Netflix's Stranger Things may be filled with fantastic characters, but there's a special quality to Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). As soon as she escapes from the Hawkins National Laboratory and ends up in Hawkins, Indiana, it's clear that she is a kind-hearted, compassionate, captivating, and intelligent character. Stranger Things expertly tells Eleven's story in bits and pieces, sharing the trauma she endures with the evil Dr. Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine) and the pain she feels surrounding her birth mother Terry Ives (Aimee Mullins).
One of the most compelling parts of Eleven's character arc is why her friends call her Eleven and how she got her birth name. Stranger Things may leave some questions unanswered, as the show has several engaging twists and turns over its four seasons so far. But Stranger Things also fleshes out Eleven perfectly and allows fans to really get to know this great character.
Why Do Eleven's New Friends Call Her Eleven?
Eleven's Stranger Things introduction is perfect. When she ends up at Benny's Burgers, she runs away before a social worker can find her, and her new friends see her in the woods in Hawkins. Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin), Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), and Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo) come across Eleven when trying to find Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), who has just disappeared.
This is the beginning of Will's dramatic Stranger Things timeline and it's interesting that as the main characters lose one friend, they invite a new person into their group. Eleven is surprised to meet other kids around her age and isn't sure how to communicate with them. Stranger Things does a great job of showing how scared and nervous Eleven is while also indicating that she knows that she can trust these characters. Somehow, she can tell that she has come to the right place.
Because Eleven has "001" written on her arm as a result of her time spent at Hawkins National Lab, her new friends call her Eleven. There seem to be a few reasons why Eleven agrees to this instead of saying that she should be called her real name. It's possible to say that Eleven goes along with this plan because she is afraid of the new place she finds herself in and dealing with the trauma of Dr. Brenner. But Eleven also seems to feel at home with her new friends right away, and she likes feeling special and loved by them.
It's emotional and sweet when Eleven meets her friends. When Eleven saves Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) in season 4 of Stranger Things, it's even more meaningful because these characters have such a strong history. And it all starts with Eleven trusting her new friends to give her a name that will stick.
Why Is Eleven Originally Named Jane?
There are many questions surrounding Eleven's Stranger Things backstory, like who her father is. Another big question is why her mother named her Jane. This is explained in the Stranger Things prequel novel, Suspicious Minds by Gwenda Bond. The book shares the truth about this moniker: Eleven's name is because of Jane Goodall.
According to Buzzfeed, Bond said, "Terry has a dry sense of humor. Jane's name comes from Terry reading about Jane Goodall, whose work was just starting to get attention in the late '60s. One of the things about her that was unique — and is somewhat controversial — is that Goodall gave the chimpanzees she studied in the wild names instead of numbers. She's thumbing her nose at the idea Brenner will study her daughter."
This is a fascinating explanation and also a frightening one. Whether Dr. Brenner is still alive or not, his impact on Eleven's psyche can't be ignored. He has hurt so many people with his terrible experiments, and it's no wonder that Eleven has felt so scared and vulnerable for so long.
In season 4 of Stranger Things, when Eleven moves with the Byers to California, she asks her new classmates and teachers to call her Jane. Since she's trying to fit in and get used to her new life, this makes a lot of sense and seems like the right call. Of course, life is never easy for Eleven. Some parts of Stranger Things season 4 don't make sense, like Eleven speaking flawlessly in flashback scenes. But it does seem logical that she would be bullied by the terrible Angela (Elodie Grace Orkin) at her new school.
It's fair to say that when Stranger Things returns for season 5, Eleven will likely want to be called Eleven again, as she teams up with her friends to save Hawkins, Indiana for good. Anything can occur, of course, but that's definitely the hope when the hit show returns with its fifth and final season.