with renewed enthusiasm—they’ve never heard such a crowd reaction before.
Stargirl erupts into a conventional high school scene, completely overturning expectations for a plodding, predictable game night. There’s no particular rhyme or reason to Stargirl’s behavior or the reaction it gets, except that it’s lively, cheerful, and unexpected. That in itself spurs renewed spirit and enthusiasm in other people.
Themes
At the next home game, the normally sparse crowd has grown to more than 1,000 people (everyone except for Wayne Parr and Hillari Kimble). Everyone waits expectantly until halftime. But Stargirl never shows up.
Most people want to get in on the fun, except for the former student leaders, Wayne and Hillari—foreshadowing the coming conflict. However, true to herself, Stargirl is unpredictable, not performing to people’s whims.
Themes
On Monday, at lunch, everyone is shocked to see Mallory Stillwell, the captain of the cheerleaders, sitting and talking with Stargirl. Soon the news circulates that Stargirl has been invited to become a cheerleader. After school, cheer practice draws a crowd, as everyone watches Stargirl learn and practice cheers in her pioneer dress. Even after she dons the green and white cheerleader uniform, she doesn’t really seem like one of the team.
Typical boundaries are being transgressed at Mica High. Presumably, a cheerleader would normally never talk to someone like Stargirl, but—rather like Kevin with Hot Seat—Mallory senses that Stargirl can serve the cheerleaders’ interests. It’s already clear, however, that Stargirl will be an unconventional fit, at best.
Themes
By this time, Mica High students have decided that they like having Stargirl around. She leaves Halloween treats on everyone’s homeroom desks. She always does something unexpected and gives kids something interesting to talk about. At the same time, she’s different. She’s “unknown territory,” and it feels “unsafe” to draw too close. And everyone is waiting to see what will happen on Hillari Kimble’s birthday.
Stargirl delights the kids of Mica High. But, so far, that’s because she doesn’t pose too much of a challenge. She does nice things, and she’s interesting. As long as people don’t draw too close to her differentness—and as long as people like Hillari can remain aloof from it—she’s more like an entertaining mascot than a person.
Themes
Get the entire Stargirl LitChart as a printable PDF.
