#rm annotations

This is part of a series I am doing on Runaway Max by Brenna Yovanoff. To see previous posts including the annotation guide, check the [#rm annotations] tag on my blog. These posts will follow the general formula of summary, annotations, quotes, and any thoughts or analysis I want to provide based on my own interpretation of the text. You can use my posts as references in fandom discussions.

Runaway Max Chapter Two

Max and Billy experience their first day of school. Max talks about her life back in San Diego, and why she tried to run away to L.A. to be with her dad.

Annotations:

1) Background

Their first day of school was "a Tuesday, more than a month after school already started," which means they started school mid-October. Max had friends in San Diego named Ben, Eddie, and Nate. She didn't have female friends.

2) Family Context

Max ran away to stay with her dad in L.A. after she had been told that they were moving to Hawkins. Susan views her ex-husband as wasting his smarts on irresponsible things and inconsistent work. He did some illegal jobs here and there, and he lives in a dingy apartment.

3) Unreliable Statements / Limited P.O.V.

Max says that she thinks having Billy around is making Susan crazy, but there's little to no context explaining why she thinks this. Susan is getting them ready for school, and Billy doesn't say or do much of anything to combat this.

4) Evidence of Abuse / Neglect

Neil is the one making them move. Max thinks that Susan is just going along with it. Max's father is not a responsible parent. He is often late in picking her up and frequently falls asleep in front of the T.V. Susan doesn't trust him to take care of Max, which begs the question - why would she trust Billy to take care of Max?

6) Max & Billy Relationship

There isn't much antagonism between them in this chapter which is odd given the supposed circumstances that lead to the move not yet revealed or even hinted at early in the novel. Instead, there is an attempt at solidarity in being pissed off about the move - Billy says Hawkins sucks and says, "I bet you're already planning your next jailbreak right?"

7) Valuable Insights

Susan and Max disagree greatly on how a young girl should dress and act.

8) Billy's Characterization

Billy is enraged by the move. Max says he "lost it" when he found out, but he expresses this mostly by keeping to himself. He blasts his music in his room and refuses to eat dinner with the family. Billy is told by Susan to drive Max to the middle school and walk in with her to make sure she gets what she needs. Billy drops her off, refusing to go in.

Quote(s):

Billy rolled his head sideways to look at me. "But I don't want to, Max. They're not paying me to babysit you. If you don't like it, maybe tomorrow you can walk."

This chapter reveals just how poorly planned this book is because there's not a drop of a hint of a piece of evidence as to why the family moved to Hawkins, even though fans adamantly use this book as evidence that the move was all Billy's fault. There is no hint that Billy blames Max or that Max blames Billy for it.

I know that later information contradicts this by putting blame on Billy's violence, but information that is revealed later on isn't meant to contradict the entire tone of a chapter but rather enhance it. The feeling the reader gets from this chapter is that Max and Billy didn't want to move, and they're unhappy in Hawkins.

Not that they're ready to kill each other over it.

I am endlessly fascinated that Max's mom doesn't want Max around her father because he's "irresponsible" but then turns around and expects her step son to babysit Max for free. It's his first day, too, and she expects him to not only drive her to school but check her in when he has to do that for himself when he gets to the high school.

Billy explains himself clearly and logically to Max as to why he's not going to do what Susan wants him to do, and you know what? He's right. Not only that, but Max is perfectly capable of checking herself in. The statement that Billy is "driving Susan crazy" is also random and lacking context, making Billy out to be the "bad guy" for being an annoyed teenager.

This doesn't mean that Billy hasn't done anything to piss her off or drive her crazy, but there is absolutely no context for the statement that explains what he's saying or doing that's so wrong. I cannot emphasize enough that statements are just made about Billy with little to no detail backing them up, so the reader is just expected to believe Max.

Max was also unlikeable in this chapter for one main reason - the "I'm not like other girls" attitude she carries. It's fine that she doesn't vibe with femininity in the way that her mother expects her too, but she puts herself above other girls in many ways to make herself "different" from them. She is a child, though, so this can change over time.

Back to Susan... Again. I have to say this again.

If Susan really doesn't trust Max's father to take care of her, it makes no narrative sense to expect Billy, her step son who she supposedly can't stand, to be Max's babysitter. It's irresponsible. If she wants Max checked in at school, she can do it herself because that's certainly not Billy's job when he also has school to go to.

