Love, Stargirl

“I mean, when I’m really doing it right, getting myself totally erased, I’m the opposite of nothing—I’m everything. I’m everything but myself. I’ve evaporated like water vapor into the universe. I am no longer Stargirl. I am tree. Wind. Earth.”

Meditating allows Stargirl to connect to the natural world and exist purely in the moment: a practice that helps her regain her confidence. This quote reflects the novel’s themes of identity and living for today by illustrating how Stargirl attempts to let go of her worries and focus on herself and the world around her.

“Was that my mistake Leo? Did I overdo it? Did I scare you off?”

Stargirl shows her emotional vulnerability as she searches for answers to why Leo rejected her. Her questions reflect her new self-doubt and self-blame, and continue a conversational tone set forth by the epistles of the novel.

“As I rode my bike home, I kept thinking of two people—the lady in the house who won’t go out and the man at the cemetery who won’t go in.”

Stargirl’s characterization of Betty Lou and Charlie highlights their opposite, but similar problems. Both Betty Lou and Charlie suffer from different kinds of loneliness that Stargirl notices due to her own sense of loneliness.

“I hate boys.”

Alvina struggles with anger towards herself and others. Her self-professed hatred of boys conflicts with her interest in Perry and the blonde-haired boy, revealing the awkward transition phase Alvina is entering, between child and teenager.

“You have your whole life ahead of you, and all you’re doing is looking back. Grow up, girl. There are some things they don’t teach you in homeschool.”

Conventional Susan, Stargirl’s alter ego, rationally advises Stargirl to move on from Leo. Sensitive Stargirl, however, cannot emotionally let Leo go—and does not want to. Stargirl’s use of the Susan persona shows her conflict between mind and heart.

“Each night I lie down in a graveyard of memories. Moonlight spins a shroud about me.”

Stargirl’s melodramatic use of death imagery to characterize her lost relationship illustrates her loneliness and bleak emotional outlook. Stargirl is a prolific and adept writer, and the writing process helps her process her emotions.

“Can you lose your favorite person without losing yourself? I reach for Stargirl and she’s gone. I’m not me anymore.”

Although Stargirl believes that “nothing is empty,” she feels emotionally depleted after her breakup with Leo. Stargirl’s sense of self-worth was partially connected to Leo. Their separation has shaken Stargirl’s identity. Her desire to rekindle their relationship reflects her need to feel valued and whole.

“She was crying. Crying for lack of something to give.”

Dootsie’s act of pure altruism moves Stargirl to recognize her self-absorption and her focus on the past. Giving and sharing with others is a powerful theme in Love, Stargirl. Stargirl is reminded that giving helps both the giver and recipient feel valued and connected as she handles Dootsie’s emotions.

“Tears don’t bounce. Light does.”

Archie declares that people like Stargirl shed light rather than tears. Stargirl recognizes that she has sacrificed her true nature. This quote illustrates Stargirl’s resolution to rebound from her unhappiness and once again turn her focus outward, rather than inward.

“A little hatred goes a long, long way. It grows and grows. And it’s hungry.”

Dootsie declares she hates Alvina after witnessing the other girl fight, but Stargirl tries to teach Dootsie the all-consuming nature of hatred. This life lesson reflects Stargirl’s own philosophy of kindness, compassion, and understanding, and shows how she mentors Dootsie as a little sister.

“As I walked toward her I had no urge to turn around and see the sunrise myself, for I was already looking at everything I needed to see.”

The wonder in Dootsie’s eyes at witnessing the Summer Solstice fills Stargirl with joy and prompts her to construct the solar calendar, so more people can experience the same awe. Stargirl’s satisfaction at Dootsie’s awe highlights her need to provide joy for others in original and new ways.

“This was such a new script to me. I had no idea what my lines were.”

Stargirl shows her vulnerability and self-doubt when talking with Perry, who gives her a terse reception. Stargirl’s reflection that she feels like a character in a play illustrates her identity confusion and emotional uncertainty.

“The world is crappy already. What harm is more crap going to do? If the world’s a dump, then everything is garbage.”

