Stranger things representation

Stranger Things Representation

Teenagers:

Difference in ages = 13, 17/18 (Will, Dustin, Mike, Lucas, Eleven) (Jonathon, Nancy, Steve) 

Into paragraphs:

Teenagers

The teenagers represented in stranger things are shown as strong-willed and adventurous which goes against the stereotypical teenager – someone who is lazy or self-centred. There are four boys in Stranger things: Will, Mike, Dustin, Lucas (around 12/13 years old). They emphasise how upset they are when their friend goes missing and are proactive to find Will. Mike’s sister Nancy is an older teenager (around 17/18); she is less worried that mike is missing because she priorities seeing her friends and a boy, she is seeing named Steve. She goes against the stereotypical girl, because she studies and cares about her schoolwork – shown through her revising for an exam with flashcards. Steve is attracted to Nancy because he prioritises girls and his appearance over academics.

Family life and relationships

In the first episode of Stranger things, Mike’s household presents a close family unit which is presented when they all eat round the same table for dinner. However, the closeness is contradicted when they begin to argue about different things, which shows they have underlining issues. The father is shown to be distant and unaffectionate towards the children, in comparison to the mother; but is hardworking and exhausted from his profession due to the lack of expression and enthusiasm in his voice tone. The family is a perfect example of a 1980s white suburban middle-class household. Overall, Will and Mike’s family are given the most screen time which means they are the most important in episode one.

 fortunate, suggested by their large house and clothes.

Mothers

Joyce isn’t shown as the stereotypical mother, as she is overworked and attentive. She cares about her children, Jonathon and Will - which can be shown through her reaction when Will goes missing. Her frantic movements and yelled expressions represent her caring and worried nature. She is committed to her role as a mother, despite not being able to handle the workload, which is why Johnathon has taken over to support the family – by doing house duties.

Absent fathers

Jim Hopper, who’s role is the main policeman, is seen as an absent father when it is known that his daughter died but doesn’t like to mention his previous family. Will’s father can also be shown as an absent father because he doesn’t live with his children and Joyce is acting as the stereotypical fatherly role – which subverts the ideologies.

Police

Hopper is lonely, lazy and relaxed, so he appears to not take his policeman role too seriously – because nothing terrible ever seems to happen in the area. Therefore, the police is more of a community service for the town, as opposed to saving lives, because the worst thing that has happened is a resident being attacked by a bird – as the bird thought the lady’s hair was a bird’s nest. He tends to block out his feelings by drinking excessively and smoking cigarettes, which presents him as someone who has a boring life, to the audience. He comes across lazy at the beginning but subverts this when he helps find evidence for will’s disappearance – showing he cares because he has experienced the loss of a child.

Government

The government is represented as mysterious as there are only small glimpses of the government in the first episode – it isn’t clear to the audience who they are or what their intentions are. They are seen listening to conversations which could link to the location of Eleven, their aim is to find her, and they don’t have any emotions towards innocent people who may get in their way, such as Benny Hammond. Connie Fraser comes to Benny’s café acting as a someone from social services, then kills Benny – someone who was being kind and caring towards Eleven (almost protective). This emphasises the government fear the unknown, which is implied through the experiments and science research. Connie Fraser subverts female role because she has a high-up job in the government hierarchy for a 1980s woman.

Supernatural

·      Small community life

·      Bullied/outsiders/underdog

Supernatural powers are shown in the first episode when we first meet Eleven. She is seen stopping a rattling fan from spinning just through her eye connection with the object. The lights also flicker, which is uneasy for humans. Eerie noises and soundtracks are used to build the tension of the unknown that society tries to block out – pretending it doesn’t exist. The supernatural is seen again when a weird phone call to Joyce leads to the telephone exploding in her ear – giving her an electric shock.

Subversions

Nancy – being studious with her schoolwork, whilst dating a stereotypical popular boy who distracts her.

Steve – showing an interest in Nancy despite him being popular, it isn’t typical for groups to mix.

Hopper – surprises the audience when he becomes softer and more pro-active to find Will after he disappears.

Mike – he is mature for his age and acts as a leader amongst his friendship group. He is sensible, adventurous and cares about Will, which is shown when they go on a search in night whilst it’s raining.

Government – they’re supposed to keep the people safe, which they aren’t doing when they lie to protect their cover and kill people who get in their way.