In the third season of Stranger Things it became very evident that Will doesn't like the company of girls, especially his friends' girlfriends Max and Eleven. Why is it so? Why was he so averted to the girls?
-
I tried to flesh out the question a little more, since I think it opens to some reasonable discussion of Will's character and role within the show.– Napoleon Wilson ♦Jul 28, 2020 at 12:01
-
Thank you. I am just a newbie and was curious for some discussions.– Dhanishtha GhoshJul 28, 2020 at 12:02
Add a comment
|
2 Answers
It's not like Will Byers "doesn't like girls" in general. We don't quite know if there is a general aversion to girls or if he is even romantically/sexually attracted to boys instead. That's rather beside the point of these scenes.
Will wasn't directly averted to Max or Eleven. What he didn't like was them "intruding" their original group and "distracting" his friends from their friendship. While the boys are all characterized somewhat as "nerds", we have to understand that Will is pretty much the most vulnerable and shy of the whole group. He basically played the role of the passive victim for about the entirety of the first two seasons (which might even be because of his general vulnerability). He certainly has other worries than girls.
But not only is he lacking a girlfriend "for his own", and thus feels like the 5th wheel of the car in a group of couples (Dustin also got himself a girlfriend, even if she's not present during the season). He also really needs his friends around him, especially after all the stuff that happened to him. He is dependent on the security of his old friends circle and isn't all too comfortable with it getting changed, especially when it seems to him like he's "left alone by the wayisde".
Speaking with a bit of vest-pocket psychology, I would think he generally struggles with growing up (and changing in the course of that), due to all the stress he's experienced. He wants to keep playing D&D with his friends as he did in the good old days, despite them somewhat moving on to more "grown-up" interests.
answered Jul 28, 2020 at 12:15
-
11The kids are at the stage where they start to form romantic relationships that shift their priorities from their friend groups. But it doesn't happen to all kids at the same time.– BarmarJul 29, 2020 at 15:39
-
1Wish I could give this answer multiple +1's. PTSD can definitely stunt emotional growth.– DeaconJul 29, 2020 at 17:33
-
@Barmar that is how I basically interpreted it, though I do think there have been some clues left throughout the show that lead us to question if he is gay. With all he has been through, I think it is most likely that he won't really be able to form normal relationships anyway. Jul 29, 2020 at 19:12
-
3Also, I think an important reason why the show is about kids of this age is because they wanted to show them going through the changes associated with adolescence. Some kids pairing up while others still prefer to play games is a common experience.– BarmarJul 29, 2020 at 20:47
-
2@BlackThorn I just want to say, being gay surely does not equal not liking girls.– smcsJul 30, 2020 at 15:38
Additional perspective from season 4 — it is being heavily hinted that Will is gay. He may have been developing these feelings in earlier seasons and seeing his friends interested in girls made him feel different and potentially excluded.
answered Jul 3, 2022 at 13:12
-
1Even more specifically: it's (IMO) hinted that Will is in love with Mike, so he is romantically jealous of El. Jul 9, 2022 at 21:08
-
Yep. The actor, Noah Schnapp, recently confirmed this in an interview with Variety.– V2BlastJul 21, 2022 at 17:12