Perry has a much different personality from both malleable Leo and positive Stargirl. His pessimistic attitude reflects his challenging home life. It also piques Stargirl’s interest, making her think she could change him. The hope of changing Perry into a positive individual like herself is attractive to Stargirl because it would boost her self-esteem.

“I’m backwards. I’m a rotten kid now, but I’ll be an amazing teenager.” 

Stargirl realizes that Alvina is caught between being a child and a teenager and importantly, Alvina also recognizes this. Her comment shows increasing self-awareness. Stargirl is proud and moved by Alvina’s understanding, revealing Stargirl’s sister-like affection for Alvina.

“Today is calling to you, trying to get your attention, but you’re stuck on tomorrow, and today trickles away like water down a drain.”

Betty Lou urges Stargirl to live in the moment and not waste energy worrying about the past, or trying to control the future, a Buddhist idea that is one of the novel’s central themes. This touching moment between the two is ironic, as Betty Lou speaks to seizing the day while she remains paralyzed by fear from her agoraphobia.

“Don’t ever throw yourself at a man.”

In her vulnerable emotional state, Stargirl is desperate for attention and validation. Betty Lou worries that Stargirl would have “groveled” had she sought out Perry after he jilted her. Betty Lou advises Stargirl to keep her self-respect and her power. Betty Lou’s advice reveals the close friendship and “older sister” role she has with Stargirl.

“The grizzle on his face sparkled like angel fleece. Leo, I have never been smiled at so.”

When Stargirl engages with Charlie and listens to him tell stories of Grace, she is deeply moved by the older man’s loving attachment to his late wife. Charlie’s joy in sharing his memories illustrates the novel’s theme of using social connection to combat isolation and helps Stargirl recognize what she wants from a relationship. Her use of figurative language shows again her poetic voice and her positivity.

“I want you to say the words because they’re flying out of your mouth, because you can’t possibly stop them, not because I led you to the brink of them. And I want to know that they’re being said to me. To me. Not to some girl in the movies or a book. Not to some idea of Girl that you’ve picked up along the way from other boys and other girls. To me. Stargirl. Do you know me, Leo? Really know me?”

Stargirl’s emphasis on “me” reveals that her confidence and sense of self-esteem are restored. She is proud of her identity and wants Leo to value her uniqueness. Stargirl discovers that Leo’s individuality is the magic, or foundation for her love, and she demands the same in return from him.

“You’re saying love makes its own magic.”

Stargirl, speaking as fantasy Leo, understands that Perry’s kiss was only magical because of the sunrise, while Leo’s kiss was truly magical of the love behind it. Stargirl’s doubt about Leo is resolved as she realizes her desire for attention from Perry stems from loneliness instead of true feelings for him. She navigates her self-awareness through fake conversations with Leo in her imagination, illustrating her need for social connection.

“I know who it is. The pip. Alvina. My donut angel.”

Betty Lou acknowledges both sides to Alvina’s personality: her spunky difficult temper and her kind nature. Even though they have only met with a door between them, Stargirl’s stories and Alvina’s good-hearted delivery of Betty Lou’s donuts—even after Alvina is fired from Margie’s—make Betty Lou welcome, and win over, Alvina. The social connection between the two highlights the vulnerability required in relationships for them to bloom.

“It’s about people together. He underlined it: together.”

Archie articulates the deeper meaning of Stargirl’s Winter Solstice celebration: connecting people with each other and nature, important themes in the novel. The community she unknowingly builds comes together at the celebration later in the novel, demonstrating her impact on the community around her.

“I would not dress the dog.”

Archie believes that nature is perfect in its pure state, unadorned by humanity. Stargirl feels similarly. She eliminates the watches and clocks that display human-made time in their home and takes Archie’s hint to remove the song and dance performances she’s planned for the Solstice celebration, focusing instead on the simple, but powerful natural phenomenon. She only brings herself, shunning performative acts to give nature the center stage during the Solstice celebration.

“Ordinary, usual, everyday life—and yet it all seems so special now, the commonest gestures flecked with glitter, as if a sparkle from the golden beam clung to every person who went down from Calendar Hill that morning.”

The Solstice celebration is an emotional and bonding experience for everyone who attends. By creating and giving this experience to others, Stargirl literally ‘spreads light’ in the community. She shows that nature has the power to unite and transform.