About Anakin Skywalker, love, and fear of death
Inspired by discussions with irnan
One of the things that become obvious when watching the two Star Wars trilogies in quick succession is the character development of Anakin Skywalker between the prequels and the original trilogy. Most of us saw the OT before the prequels, saw him save Luke before seeing him try to "save" Padmé, and so we analyze his ( Read more... )
One of the things that become obvious when watching the two Star Wars trilogies in quick succession is the character development of Anakin Skywalker between the prequels and the original trilogy. Most of us saw the OT before the prequels, saw him save Luke before seeing him try to "save" Padmé, and so we analyze his ( Read more... )
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I do have to wonder about your assertion that Anakin would not die for Padmé. I don't see any place in the films where that is presented as an option. Within the context of the Prequels, there is no reason for Anakin or viewers to think that his death will make Padmé's life any more likely. In other words, that's not a way to save her, not necessarily because Anakin is unwilling, but because (unlike Sidious's promises of new power), there is no reason to think that it would work. It's not one of the choices he was given.
The other thing is that you mention religion always includes the concept of an afterlife. This isn't strictly true - certain iterations of Buddhism, for instance, believe that the ultimate good is to be released from the cycle of death and rebirth, so not really an afterlife there. You are reborn into this life until you attain non-existence. As described in the Star Wars universe, "there is no death, there is the Force" seems to mean ( ... )
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Which is ironic, because it could have actually saved her. If he had died before he could have attacked her on Mustafar and "broken her heart", she wouldn't have lost the will to live... or she would have died of grief anyway? *snort*
so whatever was you is no longer there. I'm not sure I would consider that to be an afterlife, as it seems to imply the death of the specific entity that was you, vanished into an energy field
Interesting point. Yes, there are different definitions of death and of the self. Personally, I subscribe to the view that it is our consciousness and personality that makes us who we are - je pense donc je suis - but the Jedi religion and the segments of Buddhism which inspired it seem to frown on such individualism and teach that true happiness (nirvana) is attained by letting go of the self/ becoming one with the Force.
the Anakin/death discussion from Obi-Wan's POV in Labyrinth of Evil and then again ( ... )
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I find this a rather odd line of reasoning, mostly because Anakin's death isn't necessary here. If he had done, basically, anything other than what he did, this would still be true. Or so it seems to me.
It all makes the Force sound sort of bizarrely like the Borg. "Your […] distinctiveness will be added to our own."
Stover actually writes my favorite canon Anakin, to me more internally consistent than other renderings that have been produced. Also, Stover's novelization plugs several gaping plot holes from the film, like Anakin's obsessive interest in becoming a Master - it makes more sense if you know about the restricted-access holocrons, etc. But that's just me: I'm a Stover fangirl.
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Aren't self-fulfilling prophecies fun? ;)
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did he ever really believe in the prophecy of the Chosen One, more precisely in the part of it that implied that the Force was his father?
I think on some level he did believe it and did think of himself as a half-god. He was seeking more knowledge and power that any Jedi has known, not only to save people from death but also because he had an ego.
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Because despite the fact that it's a reaction/personality trait created by trauma, it's still a supremely selfish and, well, morally reprehensible character trait. (I can never quite decide if Anakin has enough self-awareness to know this, on some level, or whether he just knows that "it's not the Jedi way".) I think it's important to acknowledge that despite what he's been through, he's still a total asshole in this matter, because he chose to do what he did.
/I could go on about that for hours. ;)
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Very very stupid defence lawyers who are killing off the criminal justice system bit by creeping bit every time they open their mouths ;) I remember a conversation I had once with some neurologists/neuroscientists at a criminology seminar which was basically about how the justice system can't work unless it assumes their entire discipline is irrelevant. If you can't be held responsible for your own actions, then what is society's justification for punishing them?
And, you know, the reason I insist on Anakin's free will in ROTS is sort of similar - because the saga as a whole has more meaning for me by assuming that. What point redeeming someone who was coerced every step of the way? It would make ROTJ a rescue, which is far less out of the ordinary and far less powerful storytelling. What Luke does can only be called redemption if you assume Anakin was responsible for getting himself into that particular mess in the first place.
nor is it a choice made with a clear and rational state of ( ... )
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Exactly.
It would make ROTJ a rescue
Which is kind of the way I see it, but there is an element of choice in it. I'm pretty sure Vader wouldn't have turned back to the light side without Luke as a catalyst. But Luke didn't save Vader. Luke gave him a reason to save himself.
Luke proves that you can't be forced to be a Sith
But Anakin/Vader proves that you can be manipulated into it with tricks out of my social psychology textbook's section on influence. ;)
I admit the fairy tale elements of the saga are the ones I tend to focus on the least. The psychology and the politics are what interests me the most and my interpretation of the movies is colored by that.
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