MONSTERS
“I’m going to be with you the whole time in that scary place and if it gets too much for you, just let me know”
-JOYCE
“The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
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PSALM 34:17-18
THE DEMOGORGON
The main monster in season one is based of a monster in the game Dungeons & Dragons which the boys play. A Demogorgon is known as "the Prince of Demons, a self-proclaimed title he holds by virtue of his power and influence, which, in turn, is a title acknowledged by both mortals and his fellow demons." (Demogorgon) It represents all the figurative "monsters" humans face in life including mental illness, loss, sickness, and danger.
SEEING MONSTERS
"Playing directly to the power of the viewer's imagination, there is no direct sighting of what stalks Will, with the camera instead focusing on his fear as he attempts to run, and then hide." (Daly) This shows how, often, we can't see what the people around us are dealing with; what monsters are present in their lives. However, the effects of their problems on their lives and their joy can be visible to us if we pay attention.
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
1 Peter 5:8
(NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION)
Where is God in a World Full of Monsters?
In the lab, when Eleven was in the deprivation tank, she was all alone and couldn’t stay in there when things got too scary for her. But now in the "tank" surrounded by those who love her, when things scared her, (like when she saw Barb dead) she screamed out for God and Joyce held onto her, reassuring her with love and compassion in her voice. When she comes out of the tank, Joyce comforts her by saying “I've got you” and holding her. Christians are often called the "Body of Christ" in the Bible, called to act as his hands and feet on earth. "[Christians] must be that voice of compassion, not because God is absent, but because God is present in the Church. God is not silent; God has chosen to comfort the afflicted, heal the wounded, and rid the world of monsters through the work of the Church...The darkness is real — maybe not the kind of horrors you can see on Stranger Things, but horrors no less."(Hixon) It is mentioned at Will's funeral (when he was thought to be dead), that God doesn't turn his back on us in tragedy; nothing can separate us from his love, and this is exactly what is shown through Joyce in this scene.