A Celebration of Non-Conformity
Above all else, Stargirl is an absolute celebration of the joy and even the necessity of non-conformity. Stargirl is unapologetically comfortable in rejecting all attempts to impose conformity upon her. In fact, one might even suggest that Stargirl tips the scales from being merely a non-conformist to being an outright iconoclast. The very fact that nothing and no one and no circumstantial situation is enough to convince Stargirl to accept the impositions upon her cultivated outsider status the shackles of societal conventions is enough to situate her as something more than a mere case of weirdly non-conforming character. She is steadfast in her conviction that one should remain true to themselves even—maybe even especially—at the cost of losing the friendship or respect of others. Even in the case of suspicion that her iconoclasm is subject to consideration as an act is not enough to get her to behave in any other manner. Truly and without a doubt, Spinelli has created the character of Stargirl to celebrate everyone who ever stood up and faced down the pressures to conform for absolutely no good reason.
A Rejection of Groupthink
The opposition to Stargirls non-conforming iconoclasm is not merely societal convention. Spinelli is not rejecting individual thought that conforms to societal norms. Such conformity is every bit as necessity as non-conformity. What draws the ire of the author to the point that he was driven to address the issue in Stargirl is the pernicious and pervasive influence of groupthink. Individual reaction to Stargirl’s more outrageous rejections of convention is inhabited by various characters who undergo various evolutions in their reactions, but eventually all give in to the groupthink which ostracizes Stargirl not for any particularities, but for the generality of her non-conformity. Eventually, the worst aspect of groupthink will eventually be manifested by Leo in the most tragic way.
The Tragic Consequences of Groupthink
It is not by sheer chance that Leo is narrating the story told in Stargirl from the perspective of aging with time. The passage of time has cleared the way for Leo to think for himself and no longer be subject to the pressures of conforming to the monolithic perspective engendered by societal conventions he does not have the intellectual or emotional fortitude to press back against. With age comes wisdom and the tragic irony of Leo gaining such wisdom is the realization of what the absence of that wisdom has cost him.
The Implications of Groupthink
Why do the students react as a group in such a startlingly menacing way against Stargirl when her only crime is not acting like them? The thematic fever pitch of the novel during the Hot Seat segment in which the student inadvertently reveal that their mistrust of Stargirl’s non-conformity is situated—deeply—within their own feelings of inadequacy about themselves. The students begin by directly addressing Stargirl about her unconventional behavior but the discussion quickly turns into an assault in against her choosing to be different because, obviously, she must see something wrong with choosing to be the same as them. This is the central thematic foundation of the us-versus-them dichotomy of groupthink’s natural revulsion toward a rejection of their standards. For any group behavior to survive and thrive, it absolutely must look upon itself—if only implicitly—as the standard by which all behavior should be judged. Therefore, any rejection of that standard must by definition—according to the group—be based at least in part on a reaction toward their standards. Rather than viewing Stargirl’s unconventional behavior as an insight in her soul, the student instead view it as her insight into their soul; an insight which is clearly critical. And we all know how well people of all ages respond to criticism of their ways.
