Everyman in Outer Space
The fourteenth century moral play "Everyman" is the journey of an average bloke trying to keep out of hell and to obtain heaven; nineteen seventy-seven saw the return of Everyman in the form of a young farmer who longs for adventure in the galaxy far, far, away. The twentieth century has seen the emergence of many diverse phenomena, but few have invaded popular culture as completely as Star Wars and psychoanalysis, the former entirely traditional and the latter still controversial more than one hundred years since its development. Psychoanalytic theories are used to explain everyday actions, and it was inevitable that the saga of the Skywalker family would be analyzed. Combining these two phenomena has proved insightful to the human unconscious.
Luke Skywalker is the orphan son of Anakin Skywalker; he was raised on a moisture farm on the planet Tatooine by his aunt and uncle, Beru and Owen Lars, until he was eighteen years old when his aunt and uncle were murdered, and he began his Jedi training under Obi-Wan Kenobi, and began his journey to Alderaan. The Star Wars trilogy will tell a person everything they need to know about the galactic rebellion and the fall of Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine, but since 1983 and the end of Return of the Jedi the adventures of Luke Skywalker have continued to span seventy-seven books and more than twenty-five years of Galaxy Far, Far, Away (GFFA) time. During this twenty-five year span Luke saves the galaxy many times, falls in love only to have the woman die, marry some one else, fake her own death, or try to kill him, becomes a teacher, a military leader, re-establishes the Jedi Order, marries the woman who tried to kill him ,and eventually has a son of his own.
A projection of everything we are not, the shadow, can be seen in Luke Skywalker; he is the eternal innocent. Luke can do no wrong because he always has the best intentions at heart. Destroying the Death Star and its one million plus crew is completely honorable for Luke Skywalker, when he hops out of his x-wing he is surrounded by a joyous crowd and kissed by a princess. Never for one moment does he suffer from the deaths he has caused; he never ruminates over the situation of the men who no longer exist. A real human could not be sane and still not pause over the death of one million people, even if they were bad. In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke enters a dark twisted cave to find only what he takes in with himself; "'The stars of thine own fate lie in thy breast'…a dictum that should satisfy all." Out of the mist Darth Vader emerges, and Luke draws his saber to strike the apparition down; what Luke finds beneath the mask is his own face. George Lucas encouraged the audience, or perhaps frightened them, to look within themselves to find the enemy and reveal the shadow.
When Luke leaves Dagobah to rescue Han and Leia, the spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi says to Yoda: "That boy is our last hope;" Luke also personifies the child archetype. He is the only way that peace can be restored, he is the last of the old and the first of the new Jedi knights on a mission to restore hope to the galaxy as the subtitle to Star Wars, A New Hope, claims.
In addition Luke personifies the self; just the average young man who longs for adventure and to know his roots and destiny. "Luke had no center and was very far from knowing who he was and, in the language of films, discovering his 'destiny', his purpose in life." Luke is the early self who lacks direction and is searching for deeper meaning; he is in prime psychological condition to fall under the mentorship of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Relating to the Oedipus complex, Luke is the son held against his wishes to a life of drudgery. His uncle, Owen Lars, is the domineering father who denies Luke pleasure; Luke abandons this father who is then guiltlessly destroyed by the Stormtroopers; thereby, Luke leaves the castration complex. The light saber Kenobi gives Luke is doubtlessly a phallic symbol; Kenobi proceeds to tell Luke that his true father wanted him to have it. This gives Luke permission to do what he want in order to obtain pleasure because the father, the psyche, has cleared him of any responsibility. The sex act itself is symbolized with Luke destroying the Death Star by flying down a trench, intercourse, and firing two proton torpedoes, ejaculation, which is followed by "[t]he Death Star go[ing] up in an organic explosion of fireworks." Anakin Skywalker, the true father that is discovered, willingly sacrifices himself to save his son; Luke leaves the Oedipal struggle with out killing his father, who is nevertheless removed from the context leaving Luke free to do as he pleases.
"And then there is Star Wars, which has convinced generations that there is no greater excitement than Luke Skywalker gunning down evil ships of the Empire as the Millennium Falcon whizzes through space,"but that is what draws a person to a theatre once not dozens of times, and then to bring his children to see it again twenty years later. Throughout all of his adventure Luke remains optimistic and innocent; never losing the wholesome persona that George Lucas gave his character in 1977. Luke is Everyman; the character that embraces all of humanity, and that each of find in our self, or what we hope we find is guiding us in our decision making process. His appeal lies in the fact that he never becomes callous and world weary; for Luke every time he ignites his light saber, or makes the jump to light speed, everyday occurrences in the GFFA, he is still delighted by those actions; Luke never looses the zest for life. All people aspire to this happiness that is unobtainable on mundane planet Earth, but by living in Luke's boots for two hours we can have that happiness as well. Darth Vader is a mysterious faceless menace that Luke Skywalker must either defeat of succumb to; there is no place for him to hide because the Force, acting as the psyche, will reveal his hiding place. Vader is a relentless demon that will do anything to obtain his goal, whether it means destroying an entire planet, torturing Han Solo to use him as bait, or turning his own daughter to the Dark side of the Force. He is the epitome of evil guided only by the master of evil, the Emperor; never in the original trilogy does the audience discover what drives Vader to hurt people the way he does. Emotions are further confused when it is revealed that Vader is actually Luke's father; how could this monster be the father of the innocent and completely good Luke Skywalker? George Lucas created the perfect villain who had every reason to be good but chose evil instead, and this resonates with millions of fans who adore him. He is the Jungian shadow that humans fear; "The [shadow] does not flatter, it faithfully shows whatever looks into it; namely, the face we never show to the world." Vader is Luke's shadow and the audiences' shadow as well.
