Heroes and Fate
I was thinking about Star Wars this morning. Recently I read a conversation where a number of people said, "I couldn't care less about Han Solo." Now, I happen to love Han, but I didn't find this a shocking confession, especially given the way they explained it. They liked the Skywalkers because it was their story. I had to agree. While I love
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I think that's really part of the appeal of the fated hero, that, as you said, shit keeps happening to them. That's a lot of the way life is, really. So you can see why it's compelling to watch somebody literally struggle against fate. That's also why, I think, it always goes so well when someone is in that role and gets kind of, for lack of a better word, bratty. Because they're constantly raging against all these expectations. There's only a couple of ways to react to that many expectations--be crushed or be angry. It's like fighting for you individuality. You almost have to be rebellious just to keep your sense of self.
I think it's most heroic to do things, even if you know you -have- to do them, for your own reasons rather than the ones given to you. So perhaps in a way Luke went through all that stuff just to realize why -he- wanted to do what he was doing, sort of like Harry is trying to figure out for himself, too.
That's so cool and right. I think all heroes probably surprise themselves in some way by what they can do, but it's a little different depending where they start. Han (and Frodo) very much know who they are when they start out, but surprise themselves because of that. Han surprises himself by his ability to commit to all these people. Frodo maybe unfortunately fulfills his worst fears by failing, but I think he also surprised himself at how far he could go. Luke is funny because he really doesn't know what kind of a hero he is when he starts out--he's too young. (I think Harry's in the same boat there.) When you think about it, he starts off with totally the wrong idea. He gets the light saber thinking he's going to be a Jedi "like [his] father" and like Obi-Wan, but in reality he was a completely different hero--a sacrificial one. His heroic gesture is that he sees the possibility in Anakin and rather than fight Anakin to take his place he offers to sacrifice himself (as Obi-Wan has maybe learned to foreshadow by ANH when he allows Vader to kill him) instead. I doubt the Luke of ANH would ever have foreseen that. He thought he wanted something completely different. I'd say that's even reflected in the way he's one of the calmest Jedis we see-the most like Yoda in the way he holds himself by ROTJ. In the Skywalker family Luke=Padme and Leia=Anakin.
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