Conformity In Stargirl By Jerry Spinelli

Conformity is a major theme in Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. A conformist is defined as someone who follows trends and acts like everyone else does. On the other hand, a nonconformist is someone who doesn’t follow trends and is true to themselves. In Stargirl, the main character and narrator, Leo, goes to Mica Area High School in Arizona. The student body is very conformist and holds little to no individuality. A new student named Stargirl transfers to Mica, who is a nonconformist. The struggle between conforming to societal norms or being yourself causes many problems throughout the novel. The three main characters who deal with this conflict are Stargirl, Leo and Susan, Stargirl’s alternate persona. Based on their actions throughout the book,

Though Susan is only a persona of Stargirl, her actions are very conformist. The entire character of Susan was created in order for Stargirl to fit in for Leo. She dressed and acted like a regular girl. “She looked just like a hundred other girls at Mica High. Stargirl had vanished into a sea of them” (140). After being told by Leo that nobody likes anchovies on their pizza, she picked off the pieces because she wanted to be like everyone else. She created a personification of how everyone else would act and named it Evelyn Everybody. Despite all of Stargirl’s efforts to fit in, her peers continue to shun and ignore her. Susan’s conformity is shown due to her desire to be accepted for Leo. Conformity and individuality is a major conflict in the book Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. The relationship between Stargirl and Leo, the two protagonists, is greatly affected by this struggle. Leo values conformity, while Stargirl expresses her individuality. The conflict develops to where Stargirl attempts to act like everyone else does to save their relationship. The character she creates to act as a conformist, Susan, is average in virtually every way. Conformity plays a major role in the development of the book, and eventually leads to the end of Stargirl and Leo’s