Understanding of Darth Vader comes in the Star Wars prequel trilogy; when we meet young Anakin Skywalker for the first time. Anakin is the child; the spawn of midichlorians, or a child of immaculate conception, and Shmi Skywalker. He has no father. In his first nine years of existence he has two pseudo-fathers, Gardulla the Hutt and Watto the Toydarian Junkyard dealer, but no one stands between him and his mother's affection. When he wins his freedom little Ani has to choose between a life of endless drudgery or the exciting life of a Jedi Knight; Ani chooses the Jedi and enters into the world of adults. Ten years later we once again find Anakin's thoughts are occupied by his mother; now the padawan apprentice of Obi-Wan Kenobi; Anakin is troubled by disturbing dreams about his mother. Unfortunately he never describes the content of his dreams to any one so it is impossible to psychoanalytically interpret them. Eventually the dreams become so intense that Anakin is willing to leave Padme, a socially acceptable, if not a politically astute choice for a mate, to find his mother that he has not had any contact with for ten long years. Instead of dealing with his Oedipal impulses as a small child, Anakin is forced to deal with them after he has arrived at the genital stage of sexual development. Obi-Wan Kenobi and the members of the JedI Council stand between Anakin and Shmi; as a result he and Padme leave the safety of Naboo and go to Tatooine. Upon arrival Watto is reluctant to reveal what he knows about the fate of Shmi; it is only when Watto realizes that Anakin is a Jedi that he submits and tells Anakin that he sold Shmi to Cliegg Lars who manumitted her then married her. Anakin arrives at the Lars homestead only to be told that his mother is dead and that he must give her up; this is Anakin's chance to come to terms with his Oedipal complex; instead he rides off in to the desert to find his mother. Even though Anakin finds his mother, he is too late to save her and she dies in his arms; once again denied the object of his affection he rejects reason and social laws and proceeds to execute every member of the Sand People clan. By this point of the narrative it is clear that Anakin will never resolve his Oedipal complex, and he has also shown the first signs of the psychotic behavior that will dominate his existence as Darth Vader.
Star Wars is a modern fairy tale, and as such it must have a happy ending where the good guys, Luke Skywalker and the Rebellion, triumph over evil, Darth Vader and the Empire, but George Lucas created ambiguity when he showed us Anakin/Vader as a lovable child and then as a love-struck teenager, but by the reality created in the original trilogy Anakin/Vader must die. Lucas began manipulating the emotional response of his audience when he revealed that Vader was Anakin's father; through that manipulation it is possible for the audience to understand why he saves Luke and throws the Emperor down a reactor shaft. Next, Vader must die; to make atonement for the evil he has done, and because his sacrificial death frees Luke from all Oedipal chains and leaves him guilt-free. Fans still love Vader as a bad guy, they delight in tales of the destruction he caused; the best response is:
Mainly because he is a villain that has more to him than just being an evil guy that wants to take over the universe or some other plot. It's his actual character that makes him so easy to like, his relationship with the other main characters. Being Luke and Leia's father allowed some form of compassion to be expressed for them and even him, and Obi-Wan Kenobi's cryptic back story that he gives to Luke adds to the mood and mysteriousness that makes Vader such a good character. Also, his aura of evilness and the casualness with which he destroys this and that makes him even better. His inhuman nature (covered by a mask) makes him more chilling, and knowing that bad as he is, he isn't actually the most evil thing in the galaxy tops it off. Very spherical character, with lots of back story and fleshing out (as well as meching out, it seems) makes Darth Vader such a favorite.
Satisfaction comes from seeing justice served, overcoming the shadow and the father, and the personal triumph of Anakin Skywalker over Darth Vader; if a psychotic murderer can do the right thing in the end so can we; we can even do a few bad thing along the way.
