Character Analysis: Nancy Wheeler

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LAST WEEK, I WAS SHOPPING FOR A NEW TOP I THOUGHT STEVE MIGHT LIKE. IT TOOK ME AND BARB ALL WEEKEND. IT SEEMED LIKE LIFE OR DEATH, YOU KNOW? AND NOW... Nancy Wheeler is a normal, teenage girl. Her relationship with her nuclear family is strained, and she only appears to have one close friend in Hawkins, Indiana (thanks, Barb), where she has lived her life in rural suburbia. She recently found herself in a rebellious phase, sneaking out to parties on school nights and gaining fresh popularity after seeing the one-year-older, lowkey-bad-boy Steve Harrington. Her other interests are typical, if a little shallow. Nothing ever happens in Hawkins, after all, so her biggest problem being the search for a new top to impress Steve seemed justified, …show more content…

However, Nancy is also conflicted, split between her beaux and her best friend, conflicted over liking Steve and not liking the way his friends treat others. Initially, Nancy is positioned as a foil for Steve. While Steve is content with the status quo, Nancy refuses to settle: She studies despite his flirtations, offers words of encouragement to the decidedly unpopular Jonathan Byers, and questions Barb’s disappearance almost immediately. Unlike other eighties horror heroines, Nancy wants to get the guy and good grades. And it ain't …show more content…

For instance, she spots a creature (the Demogorgon) in a photo of Barb’s last moments and confronts the photographer, Jonathan Byers, to pursue the lead. Before anyone else, she realizes the monster roaming Hawkins is drawn to blood, making a parallel through her knowledge of sharks. More than intelligent, Nancy is tough enough to apply her theories and brave enough to plot to trap the Demogorgon. After all, it’s Nancy who realizes the adults are journeying into the Demogorgon’s lair in dire need of a distraction to draw the creature away. She tells Jonathan, “I want to finish what we started. I want to kill it.” Moreover, she is incredibly aware of her surroundings, capable of adjusting to an unpredicted scenario — like Will Byers’ possession — by using her environment to her advantage (snagging a hot poker to excise the creature possessing Will that she knows fears heat). After Jonathan teaches her to shoot, she’s the first to volunteer to take a gun and protect others. Above all else, Nancy wants to rectify her blunders, protect her loved ones in Hawkins, and secure justice for Barb. Slowly but surely, others are coming to respect and recognize her contributions. She still missteps, but she is getting there — and she knows

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