In Chapter Nine is a description of previously dormant mud frogs awakening in the Sonoran Desert. They symbolize the students whose dormant inside Stargirl awakened.
The desert symbolizes how the author thinks of the school. The interactions between the students are dry.
Stargirl dances around in the rain. She is like the rain. She is doing
for the school what the rain is doing for the desert, bringing it to life.
Title:
Stargirl
Author:
Jerry Spinelli
Date Published:
2000
Meaning of the Title:
Refers to the name Susan Caraway gave to herself. Archie Brubaker
said Star people are rare. You will be lucky to meet another. He thinks
of Stargirl as one of the star people.
Setting:
Mica, Arizona
Genre:
young adult novel, realistic fiction, school story
Protagonist:
Susan Caraway, alias Stargirl
Antagonists:
Hillari Kimble, and, to a lesser degree, the whole student body of
Mica Area High School, except for Dori Dilson.
Mood:
Alternates between upbeat and sad. Ends on an upbeat, although somewhat
subdued, note.
Point of View:
First person. Leo Borlock narrates the story. We see what happened
through his eyes.
Tense:
This story was written in the past tense
Rising Action:
Hillari Kimble does not like Stargirl when she sees that she is different.
She gossips about her, saying that she might be a plant put in the school
by the school administration. Stargirl is accepted and becomes a cheerleader.
She cheers for the other team as well as her own team. The students shun
her. For Leo, she begins to act like the other students.
Exposition:
Stargirl starts attending Mica Area High School after being homeschooled.
Climax:
Stargirl's return to an empty parking lot after the oratorical contest.
Outcome:
Stargirl leaves Arizona
Major Theme:
The importance of knowing one's self
Minor Themes:
The importance of knowing what is important, The interconnectedness
of everyone
Clapsaddle, Diane. "TheBestNotes on A Long Way Gone".
TheBestNotes.com.
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