Allusions In Stargirl

Throughout the book Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, there are many literary allusions. Most relate to other books, but some relate to real life. Stargirl is cheering at a basketball game. Unfortunately they are losing. There, Leo makes an interesting observation. “A kid names Ron Kovac. He stood six-foot-eight and averaged thirty points per game. Our players looked like five Davids flailing against Goliath” (69). This quote relates to the biblical story about David and Goliath. In the story, Goliath is a giant and David is only a boy. David fights Goliath and ends up killing him with a since strike from a sling. Leo is comparing the enormity of Goliath to the size of the Electron player. This quote also foreshadow the winning of the game though, because in the end David ends up
Or Bo Peep” (8). Bo Peep refers to an old nursery rhyme that you’ve probably heard. “Little Bo peep has lost her sheep and doesn't know where to find them. Leave them alone and they'll come home, bringing their tails behind them” She is traditionally known as a cute little girl who has a crook. The other allusion references to an old German story. It’s about an orphaned girl who goes to live with her grandfather in the Alps. She soon warms up to him, and ends up teaching him about the bible and teaches her friend crippled friend, Clara, to walk. Stargirl could be regarded as both girls because of her dress. The last allusion refers to something more relatable in this era. “‘Some people are saying she’s some kind of alien sent down here from Alpha Centauri or something’” (33). Alpha Centauri is a star located in the Centaurus constellation. Kevin says that some people think that Stargirl is an alien sent from a star. This shows that literary allusions don’t always have to refer to books, they can also relate to things in real life. Literary allusions are common in Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. While some relate to fanciful tales, others relate to real life