Writing About Writing

There's an interesting part of the text that is very intriguing, and yet, I can't quite figure out what the author is trying to convey by adding it in there. Stargirl and Leo are riding in the backseat of the van to the convention, when suddenly she tells Mr. McShane to stop the van. She gets out and runs in the desert. When she gets back in the van she asks about mockingbirds. She quotes Archie Brubacker, "mockingbirds may do more than imitate other birds. I mean, other living birds. He thinks they may also imitate the sounds of birds that are no longer around. He thinks the sounds of extinct birds are passed down the years from mockingbird to mockingbird."

They talk about Moas and Passenger Pigeons, and it got me to thinking about "what if"? But I also had the urge, as an English major usually does, to connect it to some sort of significance within the book. Stargirl was too unique to compare to a mockingbird, because she was one of a kind, like the moa. So I thought about the school, and students. Maybe they are like the mockingbird, only becoming unique when they find the inspiration. But somehow, that didn't quite fit either, because the mockingbird doesn't change who it is, but simply changes what it does.

This is Leo. Leo never changes his appearance. He is steadfast, yet, as Erin S. puts it, "Leo can't escape it". He is captivated by her actions, her clothes, her though processes, and even her song. He doesn't go as far as imitating her, but I wonder at why they were supposed to meet. To me, it seems like his view on the world changed, simply because of her. His life is richer, and he learned from her, and maybe, if he has children, he will pass down that richness, just like the mocking bird may pass down the voices of the extinct. His example will preserve, if not her legacy, her purpose and drive in life.