How we cite our quotes:
Quote #1
The family section [of the newspaper] ran a regular feature about kids on their birthdays, and my mother had called in some info. The last sentence read: "As a hobby, Leo Borlock collects porcupine neckties" (Prologue.4).
Porcupine ties are an unusual thing to collect. No wonder the poor kid only has one tie in his collection. But still, this is a quirk that Leo maintains all his life, even when he enters high school and the pressures to conform are the greatest.
Quote #2
"She's not real," Hillari said. She was sneering. "She's an actress. It's a scam" (2.7)
When you meet someone who is unusual, do you have trouble accepting him or her, too? Do you try to dismiss them as not being "real" like Hillari does? And why does Hillari even do that in the first place?
Quote #3
"I'll tell you one thing," Kevin said as we joined the mob in the hallways, "she better be fake."
I asked him what he meant.
"I mean if she's real, she's in big trouble. How long do you think somebody who's really like that is going to last around here?" (2.25-27).
Kevin clearly believes that someone like Stargirl cannot have an identity like hers and make it in society. Stargirl will either be eaten alive, or she'll have to change into someone less strange, less shocking, and, most importantly, less genuine.