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Wayne Parr
Dori Dilson is an inconspicuous ninth grader who writes poems in a big looseleaf notebook and is the first Mica High student to sit with Stargirl at lunch. Though angry with Stargirl when she briefly becomes “Susan,” Dori is by far Stargirl’s most loyal—and only publicly supportive—friend. She is the only Mica High student who shows up to cheer for Stargirl after the state oratorical contest.
Dori Dilson Quotes in Stargirl
The Stargirl quotes below are all either spoken by Dori Dilson or refer to Dori Dilson. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 29 Quotes
We swung around back to the parking lot and— yes— there was a car, and another car. And people, three of them, shading their eyes in the sun, watching us. Two of them were teachers. The other was a student, Dori Dilson. She stood apart from the teachers, alone in the black shimmering sea of asphalt. As we approached, she held up a sign, a huge cardboard sign bigger than a basketball backboard. She set the sign on edge and propped it up, erasing herself. The red painted letters said:
WAY TO GO,
SUSAN
WE’RE PROUD OF
YOU
The car stopped in front of it. All that was left to see of Dori Dilson were two sets of fingers holding the sides of the sign. We were close enough now to see that the sign was trembling, and I knew that behind it Dori was crying. There was no confetti, no kazoos. Nothing cheered, not even a mockingbird.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Stargirl LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Dori Dilson Character Timeline in Stargirl
The timeline below shows where the character Dori Dilson appears in Stargirl. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 8
...Kimble, who threatened to drop Cinnamon, Stargirl’s rat, down the stairs. Or it could be Dori Dilson, an inconspicuous 9th grader who is the first to sit with Stargirl at lunch.
(full context)
Chapter 18
...about it. Kevin says “they” are not talking to Stargirl. Almost everybody, except her friend Dori Dilson, is giving Stargirl the silent treatment. It started after the basketball playoffs. People blame...
(full context)
Chapter 25
Leo asks Stargirl if the shunning bothers her. She says that Leo, Dori, Archie, and her family talk to her. Leo isn’t satisfied. He says he wants to...
(full context)
Chapter 27
...the middle seat so she can cuddle with Leo. She admits that she also invited Dori Dilson to come along, but that Dori is angry at her, seeing “Susan” as a...
(full context)
Chapter 29
When they circle the school, they see two cars and three people—two teachers and Dori Dilson. Dori holds up a big sign, which says, “Way to go, Susan. We’re proud...
(full context)
Chapter 30
...ribbons. She passes out cookies and plays her ukulele with Cinnamon perched on her shoulder. Dori applauds. Leo is too cowardly, not wanting to signal approval for the return of Stargirl.
(full context)
...day, the sheet is filled with joking entries, like Darth Vader and Wayne Parr, but Dori Dilson signs up in earnest. After school, Kevin tries to joke with Leo about Stargirl...
(full context)
Stargirl and Dori Dilson practice ukulele duets and become a very good singing duo. They perform in the...
(full context)
Chapter 31
...arrives at the ball in a flower-strewn bicycle sidecar that looks like a parade float. Dori Dilson, wearing a tuxedo and tall hat, pedals the bicycle. There’s a hush as Stargirl,...
(full context)
...to slap her in return. Instead, Stargirl gently kisses Hillari’s cheek. Then she gets into Dori Dilson’s waiting sidecar and rides off. It’s the last time anyone from Mica High ever...
(full context)
