The novel Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli shows how being yourself can be good for you, but not always for the people around you. John F. Kennedy’s famous quote, “Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth,” relates to the novel, since it relates to the theme. Stargirl is a prime example of this quote. She was shunned by the student body for not conforming to the MAHS norms and being forced to act differently to be the same as everyone else to blend in with others.
The first example of the theme in this novel is that Stargirl dresses differently than the people around her. She is not afraid to be herself at school. Instead of the trending new fashion trends, she wears clothes her mother wore for her. This may be strange to others,
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Leo can’t get her voice out of his head. Before he goes to sleep and sees the moonlight shining in his window, he thinks of Stargirls distinct voice. It’s almost like the moon is calling out to Leo about Stargirl. “Hi Leo,” is all he can think of when the moon is shining on him. It is almost like he can’t escape Stargirl. She's stuck in his thoughts, and he can’t get her out.
The third example of the theme of this novel is how Stargirl sits alone at lunch, while others sit next to their friends. While everyone else was sitting two in a seat and socializing, Stargirl sat at a separate table from everyone else. She likes to distance herself from others, probably because she was jammed in a house all her life getting homeschooled by her parents. Leo noticed her behavior. He may have caught feelings for her first when he saw her at lunch because she was so different from the rest and really stood out.
The fourth reason why non-conformity is the theme of this story is that she isn’t afraid to act herself. One example of this is the ukelele during lunch. On other students' birthdays, she sang happy birthday to them. No one ever told her their birthdays. No other MAHS student would be brave enough to sing and play an instrument in front of hundreds of judgemental high school students. They would be just minding their own business when Stargirl started singing to them, even though they told her not