“She laughed when there was no joke. She danced when there was no music. She had no friends, yet she was the friendliest person in school. In her answers in class, she often spoke of sea horses and stars, but she did not know what a football was...
She was elusive. She was today. She was tomorrow. She was the faintest scent of a cactus flower, the flitting shadow of an elf owl. We did not know what to make of her. In our minds we tried to pin her to a corkboard like a butterfly, but the pin merely went through and away she flew.”
In this quote, Stargirl is seen as someone truly unique and elusive. She does what she likes and speaks of things which not everyone can think of. Someone like Stargirl has never been seen at Mica High School before and all the students are confused and amused by her. She cannot be categorized in any way and does not fit into to any high school social groups or tropes.
My name is something I wear, like a shirt. It gets worn, I outgrow it, I change it
Stargirl believes that names can be changed as and when one outgrows them. Names are not meant to be restrictive and binding, they are meant to reflect one's inner thoughts and hence when a name does not fit anymore, it should be changed.
“I had never realized how much I needed the attention of others to confirm my own presence.”
When Leo is ostracized, that is when he truly realizes how much he needs the presence and validation of others around him. He realizes that he feels like a nobody when others do not give him attention and he is grateful for any little attention he gets.
“Her smile put the sunflower to shame.”
This quote shows Leo's love for Stargirl. Sunflowers are considered to be some of the most beautiful flowers and denote happiness. Leo, in his love, believes that Stargirl's smile can put a sunflower to shame. This expresses his true love and devotion towards her.
