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Porcupine Necktie
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Stargirl, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Individuality and Conformity
Human Nature
Seeing, Visibility, and Invisibility
Friendship, Love, and Social Pressure
Summary
Analysis
On the first day of 11th grade, Leo’s friend Kevin approaches him, grinning. “Did you see her?” he asks. Leo doesn’t know who Kevin is talking about. As the day goes on, he hears many students whispering about a mysterious “her,” and he wonders who the new student might be. Finally, in Earth Sciences class, Leo hears a name: Stargirl Caraway. At lunch, Stargirl herself is unmistakable: she wears a long, old-fashioned, ruffled dress, and she carries a ukulele on her back. She also carries a canvas bag with a sunflower painted on it.
The ”watcher” of the previous chapter is juxtaposed with the one who’s being noticed by everyone in this chapter. Even before Mica High is described, Stargirl is clearly a disrupter of its norms, judging from people’s whispered reactions to her appearance alone.
Themes
Stargirl sits alone in the cafeteria while the rest of the students stare and whisper. Stargirl eats her lunch, oblivious to the curious buzz all around her. Kevin explains to Leo that Stargirl is a 10th grader who was homeschooled until recently. He and Kevin gleefully plan to invite Stargirl as a guest on Hot Seat, the school’s interview show. Kevin is the host, and Leo is the producer/director.
At Mica High, students obviously don’t flock to a newcomer, highlighting the prevailing emphasis on conformity. But Stargirl already appears to hold her own and not to require others’ validation. Meanwhile, Kevin and Leo see Stargirl as an opportunity for greater visibility for their show (and, thus, for themselves).
Themes
Suddenly, to everyone’s disbelief, Stargirl stands up and begins walking among the tables, strumming her ukulele and twirling. Leo sees her face for the first time: she’s average-looking, with a freckled face, huge eyes, and a notable lack of makeup. She marches out of the cafeteria. As the other students continue to sit there in bewilderment, Kevin and Leo high-five, eager to feature Stargirl on an upcoming episode of Hot Seat.
Confirming people’s suspicions about her, Stargirl’s individuality is on full display, and most of her peers have no idea what to do with such an exhibition of nonconformity. The two boys just think of it as something they can easily harness for their own use.
Themes
