Quotation Number Three

Page 204, Paragraph 3
    '"...It may sound strange to you, but Max probably ran away because nobody wanted him in the family picture.  He realized that he wasn't family, that he was still an outsider, and he was ashamed when somebody made it obvious."'
    I chose this quote because it was a more extreme version of the situation in quotation two.   I believe it is more extreme than the second quote because it is later in the book and Max has gradually been adjusting and starting to fit in.  This incident took him right back to the beginning, made him realize that he was still a newcomer and that these people didn't think of him as family.  Max confirms this a little later on, when the others find him at the beach.
    Text to Self: This doesn't sound very similar, but the think that came to mind for this quote was one time when I was in a clothing store with my mom and my siblings.  We were all looking around around except for my younger brother, Aidan.  He clued in pretty quickly that he didn't exactly belong over here, with us looking at skirts and sports bras, and he asked my mom if he could go "sit on the bench over there."  Again, this is very different from what is going on in the quote, but it follows the same theme of not belonging and leaving because of it.
    Text to World: I think most forms of bullying could be connected to this.  Usually if someone bullies someone else, it's because something about their personality or appearance is different.  If that person excludes them because of it, then they are leaving because someone made it obvious that they were different.  This is a lot like what happens with Max.
    Text to Text: This reminds me of a short story I read called Bait, where a family goes hunting magical creatures in an enchanted forest.  The main character's older sister and parents are amazing hunters, but he can't catch a thing.  He knows he doesn't belong in these woods, with all these amazing hunters around him, but on his first day there, he gets bitten by this creature that latches onto his back and won't let go.  Before long, he and the creature are one being.  He realizes that he doesn't even belong in human civilization anymore, so he goes deep into the woods and never comes back.  In both this story and The Greenies, it is made obvious that the person is an outsider, so they leave.