(Credits: Netflix / Eike Schroter)

Sometimes, certain characters seem worlds apart at first glance. But when you look a bit closely, they demand reconsideration. Flora Wingrave from Netflix‘s The Haunting of Bly Manor and Eleven from Stranger Things have both dipped their toes in the world of the supernatural. However, their experiences, settings, motivations, and nature of trauma are completely distinct, or so we thought, until we probed for the source.

Flora has been incredibly traumatised, which is revealed gradually in The Haunting of Bly Manor. Although the show doesn’t point them out, the devil lies in the details. In comparison to Eleven’s, Flora’s trauma is more psychological, subtle and might require a subtext. As for Eleven, once you progress through Stranger Things, it becomes clear that the supernatural doom hovering over Hawkins has its roots in her past trauma.

On one hand, Eleven was raised as a lab rat of Dr Martin Brenner. On the other, Flora came from a wealthy family with a dark past. While the former finds her coping strength from friends, allies, and human connections, Flora’s coping mechanisms are more solitary.

Both suffer from inner turmoil, yet their character arcs are marked by a difference in growth. Then what is it exactly that almost blurs the line between the two? To understand, Best of Netflix presents a deep dive into these children of trauma for a comparative study.

Flora vs Eleven: Struggles with identity

Flora Wingrave is one of the most crucial characters of The Haunting of Bly Manor. She is the daughter of Charlotte and Dominic Wingrave. However, it is later revealed that there’s more to her identity than meets the eye. Initially, she is presumed to be Henry Wingrave’s niece. However, it’s not until later that viewers realise that she is actually Henry’s daughter.

Eleven, AKA Jane Hopper, is one of the primary protagonists of Stranger Things. But much like Flora, it takes time to unmask her true identity. Mike, Lucas, and Dustin only chanced upon her while Hawkins was on high alert, navigating a search operation for the disappearance of Will Byers. Eleven’s identity was garbed in enigma from day one. It’s only with the show’s progress that viewers learn about her nature, abilities, and what made her into who she is.

Ghosts of the past

Flashback theories are essential to The Haunting of Bly Manor, as it is with Stranger Things. Without them, viewers wouldn’t know who Flora or Eleven truly are. While both might seem poles apart, their trauma has a single source: a dark past. The fear of being forgotten is persistent throughout Bly Manor. Flora’s life was marked by a profound loss, that of her parents, but the Wingrave family had darker secrets that amplified her emotional pain, making her life at Bly Manor a turbulent ride.

Meanwhile, Eleven also had to endure parental separation early in her life. She was taken away from her mother and was subjected to inhumane experiments at the Hawkins National Laboratory. In fact, she was denied any form of human interaction, pushing her towards a life of isolation, darkness, and confinement.

The guardian instinct

Flora and Eleven’s ghosts of the past are not one, but somehow, the lack of human interaction, love, and warmth has made them similar. Despite their turbulent character arcs, they reek of the drive to defend, conveying their guardian instinct. Flora and Eleven are equally introverted. When Dani Clayton grows keen about Flora’s dolls and doll house, she asks her repeatedly not to mess around with them. While she might seem protective of the dolls, in reality, she just wants to shield Dani from the ghosts.

Likewise, Eleven struggles incredibly with interactions. Initially, she was unable to form healthy relationships and trust others. However, the lack of human connection also shaped her as a strong-willed, independent teenager who would do whatever it takes to protect her friends. It’s her friends who become her family, and it’s this chosen family that nurtures her sense of belonging.