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
The day before Hillari’s birthday, Hillari approaches Stargirl at lunch. Everyone stops eating and stares as Hillari hovers behind Stargirl’s chair. At last Hillari introduces herself. Eventually Hillari points at Stargirl’s face and warns her, “Don’t try singing to me.” Stargirl quietly replies, “I won’t sing to you.”
Hillari openly confronts Stargirl, and it’s more than a desire to avoid an embarrassing serenade—it’s a warning that Stargirl needs to stay away from Hillari’s position atop the social order.
Themes
The next day, nobody can get to lunch fast enough. At first, both Hillari and Stargirl eat their lunches in silence, while the entire cafeteria watches, afraid to miss a thing. Eventually, Stargirl finishes her lunch, picks up her ukulele, and begins strolling and strumming. But she walks right past Hillari’s table. Instead, she walks up to the table where Leo and Kevin are sitting. She sings “Happy Birthday” with Hillari’s name—but she sings it to Leo. Leo blushes, unsure of where to look.
Stargirl continues to show that she won’t be influenced by other people’s expectations of her. It’s the first example that, in her rivalry with Hillari, she won’t respond to Hillari’s aggressive tactics in kind. It’s also the first hint that she’s attracted to Leo and sees something different about him.
Themes
After the song is finished, Hillari stomps out of the lunchroom while everyone else breaks into applause. Kevin asks Stargirl, “Why him?” She grins at Leo, tugs his earlobe, and says, “he’s cute.” Leo feels “nine ways at once” and keeps thinking of Stargirl’s touch on his ear. Kevin says he thinks it’s time to go see Archie.
Stargirl is unabashed in her expression of her feelings, no matter who’s watching. Leo, more reserved, feels conflicted, a state of mind that will continue throughout his relationship with Stargirl.
Themes
