Coming of Age / Loss of Innocence

Though the novel’s protagonist Stella is only 11 years old, the story focuses on a period of her life in which she shows extreme maturation. By the end of the novel, Stella has taken on the role of a young woman in her family and social life, as well as in her perception of herself.

This transformation is immediately evident from the first chapter of the novel, in which Stella finds her eight-year-old brother Jojo observing a Klu Klux Klan meeting across Kilkenny Pond. While Stella is not completely sure of what she is witnessing and the implications of the Klan, she understands that it is inherently evil. Thus, Stella is overcome with a need to protect her brother and report her findings to her parents.

When Stella accompanies her father and other men to Spindale for the purpose of registering...