Mason Rinker
Ms.
Twombly
ENGL
1113.61328
14
October 2016
FD
Profile
Eleven
Eleven is a mysterious young girl
that appears shortly after the disappearance of a young boy, named Will Byers,
in the show Stranger Things. This
science fiction show takes place in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana in the 1980’s.
This strange girl soon comes to claim that she knows the location of the
missing boy and leads Will’s friends, Dustin, Mike and Lucas, on a wild
adventure that reveals much more mystery and wonder. The boys quickly realize
that the girl contains psychokinetic gifts and can see into another dimension. Will’s
mother, Joyce, consults local police sheriff, Jim Hopper, to uncover the truth
of his disappearance. They soon find out a government agency is involved and is
trying to cover up the evidence, while faking the death of Will.
The young girl, Eleven, gets her
name from the tattoo on her left wrist that reads “011”. She first emerges wearing
a robe that appears to be from a hospital or some type of medical facility.
This immediately leads us to believe that she has escaped from somewhere and is
on the run from someone, but we do not know who. Her hair is shaved short like
a boy’s haircut and is very dirty at first. She is very unsocial and has
trouble communicating with others throughout the show. This causes the search
group a lot of difficulty in the task of finding Will and finding answers about
such a mysterious girl. The crew sets out to uncover the truth behind where
she’s from, who she is, and why the government wants to catch her.
Although not much information is revealed
about Eleven in the first season, many clues and hints are presented which can
give us an idea to where she is from. Putting together these clues can help to
solve the mystery and give us a glimpse into the deep background of Eleven. The
mystery behind where Eleven came from and how she came to possess such powers
is a huge part of the shows countless mind teasers and there are many theories
that answer these questions. From watching the show, this is what I have
concluded and came to believe to be the real story.
While investigating, Jim Hopper and Joyce
come across a woman with the name of Terry Ives. She claims that her daughter
was taken from her immediately after birth but no birth certificates or records
could be found. When they arrive they soon realize that the woman is mentally
ill and does not communicate. Terry’s sister informs them quickly that they are
more than five years late if they wanted any hope of questioning her. The
sister quickly explains that she had miscarried the baby in her third trimester
and that the baby had actually died. This birth however, had taken place while
she was enrolled in the MK Ultra Program, which was a government run
experiment. This program worked with the human brain and it abilities to expand
beyond its limits. Through this program, and the harsh chemical testing,
Terry’s brain was ruined. As a result of this, her sister, Becky, does not
believe her or the credibility of the story. She also tells them that Terry had
believed that her daughter was special and born with abilities such as
telepathy and telekinesis. Although these stories just push Beck further into
disbelief, this immensely intrigues the two and introduces dramatic irony to
the story.
After hearing this, the dots can clearly
be connected and the reader can instantly assume that Eleven is actually the daughter
of Terry Ives and her real name is Jane Ives. As a side effect of the testing
at the MK Ultra Program, Terry’s daughter gains her telekinetic powers and her
unhuman abilities. This is the reasoning of her abduction after birth and the
lack of birth certificates or records. Eleven was the first successful attempt
to modify the brain and they took her away from her mother to test these
abilities. This also brings up the question as to who the father is and why she
calls Doctor Brenner “Papa”. The show leads us to believe that she became
pregnant while in the facility as a trial or experimentation. Although he does
constant testing on Eleven, he does care for her like a daughter and always
makes sure she is in good health. Doctor Brenner could in fact be the father of
the supernatural child and be the reasoning behind the disappearance after
birth. However, Dr. Brenner could in fact be using the connection as her father
to manipulate the girl into pushing her mind further than ever. The mystery behind
who Eleven’s father is becomes very unclear and we can only assume that he is
in fact the father.
Throughout the show Eleven is in the
Hawkins National Laboratory and is being trained to strengthen her mind. Some
of these training exercises vary from crushing cans with her mind to even
seeing into other dimensions. This training is almost always with Doctor
Brenner by her side. The training progresses quickly and her abilities get
stronger and stronger throughout the first season. During these trainings we start to glimpse
into the mystery behind her powers and begin to see into another dimension
known as the “upside down”. This different dimension is the one that Eleven
claims Will has been taken to and that she can reach out and talk to him
through it. She also begins to listen in on Russian conversations and this is believed
to be the reason the government wants to comprehend her and obtain these
powers. She becomes an experimental weapon to the government and therefore is a
very valuable asset. She soon masters these powers to also talk to Will and
confirm that he is not in fact dead like the government wants them to believe.
Although the government is after Eleven
due to her abilities to listen in on conversations, they also need her to close
the portal between the two dimensions that was opened during experimentation.
This portal allows monsters to cross dimensions and is the sole reasoning for
the disappearance of Will. During the fight to close the dimensions Eleven
sacrifices herself to save the lives of everyone and uses her powers to
vaporize herself and the monster. Although it is believed that Eleven was
killed during the altercation, Jim Hopper is seen carrying waffles and placing
them in a container deep in the forest. This adds on to the mystery and
paranormal that revolves around Eleven and the fight to find more answers.
Terry Ives, who was in the Hawkins
National Laboratory, gave birth to Eleven and the baby coincidentally was never
seen again. The instability of her brain however invalidates her case and no
one believes her except Will’s mother and Sherriff Jim Hopper. They soon find
out that the government is after Eleven, who is the daughter of Terry, because
of her super abilities and her abilities to listen in on soviet spies. This
makes her a huge asset and military weapon; therefore, they are willing to
catch her at all costs. Eleven also uses her powers to fight off evil monsters
and close the portal between the two dimensions. This explains the
disappearance of Will and the paranormal activity that has been haunting the
town. All of this evidence comes together to provide the viewers with a solid
base of where Eleven came from, who were her parents and why the government is
after her.