This is part of a series I am doing on Runaway Max by Brenna Yovanoff. To see previous posts including the annotation guide, check the [#rm annotations] tag on my blog. These posts will follow the general formula of summary, annotations, quotes, and any thoughts or analysis I want to provide based on my own interpretation of the text. You can use my posts as references in fandom discussions.

Runaway Max Chapter Three

Max recounts the time she began to see Neil's true colors as she prepares for Halloween in Hawkins.

Annotations:

2) Family Context

Every Wednesday, Susan would make rigatoni and meat balls. Then, Max and Susan would sit on the couch together and watch Family Feud. Neil breaks up this routine and after three weeks of marriage, he makes the family go out to dinner.

4) Evidence of Abuse / Neglect

Neil is abusive towards Max when he perceives Max giving her mother attitude their first dinner out after Susan and Neil have been married three weeks. He says, "You answer your mother," "I'm warning you," "If you don't get that mouth under control, you're going to be one sorry little girl," "You need to learn a thing or two about how to talk to your father," and when Max mutters that he's not her father, Neil sends her out to the car before she can finish her dinner. In Hawkins, he says that Max is getting too old for Halloween and that Susan shouldn't encourage her to dress up.

Max & Billy Relationship

After Neil sends Max out to the car, Billy checks on her. He says, "you really did it this time, declaring war on Neil." Max tries to explain that she doesn't want to consider Neil, "her father" and Billy tells her not to worry about it. He says, "It's not like he's my dad either." Max is confused, but Billy clarifies this by saying Neil is a horrible guy and he's not like a real father should be. In Hawkins, Billy also judges her for dressing up for Halloween. However, he reasons that she can do what she wants but people will think she's "a baby" for still dressing up.

7) Valuable Insights

Max loves Halloween, but more importantly she loves monsters. She loves Michael Myers because he was a "real" kind of monster.

8) Billy's Characterization

Billy is seemingly bored or checked out during their first dinner together. Max says he spent the entire time "leaning back in his chair and staring at the ceiling." Billy does go to check on Max after Neil punished her, and he does validate Max's feelings about Neil. He says Max's name in a "sing song" voice whenever he's annoyed with her, and in this chapter it was in the context of waiting for her to get ready for school so they could leave.

Quotes(s):

"He's a horrible guy, Max. Haven't you figured that out? You really think a guy like that could be a father? Not to me, and not to you."

This chapter shows us when Max really began to realize that Neil was a bad person, and in a way she has to be told this by Billy. She hates Neil, but she doesn't fully understand yet what he's capable of doing.

Billy's behavior is somewhat... protective. In the capacity that he can be. Max thinks that Billy is about to hug her when he reassures her that she doesn't need to think of Neil as her father. However, Billy doesn't hug her. His expression is flat. His eyes look heavy to her, before he explains that Neil is a horrible person. I don't think Billy can show that kind of comfort or affection to Max even if he wanted to because of the abuse we know he experienced, but he is trying to warn Max about what to expect. That shows a level of empathy and kindness that I think many people argue he doesn't have.

Even when it came to dressing up for Halloween, his reasoning for it was almost protective. Neil says she's too old for it, but he's been trying to control what Max says and does for months. Billy tells her to "go ahead" with it, but to not be surprised if she's basically bullied for it. In a twisted way, he's looking out for her. Again, I don't think he's got the capacity to give comfort or affection to Max with the way he's just been surviving under Neil. In a better time and place, it does give us a glimpse as to what their relationship could look like.

This is part of a series I am doing on Runaway Max by Brenna Yovanoff. To see previous posts including the annotation guide, check the [#rm annotations] tag on my blog. These posts will follow the general formula of summary, annotations, quotes, and any thoughts or analysis I want to provide based on my own interpretation of the text. You can use my posts as references in fandom discussions.

Runaway Max Chapter One

Max skateboards through downtown Hawkins. She falls off her skateboard, scraping her knee. Billy pulls up in his Camaro to take her home. He looks bored. Max thinks back to their first meeting.

This one is longer, so it is going under a read more.

I am working on annotating Runaway Max by Brenna Yovanoff. This book is often used to argue points re: Billy Hargrove's character, where he is described in summary as "totally out of control," "violent," and "terrifying." The book is told in Max Mayfield's limited first person point of view, which creates challenges to understanding Billy and the context of his life without a strong bias.

