The Pressure Of Conformity In Stargirl By Jerry Spinelli

People in society all try to be accepted, this can impact people’s relationships with eachother. Almost always people want to blend with the crowd and stay with all the trends that society has. Two people in a relationship can want each other to blend in and not be noticed exaggeratedly and be the most “normal” they can be. In literature characters often have relationships with other characters, but society may try to be “ordinary” from the conformity of society. In the book Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, the protagonist Leo, has an important relationship with Stargirl, which reveals the theme of maintaining individuality, because they both deal with pressures of conformity in their high school. In the book Leo has an important relationship with Stargirl which shows the theme of pressures of conformity. Leo is pressured from society to make Stargirl “Susan” or “typical”. When Stargirl has become Susan and fits in, she is selfless and says, “She (Dori, Stargirls friend) doesn’t understand how important it is being popular”. This tells that Stargirl when she becomes popular isn’t herself and cares about what other people think, this can happen when a character is pressured to be popular and “average”. This affects

Leo pressures Stargirl to be like a “typical” girl at Mica High, not thinking about how Stargirl feels and how she will always try to be herself, even if she is “normal” for a little bit. When Stargirls reveals that she will always be herself and not Susan, she becomes her quirky and bizarre self. One quote from Leo is, “As she (Stargirl when she becomes herslef again) had predicted, I did not ask her to the Ocotillo Ball” (167). This tells that Leo is so self-conscious and he wants to fit very badly that he won’t ask his own girlfriend to the dance because she’s being herself and different. Leo and people at Mica High and in the real world want to be accepted and “standard” by the