Nonconformity and Bullying in Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli Free Essay Example

Stargirl is an extremely thought- provoking book. The author, Jerry Spinelli has a remarkable voice throughout it. Like if you read it, you can simply understand that this book is by Jerry Spinelli without checking out the cover. I believe he is such an amazing writer. He has this skill to just know to catch the reader- he’s not particularly excellent at anything else, however his composing makes you feel you’re in the story because you understand whatever. You want to understand what occurs next, and when you read it, it links to another event, you wish to learn more, and so on.

The way he describes it is that he makes it appear everything is so interesting or interesting or sad or mad and makes the reader so psychological. I want I might do the exact same with my writing.

Jerry Spinelli’s plots are always so uncommon. This book spoke about uniqueness and nonconformity. I indicate, there are a lot of books that are similar, however this book has this primary character called Stargirl.

She is new to Mica Location High School, and she is various than anyone else. In the beginning, she is truly popular however later she gets shunned for her distinctions. The storyteller, Leo, is also a Mica High trainee, and he finds her so different and fascinating. They later become in a relationship, but Leo doesn’t like it because he is shunned as much as Stargirl. So he goes to Archie. Archie is a mentor and instructor to both Stargirl and Leo.

He tells Leo to answer only one question: Who’s affection do you value more, hers or them? This part touches me really deeply and I practically cried due to the fact that this part was really unfortunate. It was likewise my preferred since this scene lastly chose if Leo truly did love Stargirl and embrace her individuality. Initially, Leo didn’t understand the question, however later when he did, he didn’t wish to address it since he didn’t would like to know if his answer was true.

Leo wasn’t a protagonist or antagonist at the same time. He was the one who made the biggest mistakes in the books, but it seemed like I understood his feelings at the same time. It was wrong that Leo avoided Stargirl just because he got shunned from other people. However, I understood his feelings because I wouldn’t like it if nobody wanted to be near me, hear me, or talk to me at school- it would be horrible. And the person who caused it all was your girlfriend? I would be kind of mad at her, which was exactly what Leo did. And later, he regretted it- with is how he changed. He accepted Stargirl later, and that was how he changed his way of viewing the world.

Mica had an annual ball every year called the Ocotillo Ball. Leo didn’t ask Stargirl out, and he didn’t go because it was the time when he was still mad at Stargirl. However, Stargirl went with Dori Dilson, her only friend. Descriptions clashed- she had a strapless yellow gown which the skirt billowed outward from her waist like an upside-down teacup. And her hair was incredible- some said it is the color of honey, some said strawberries, and it fluffed like a meringue high upon her head. She danced alone, but after somebody asked her to dance together, the ice shattered. Boys got antsy, and broke from their dates. As they walked toward her, she told the band at the ball to play the old-fashioned Bunny Hop.

Everybody started dancing- almost every couple joined in, except for Hillari Kimble and Wayne Parr. Hillari got so mad because she was left alone. When the song was finished, Hillari slapped Stargirl across the face, saying, “You always ruin everything!” Stargirl did not react, except for kissing her on the cheek. Everybody was stunned. Nobody saw her again after that. This was the most important part in the book because the slap finally decided if she was accepted in Mica Area High School or most places, which she was not.

This book tells us to always be open-minded and accept individuality. Stargirl was like a symbol for nonconformity or individuality. On the other hand, the Mica Area High School students were like us- conformity. I think conformity is such a big problem today; it’s so big it actually seems kind of scary. What if every single person in this world always said the same things, ate the same food, wore the same clothes, did the same everythings? For example, everybody wears the same things such as Nike or Juicy Couture or what’s in the latest fashion. Again, we should always be open-minded and accept individuality. This way, it also helps preventing bullying.

I think I also really felt close with this book because this book reminded me of someone I heard of. She was in 8th grade, and she was bullied because of her differences. A few years later, she committed suicide. She is kind of different from Stargirl because she didn’t care whether she got bullied or not, but the girl did. I felt really sad when Stargirl left because it was like the girl leaving her own world. Although the book talked about popularity and relationships and individuality, the author also had a really deep meaning to it.

Stargirl did a lot of things- giving presents, always complimenting, smiling, and doing nice things for people even in the smallest details. At first she was popular because of that, and she was asked to join the cheerleading team. When she went to cheer for her team, she also cheered for the other team, too. Some people didn’t notice it at first, but later, more and more people did. And they started hating her for it. There were still a few people who stuck up for Stargirl, but then they started the shunning. Stargirl herself started the conflict for herself, but she didn’t notice. And then this lead to the climax where Hillari slapped Stargirl, and then she left. It didn’t make sense when I read it the first time, but as time went by, I started to understand.

This book doesn’t need improving at all. The author himself is a really good writer, and the book is just so… likable and understandable. Even though you don’t have any experiences of bullying or nonconformity, if you are a young adult, you will be able to understand this book completely. That is how much Jerry Spinelli is good at writing.

The very first paragraph of the book Stargirl had said, “When I was little, my uncle Pete had a necktie with a porcupine painted on it. I thought that necktie was just about the neatest thing in the world. Uncle Pete would stand patiently before me while I ran my fingers over the silky surface, half expecting to be stuck by one of the quills. Once, he let me wear it. I kept looking for one of my own, but I could never find one.” The thing about this paragraph is that it is not that interesting, but interesting enough to hook up the reader.

Sometimes authors write hooks as if they are desperate to have a reader. But not Jerry Spinelli- like I had said before, it is not that interesting, but interesting enough to hook up the reader. Don’t you want to know what happens next? Don’t you want to know if the main character finds his own porcupine necktie or not? Some people might have wondered why the porcupine necktie was mentioned in the story if it wasn’t related to the story. Jerry Spinelli later on mentioned the necktie and saying how Stargirl secretly gave Leo another porcupine necktie when he couldn’t find his own, which means that authors like Jerry Spinelli are really good at putting words together and making them flow.

There are lots of things that are inspired by the book Stargirl. There is a society called Stargirl, which supports individuality and encourages it. They are also planning a film version of Stargirl, which I hope will come out soon. I recommend this book for young adults because some students may have a hard time understanding this book.