My goal is to unravel what exactly is happening in the Hargrove Mayfield household especially as it applies to Max and Billy and their relationship. This book is not 100% canon compliant, and as such I will discuss its limitations. Unfortunately, one of those limitations is the overall lack of Billy's point of view. Despite enduring canon abuse within the show and book, he's not given much of a voice on it.

I will be giving him a voice as much as I can by talking about what he's experiencing and why it's important to separate Max's thoughts as a child within the dysfunctional household from the reality of Billy's situation. After each chapter, I will provide a brief summary and a list of annotations. I am using highlighter stickers to mark up the book and a notebook to record my annotations.

If you would like to follow up on this series I am doing, you can check [#rm annotations] on my blog which will also be tagged below. Here is my list of annotations and what they mean and/or include.

1) Background Information; Timeline

Basic "objective" facts such as setting and scene, as well as details that help establish a timeline of events.

2) Family Context; Circumstances

Details we're told about the Hargrove Mayfield household. This could include "objective" facts like where Neil or Susan work, or details that expose their family dynamics.

3) Unreliable Statements; Limited P.O.V.

Details that are subjective, or presented as true from a limited point of view. Missing information. Implications that can't be fully verified. Things that are assumed about a character's thoughts and feelings that aren't explicitly expressed by that character - mainly about Billy.

4) Evidence of Abuse / Neglect

Explicit or implied instances of abuse and/or neglect. Emphasis on the role of Neil and Susan as parents. Does not include antagonism between Max and Billy unless it's relevant or contextualized by the abuse and/or neglect from their parents.

5) Neil / Billy Associations

Documenting the context in which comparisons are made between Billy and his abuser, Neil.

6) Max & Billy Relationship

The development of Max and Billy's relationship over the course of the novel; good, neutral, and bad interactions included.

7) Other Valuable Insights; Potentially Useful Information

Details that I think are important to the plot or characterization that may or may not have to do with Billy. They may "fill in gaps" within the overall Stranger Things narrative.

8) Characterization of Billy

Includes external and internal factors such as Billy's appearance, mannerisms, speech, actions, thoughts, interactions, and what other characters think, feel, say about Billy Hargrove.

Here is a preview of what these annotations will look like in practice. (A detailed description of these will be available in my next post in this series: Runaway Max Prologue)

This is part of a series I am doing on Runaway Max by Brenna Yovanoff. To see previous posts including the annotation guide, check the [#rm annotations] tag on my blog. These posts will follow the general formula of summary, annotations, quotes, and any thoughts or analysis I want to provide based on my own interpretation of the text. You can use my posts as references in fandom discussions.

Runaway Max Prologue

Max attempts to run away from home by taking the bus from San Diego to L.A. She is stopped by cops before she is able to leave.

Annotations:

1) Background

Max is twelve. She describes herself as "average" in height and appearance except for her hair. She is at a San Diego bus station, and she plans on leaving to see her biological father.

2) Family Context

Max is already living with her step family. She compares Neil to a "creepy string bean" cop at the bus station. She implies that her step dad is not a good person multiple times, but doesn't explicitly say why. He is a contributing factor to her running away. The other being that Max wants to reunite with her father who lives in L.A. There's no mention of Billy. Max is caught before she can take the bus, and we're told by the cops that her parents are worried sick about her.

7) Valuable Insights

Max stole money from her mother's jewelry box to pay for the bus ticket.

Quotes:

"The tall one (cop) had fast pale eyes and long, skinny arms like a spider. He was pacing up and down between the benches in that way cops always do. It's a slow official walk that says 'I may be a creepy string bean, but I'm the one with the badge and the gun.' It reminded me of my stepdad."

Thoughts

Max is eager to reunite with her father, which is interesting because we're told that he's not the most responsible or reliable person. I question how much her father cares about her. I don't know what would actually happen if she was able to leave. Max and Billy could have bonded over parental abandonment had they not been pit against each other.

Max wants good things for her mother, which is expressed in other chapters. However, Max also has some problems with her mother. The fact that she was comfortable with stealing money from her and running away suggests their bond isn't as strong as it should be and that there's family dysfunction that Neil and/or Billy aren't responsible for.

In fandom, there's this belief held among some that the introduction of Neil and/or Billy ruined Max and Susan's lives. While the family dysfunction in the combined Hargrove Mayfield household certainly didn't make things better, Max was already used to emotional neglect prior to their introduction. She is already on her own in many ways.