"One last adventure."
Stranger Things - Symbolism & Philosophy
Symbols & Motifs
The Upside Down
The Upside Down is a powerful, multifaceted symbol. It represents the hidden fears, trauma, and corruption that lie beneath the surface of a seemingly perfect suburban town. It's a dark mirror of our world, symbolizing internal struggles, anxiety, and the menacing aspects of adolescence. It also embodies the consequences of unchecked scientific ambition and the Cold War paranoia that fueled the secret experiments which opened the gate in the first place.
The Upside Down is the primary antagonist setting throughout the series. It is a cold, dark, and decaying alternate dimension that mirrors Hawkins. Characters are frequently pulled into it or must venture there to rescue others and fight its monstrous inhabitants. Its presence is often signaled by flickering lights and a dark, spore-filled atmosphere. In Season 4, it's revealed to be frozen on the date Will Byers disappeared in 1983.
Christmas Lights
The Christmas lights symbolize hope, the resilience of maternal love, and a bridge between two worlds. They represent Joyce Byers' unwavering faith that her son is alive and her desperate attempt to communicate with him. The lights transform a mundane holiday decoration into a tool of supernatural connection, perfectly encapsulating the show's blend of the ordinary and the extraordinary. The flickering lights more broadly symbolize the thinning veil between dimensions and the presence of danger.
In Season 1, Joyce strings Christmas lights all over her house. Will, trapped in the Upside Down, is able to manipulate them to communicate with her, spelling out messages and answering her questions. This becomes a pivotal method of investigation and a powerful visual motif for the season. Flickering lights continue to be a recurring signal of a monster's proximity in subsequent seasons.
Dungeons & Dragons
The game of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) symbolizes friendship, imagination, and the framework through which the children understand the incomprehensible supernatural events. It provides them with a language and a set of roles to process the real-life monsters they face, naming them the Demogorgon, the Mind Flayer, and Vecna after D&D villains. The game represents their "nerdy" outsider status but also becomes the source of their strategic strength and collaborative spirit.
The series opens with the boys playing D&D in Mike's basement, a scene that establishes their characters and friendship. The disappearance of Will Byers occurs immediately after this game. Throughout the series, they use D&D analogies to strategize against the creatures from the Upside Down. In Season 4, the game becomes a source of social panic, linking it to Satanism, which reflects a real-world moral panic of the 1980s.
Philosophical Questions
Are we defined more by our individual nature or by our connections to others?
The series strongly advocates for a collectivist worldview. The monsters of the Upside Down, particularly the Mind Flayer, operate as a hive mind, a purely collectivist entity devoid of individuality. However, this is portrayed as a malevolent force bent on consumption. In contrast, the heroes demonstrate that strength comes from freely chosen bonds of friendship and family. They act as a collective, sharing knowledge and protecting one another, but retain their individuality. The show seems to ask whether true strength lies in surrendering the self to a group (like the Flayed) or in using one's individual talents to support a community founded on love and trust.
What is the true nature of a 'monster'?
"Stranger Things" explores this question from multiple angles. Initially, the 'monster' is the non-human Demogorgon. However, the series quickly reveals the human monstrosity of Dr. Brenner and the government agents who abuse and dehumanize a child. Eleven herself fears she is a monster due to her destructive powers. The Season 4 introduction of Vecna complicates this further, as he was once a human child, Henry Creel, whose nihilistic worldview and trauma twisted him into a literal monster. The show forces the audience to consider whether monstrosity is an inherent quality or something created through abuse, ideology, and a lack of empathy.
Core Meaning
The core meaning of "Stranger Things" lies in the transformative power of friendship, empathy, and collective action against encroaching darkness. Created by the Duffer Brothers, the series posits that the bonds of found family and platonic love are the most potent weapons against both supernatural monsters and human evils like government overreach and social ostracization. It's a celebration of outcasts and the idea that courage isn't the absence of fear, but facing that fear together. The show argues against existentialism, suggesting that identity and actions are largely a product of our social environment and obligations to others. Ultimately, it conveys a message of hope, asserting that even in the face of overwhelming terror and trauma, the light of human connection and loyalty can prevail.