D83 Characters

D83 Episode Walk Through

Life in East Germany in the '80s

There was a lot of surveillance and people would be living double lives in that they could say anything at home or in private but once out in public, you had to be careful about what was said about certain things. As an example, people would watch western films or read western books at home but would not mention it in public. Salaries were low but certain necessities were made cheap such as rent and bread which became affordable. However, buying consumer goods was insanely expensive. The selections in shops were poor and there would be huge queues whenever a shop got a supply of desirable goods. People would join the lines without even knowing what it was because they instinctively believed it was good. The western products were very popular and could be sold between teenagers at very high rates. Equal rights were good – affordable child care available and most women worked. Unemployment was non-existent but the work could sometimes be invented to ensure no one was left without a job.

Stranger Things Textual Analysis Essay

What meanings are created in the sequence you have studied and what do they tell us about narrative, character development and genre?

In the sequence that has been studied, the camera shots say a lot about the narrative of the episode. Patriarchy and inequality are presented consistently throughout the sequence. Such as when the social worker enters Benny’s diner, the camera angle is high so therefore looking down on Connie which shows the patriarchy of the time and how women were seen as much lower down than men. It constructs Benny as superior and as if he is looking down on her as she is a woman and seen as less powerful.

Another example of gender inequality is when Eleven seeks shelter in Benny’s diner. She is seen dressed in Benny’s t-shirt and is being protected by him showing that he is maybe stronger than her as she is a female and that she needs someone to feel safe as women were not seen to be independent in the 1980s.

Nancy and Steve in Nancy’s bedroom are also a prime example of the patriarchy. Nancy is trying to study when Steve stops her and tries to kiss her leaving her more submissive and him, a male, in control of her and her actions. It shows how men in the narrative take the control from the women because at the time, that was what happened as it was the normal social behaviour.

However, Nancy’s character develops in the same scene. The song that they are listening to, which is Africa by Toto, is very quiet until Steve takes control which shows how he is yet again in charge of the situation instead of Nancy. However, Nancy tells Steve to stop and regains her control which is exactly when the music goes quiet again showing the audience that women could be in charge and were equal to men all along.

Character development is also shown through the meaning of inequality that is created. As Benny turns around to get Eleven, the editing of Connie shooting him shows how she is now much more powerful than him and in control because the camera angle is low and looking up at her as if in admiration because of the switch of power control.

The meaning of panic is very strong in the sequence. It is shown in the long shot of Connie after she shot Benny and you can see Eleven in the background in a desperate panic as she recognises the people and doesn’t want to go back to wherever she came from. It showed the distance between Connie and Eleven and how little time she had to get away from the ‘social workers’.

Sound also creates the meaning of panic in Benny’s diner. This is due to the music being contrapuntal. The song is non-diegetic and commences when Benny gets shot and is reasonably quiet – the song is called White Rabbit – but the pace of the song and the volume increases as Eleven tries to run away as it increases the tension and shows the panic and the speed that she is running at to get away from the people.