Eleven's Tattoo! - Stranger Things (2016) Discussion

[–] Sumatran_Ratmonkey 7 years ago

Pretty sure it's not the tattoo. She's just an abused child, so she's uncomfortable being touched by people she doesn't know.

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[–] pmfg_pan 7 years ago

Pretty sure it's not the tattoo. She's just an abused child, so she's uncomfortable being touched by people she doesn't know.

I am not so sure about that. For example, Eleven let Benny shake her hand before he noticed the tattoo.

My guess is that putting the tattoo was maybe a painful experience for Eleven and that she still remembers it. So therefore she is probably specially sensible about her left arm.

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[–] bowilly-88704 7 years ago

Yea I was thinking the same thing, maybe it reminded her of an unpleasant experience, but then I started thinking if they gave it to her when she was a baby or still very young, she may not remember the experience. I was also thinking, if there are more test subjects like Eleven and they have similar tattoos, surely she would have noticed that hers is unique.

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[–] pmfg_pan 7 years ago

I started thinking if they gave it to her when she was a baby or still very young, she may not remember the experience.

Even she doesn't remember it happening, it could still have left some sort of trauma or something like that.

I was also thinking, if there are more test subjects like Eleven and they have similar tattoos, surely she would have noticed that hers is unique.

If there are other test subjects, then I am pretty sure that Eleven has never met them. It has been highly implied that she had a very isolated life and is not used to be around many people.

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[–] chrisjdel 7 years ago

I think she just knows it's not normal and wants to hide it.

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[–] pmfg_pan 7 years ago

I think she just knows it's not normal

I totally disagree. One thing that we know about Eleven is that she has no idea what "normal" is. Don't forget the scene where she was about to undress herself in front of the boys.

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[–] bowilly-88704 7 years ago

But she may recognize that it's something that only she possesses so to speak, and she has become protective of it, she may be ashamed of it as well.

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[–] chrisjdel 7 years ago

Exactly. Her contact with staff at the lab would've been enough for her to realize it sets her apart.

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[–] pmfg_pan 7 years ago

But she may recognize that it's something that only she possesses so to speak, and she has become protective of it, she may be ashamed of it as well.

No, I don't think she has met enough people in her life to be really aware that only she posesses it. Besides, if it's about her feeling ashamed of it, then why did she show it to Mike in the first place?

So for me it's pretty obvious that Eleven's protectiveness of her left arm has to do with the fact that getting this tattoo was a painful experience for her and that she subconsciously still remembers it.

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[–] bowilly-88704 7 years ago

You may be right! The writers definitely hinted that she is protective of her tattoo, at least twice if I remember correctly. Since they made the point of adding this element to her story, I wish they would explore this topic a little further in Season Two. I'm curious to know their explanation as to why this is so.

As for Mike, you're right, she reveals the tattoo when he asks her name, so being ashamed of it may not be the answer.

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[–] chrisjdel 7 years ago

It's hard to say what her motives are. The only other person she'd revealed anything to was shot dead right in front of her, maybe that had something to do with her reluctance. If she's gotten used to talking in complete sentences by the start of Season 2 we'll learn a lot more about what's going on in her head.

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[–] bowilly-88704 7 years ago

>>> If she's gotten used to talking in complete sentences by the start of Season 2 we'll learn a lot more about what's going on in her head <<<

I agree! I wish she would speak a little more and reveal some things about herself, but at the same time I wouldn't want her to reveal too much too soon because I like the mystery of her story.

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[–] pmfg_pan 7 years ago

The writers definitely hinted that she is protective of her tattoo, at least twice if I remember correctly.

I view it more as her being protective of her left arm. Also, in both occasions she just met a new person.

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[–] indissoluble 7 years ago

It shows others who she really is, or that she is different from them; this may cause her to feel ostracized from the outside world she escaped to. Also considering that she is running away, she might feel her tattoo gives away who she really is and they might send her back.

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[–] Bowilly (171) 7 years ago

This thread kinda got interrupted when IMDB announced the closing of the message boards, but it's still a topic that I'm curious about. Why is Eleven protective of her tattoo? Does she recognize that it makes her a little different than the people she has been in contact with? Could the tattoo possibly hold a special meaning for her? It was suggested that she may be protective of her arm instead, possibly a bad experience for her that she still remembers. This may very well be the case, but since the writers made a point of showing her protectiveness on more than one occasion, I feel it's more about the tattoo. I believe this topic is going to surface again somewhere in the storyline, if so maybe they will reveal the answer.

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[–] [deleted] 7 years ago

I've only watched four episodes but so far I think it appears something that she is perhaps ashamed of.Her interactions with the boys and their families must have made her aware that her upbringing was far from usual,she may have noticed they don't have tattoos or maybe she escaped previously?
I can't wait to find out.
The abuse she's suffered is heartbreaking.Also is she referring to Matthew Modine's character as Papa?

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[–] Bowilly (171) 7 years ago

Yes she is and I'm assuming he is the only parental figure she has ever known. Sad!!!

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[–] nauru-1 (160) 7 years ago

I imagine there are conflicting feelings about it, much like her name itself. On the one hand it's a symbol of how she has been dehumanized, so there is some shame attached to it. At the same time the tattoo is one of few things she has that shapes her identity. Revealing this aspect of herself takes a level of trust, and both instances of her being protective of it occur when she is, at the time, reticent with an unfamiliar person.

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[–] Bowilly (171) 7 years ago

All good points and I'm sure that level of trust doesn't come easy for her, seeing how she is a little bit shy. Keeping things to herself would be typical of her quiet nature not to mention the fear and sadness she has had to endure. I can't help but feel that somehow the tattoo holds a special meaning for her, as you mentioned it's one of the few things in her life that shapes her identity.

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[–] nauru-1 (160) 7 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Freakflag1 (125) 6 years ago

Perhaps she knows it could give away that she was a test subject or was somehow different and she wanted to hide that?

But in that scene with Mike when she jerked her arm away, to me it seemed as if Eleven wasn't used to being so physically or emotionally close to anyone. Mike is a kid that's very open, loving, and has had a stable upbringing and has been shown kindness his whole life. Eleven has had the exact opposite and seems to struggle with PTSD.

When Mike excitedly lunged toward her and grabbed her arm to look at her tattoo, it seemed it shocked her and scared her. Kind of reminiscent of how an abuse or trauma victim would react to being touched. I think mike then saw it scared her and realized she was different and had experienced some bad stuff, because he backed off and apologized.

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