Sara Hopper was the daughter of Diane and Jim Hopper. She died of cancer at only 7 years old. Her death perpetually changed her father and provided much of his motivation in the search for Will Byers, and later on in the adoption of Eleven.
Quick Answers
What was the cause of Sara Hopper's death?
How did Jim Hopper's military service potentially impact his family?
What is the relationship between Sara Hopper and David Harbour?
What happened to Jim Hopper's wife, Diane?
Does Jim Hopper return in season 4 of Stranger Things?
History
When playing and having fun in the park, Sara was suddenly and inexplicably terrified by something and started to hyperventilate. Jim sat her down and guided her breathing to calm her down.
Sara was later put in the hospital and treated with chemotherapy, causing her to lose her hair. Her father stayed with her in bed and read her the children's novel Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. She later passed away in the hospital as her parents watched. The doctors tried to revive her with CPR to no avail.[2]
Appearances
Season One appearances | |||
The Upside Down* |
*Sara appears in flashback scenes in "The Upside Down".
Family tree
James Hopper Sr |
Unknown | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bill |
Diane |
Jim Hopper | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Diane's second child |
Sara Hopper † |
Jane Hopper
Jim's Adopted Daughter | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sara Hopper's only known family is Diane and Jim Hopper, though there is said to be an unknown grandfather and great grandfather on Hopper's side, no information is really known about this man. Sara has a step-father named Bill and a half-sibling, neither of which she ever met.
Trivia
- Sara had a stuffed tiger toy in her bed at the hospital. Eleven and Will were also shown with stuffed toys, though they had lions. They used their lions for comfort after facing and when hiding from the monster.
- In Season 1, Hopper wears Sara's blue hair band on his wrist. By Season 2, Hopper has passed the hair band down to Eleven.
- Actor David Harbour (Jim Hopper) stated that the cause of Sara's death is a secret that might be explored, suggesting that cancer is not the full story.[3]
- In both the credits of "The Upside Down" and the final script for "The Vanishing of Will Byers" her name is spelled "Sara". During season two, at the cabin where Eleven stays, a box is revealed with Sara written on it. However, the episode captions read "Sarah", whilst the official soundtrack release also includes a song titled 'After Sarah'.
- Sara originally died in a car accident, according to the Montauk script. She died at age 4 and her name wasn’t written in the script.
References
- ↑ Basic math and attention to detail from information revealed in Stranger Things: Darkness on the Edge of Town yields her birth date. Sara Hopper was 14 months old in June 1972.
- ↑ Season 1, Chapter 8: "The Upside Down"
- ↑ "David Harbour AMA" Reddit. August 2, 2016.