Hopper’s Cabin: Inside the Heart of a Hero
“It’s a work-in-progress, you know, It’s uh… It takes a
little imagination, but uh…you know, once we fix it up, it’s gonna be nice…real
nice. This is your new home.”
–Jim Hopper, Stranger Things, S2, Episode 3
In Season 2 of Stranger Things, we become reunited with
Eleven at Jim Hopper’s secret cabin. This location, serving as a haven—at times
a prison for Eleven— is much more than a roof and four walls. More interestingly,
this simple old cabin is an allegory for the heart of Chief Hopper, and the
profound changes it undergoes throughout the season.
When Hopper first brings Eleven to the cabin, it is an utter
mess in need of serious cleaning and repairs. It is dusty, cluttered, broken
down, and filled with broken, unwanted things. In ways, Jim Hopper’s heart was
once in this very state: damaged and filled with unwanted feelings and
memories, most of which came from a past in which he was a hopeful father. His
hopes of knowing the woman his daughter, Sara, would become were torn from his
heart and stored away.
Clearly, the cabin was not being taken care of, neglected
and forgotten. When we first meet Hopper, it was evident that he was not taking
care of himself (i.e. drinking and meaningless affairs) and was living a life
that served to suppress and avoid his feelings. By Season 2, Hopper begins
reconnecting with his own emotions, finding a new purpose in life: to protect
Eleven. Hopper makes a place for Eleven, and our hero’s heart, as well as
Hopper’s cabin, is revived.
Hopper not only creates a warm home for Eleven inside, he
sets up an outside perimeter with trip-wires to alarm them of intruders. He
also makes sure that the windows are covered to prevent people from seeing
inside. Similarly, Hopper would also maintain a sense of emotional boundaries,
careful not to share about his past, or to be open about his feelings. He does
not want people to peer into the windows of his heart. And why would he? Such a
thing would leave him vulnerable. More important than guarding his emotions, he
is protecting his deep wish of becoming a father again, which is embodied by
Eleven.
Within the cabin, you also witness a very different (and
shocking in my opinion) side to Hopper. He becomes enraged with Eleven for
breaking his three cardinal rules for survival. He yells, curses, and becomes
petty in his punishment of Eleven, pushing her to telekinetically push back and
shatter the windows of the cabin. This incident is symbolic of Hopper’s
self-punishment and self-blame. His treatment of Eleven and her subsequent loss
of control represents the destructive power of his fear of losing another
daughter and of the guilt for being unable to protect his first one. At this
point in the season, you witness Hopper’s true vulnerability.
The cabin, like Hopper’s heart, also keeps secrets and
repressed memories. Later in the season, Eleven uncovers the secret hatch to a
basement containing the files of the Hawkins’ Lab Experiments and of her mother.
You would also assume that the box labeled “Sara” was also among those boxes.
The basement becomes symbolic of how Hopper tries to bury these secrets and
memories deep down, but to no avail, as they eventually resurface. By the last
episode of season two, Hopper is forced to confront these secrets and memories
when he finds out that Eleven had discovered the files.
By the finale, the cabin is abandoned, and Hopper goes with
Eleven to close the portal to the Upside-Down Dimension. On the drive to what very
well could be their doom, Hopper tells Eleven that he feels like a “black
hole,” destroying everything in his life. He shares how much he cares for
Eleven and apologizes for not being the best guardian. He also shares about his
daughter Sara for the first time and says out loud what the loss meant to him,
and how he fears the same thing will happen to Eleven.
“The black hole. It got her…and somehow…I’ve just been
scared, you know? I’ve just been scared that it would take you, too.” –Jim
Hopper, Stranger Things, S2, Episode 9
This is truly a healing admission for Hopper. Eleven accepts
Hopper at his most vulnerable in this moment and all is right in the world
(well, except for the portal they ultimately close). At this moment, Hopper becomes the man he once
was before the death of Sara. You see the real Hopper, a parent unafraid to
hope again. The abandonment of the cabin to go to the portal is symbolic of
Hopper’s successful breakthrough, as he risks vulnerability to communicate his
feelings to Eleven.
At the end of the
season, Hopper and Eleven (now officially Jane Hopper) remain in the cabin, but it is
not the same. Instead of being a secret fortress apart from the world, it truly
becomes a home within it. Hopper no longer hides his emotions, but embraces them
in a world of monsters and mouth breathers. Such is the heart of a hero.
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| image source: elle.com |
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top image from inverse.com
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About the author
Isaiah O. is a long-time geek and loves psychology. He is currently involved in graduate studies. His interests include statistics, bowling, and fishing.
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