Friday, December 27, 2019

Self-Acceptance in Stargirl by Jerry Spinelly Free Essay Example, 2000 words

Stargirl, the protagonist of the novel Stargirl by Jerry Spinelly, is a great example of self-acceptance. Susan Julia Caraway, a 10th-grade girl, is a completely different and a mysterious sort of girl, who names herself Stargirl. She is a buoyant, free soul, who sings happy birthday songs, helps others and spreads happiness. Her self-awareness leads her to change her names to better suit her personality over time. When asked why she changed her name, she says, "Because I didn t feel like Susan anymore" (43). We find it interesting that for a person with well developed "self", even his or her name is not a permanent feature, as is the case with Stargirl. Stargirl is a beautiful personification of an individual's sense of uniqueness, and a continuation of the human side of emotions, whereas Mica high school's community, can be symbolized as a slow-paced society, which is unable to comprehend an occasional Stargirl or a Starboy. Stargirl becomes a cheerleader for Mica High Schoo l's football team, and inspires a sense of being and identity in the team, as Leo narrates, "We fell in love with our team. When we spoke of it, we used the word "we" instead of "they" (36). The problem starts when Stargirl cheers for the other team at a basketball game and is blamed for Mica's failure. Students, led by Hillari Kimble, the antagonist, turn against her. They shun her. Being Stargirl's boyfriend, Leo is also ignored, which he does not like and asks Stargirl to become "normal" like her other peers (47). Although becoming "normal" would destroy her, she tries to do so for the sake of Leo's love. It proves a big failure because the shunning grows to such an extent that nobody greets her even when she returns to Mica after winning a speech contest at Phoenix. Finally, she decides to be what she really is, and abandons trying to look "normal", without caring much for what others think of her, as narrated by Leo, "I did not see her for the rest of the weekend. By Monday, she was Stargirl again" (117). It is at this moment of self-realization that Stargirl is finally able to win the attention of her peers through her uniqueness, and faith in her own personality. We will write a custom essay sample on Self-Acceptance in Stargirl by Jerry Spinelly or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now

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