Who is Michael Wheeler?

 

Who Is Michael Wheeler?

I will be analyzing Michael Wheeler from the famous Stranger Things tv show. Wheeler is a student at Hawkins Middle School, where he and his best friends Will, Dustin, and Lucas go about their days. Passionate about science, Wheeler and his friends are part of the AV club, which is a club that experiments and builds radios. Michael is a very compassionate person who cares deeply for his friends, and will do anything to help them out. This is seen especially to be true when he forms a deep bond with his friend, and later significant other, Eleven. 

Context

Living in rural Indiana as a middle schooler, Michael finds himself living a normal kids life in the 1980s until one of his best friends, Will, disappears. As he and his friends investigate, they soon find that Will's disappearance is not just a normal disappearance, as he disappeared into another dimension that mirrors ours called the Upside Down. Michael and his friends soon find themselves having to plan and find a way to rescue their friend who is in dire help. Quickly after Will disappears, Michael and his friends encounter a strange girl in the woods at night one of the nights they go to look for Will. Bringing her back home, Michael discovers that Eleven is not an ordinary person, and possesses several superpowers like mind reading and telekineses. Eleven also escaped from a science lab where her powers were being studied by the government, and Michael quickly learns he has to not only look for his missing best friend, but also protect Eleven and keep her presence a secret to avoid her capture. Due to her unique superpowers, Michael and his friends take Eleven and use her to help locate Will. All in their search for Will, they all especially have to avoid the dangerous Demogorgon, the creature that took Will in the first place. Eleven happens to be the only person too that can stop and maybe save Will.

Goals

Throughout season 1, which I will be mostly analyzing Michael in, his goals mainly consist of keeping Eleven safe and saving his best friend Will. His goals have him having to take tremendous risks that are very dangerous and potentially fatal to him and others. Michael's motivation to protect those around him and keep those he loves safe is primarily intrinsic as he very much so values friendship and safety.