Nobody occupies so many roles in the Skywalker saga as Obi-Wan Kenobi; he plays father, son, and guide. Obi-Wan is trained in the ways of the Force by Qui-Gon Jinn; for all practical purposes Qui-Gon is Obi-Wan's father. They have a very healthy relationship; Qui-Gon teaches and mentors Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan, in turn, obeys his master and helps him achieve his objectives even when he doesn't agree. The only tension between the two men is resolved with a few words of apology from each. When Qui-Gon is struck down by Darth Maul, Obi-Wan first serves justice and then fulfils his dying father's request to train Anakin. This is another successful resolution of the Oedipal process that ends in the death of the father and the son replacing him in society. The appeal lies in the perfection of the relationship. In Attack of the Clones Obi-Wan plays the role of the father, while Anakin and Obi-Wan obviously love each other, it is also apparent that they have many differences. Obi-Wan tries desperately to do what is right but he finds his son slipping through his grasp; unfortunately Freud focused on what the unconscious of the child, so what he thought about the unconscious of the father has to be interpolated. Obi-Wan recognizes that his relationship with Anakin has problems, he expresses this rather humorously and prophetically when he says "Why do I get the feeling that you're going to be the death of me someday?" to Anakin. Yoda and the Jedi Council foil Obi-Wan's attempts at reconciliation by calling him away from Anakin at a critical time; many fathers may feel a similar stress when they are pulled away from their children by work and other obligations. Anakin and Obi-Wan are incapable of coming to terms with their mutual Oedipal situation, and as a result Obi-Wan is forced to destroy Anakin physically; and eventually Anakin kills Obi-Wan. Together they play out everything that can go wrong in the father and son roles and this is the nightmare of every parent in the audience. Obi-Wan leaves the Oedipal struggle for a time to become the old man archetype for Luke, and this change is demarcated by Kenobi changing his name to Ben, who is the last Jedi and the only source of wisdom in the galaxy left for Luke to access. "One of the impressive aspects of the Force is that the Jedi Knights combines two archetypal figures: the knight and the priest." Ben Kenobi rescues Luke from the Sand People and initiates him to the ways of the Force. Ben is both darkness and light; he wears a white robe, but is enshrouded by a dark brown cloak. The audience and Luke know that while Ben is good, it was he who trained Darth Vader, and later the audience learns that Ben lied about the status of Luke's father. His role is indeed very similar to that of the magicians in the dream related by Jung. The Oedipal situation between Ben and Luke is avoided because before Ben can drift into the role of the father, he is once again Obi-wan, and is struck down by his old Oedipal nemesis. Luke mourns his passing , and is prompted further to zest in resolving his Oedipal complex with Darth Vader. On a more Freudian note, Ben also gives Luke Anakin's light saber, a phallic symbol, that gives Luke permission to replace his father as Ben's pupil and as a star pilot.
Padme Amidala and Princess Leia: damsel in distress, royal fashion plate and completely predictable, almost. Padme has been accused of being a wooden character; "Queen Amidala is a central character, but rather dull and uninvolving. Much the same could be said about Leia, but though they are two distinct characters they are playing the same role. Padme is young Ani's anima; she is his first encounter with a woman and his instant response is that they will be married someday. Ani also asks if she is an angel; she is not a real woman but an ideal. Ten years later when Anakin matures physically he is still in love with Padme even though he has not seen her during that time. Princess Leia literally knocks Luke Skywalker of his feet when she first appears as a hologram, a vision, entreating him for help. Luke is inspired to find out more about this General Kenobi so he can save this ideal. All of the Star Wars movies are fairly predictable, just as any fairy tale should be; it remains appealing to adults because Padme and Leia also "kick butt and take names" along with the rest of the Star Wars heroes. Padme assertively takes control when her planet is invaded and Leia also takes control when Luke and Han begin to flounder in their rescue attempt.
There is an awful lot of sexuality surrounding the Skywalker women as well. Padme plays the mother role for Anakin; giving him comfort when everyone else has left him alone, and it is against Obi-Wan that Anakin must struggle in order to obtain what he desires: the undivided affection of Padme Amidala, drawing her firmly into Anakin's Oedipal problems. While there is no evidence in the movies that Obi-Wan ever desired Padme the implication must be there, and accordingly fan fiction has sprung up to support this fantasy of a fantasy. Anakin defies Obi-Wan with the help of Padme, who embraces the role of Jocasta, and they get married. Leia never steps into the role of mother for Luke; she remains an anima throughout the original trilogy; Leia is in love with Han, an anti-hero, and denies Luke the opportunity to develop mature feelings for women. Leia brakes the damsel in distress role when she picks Han over Luke, but any real conflict is deflected when Luke discovers that Leia is his twin sister.
Star Wars and psychoanalysis go hand in hand; the former phenomenon is explained by the latter and the comparisons between the two bring the symbols of psychoanalysis to the grasp of all people. The characters of the saga and the tenets of psychoanalysis will live on through the twenty-first century because they are universal.
Bibliography
1 The Empire Strikes Back. Dir. Lawrence Kasdan. Video. Twentieth Century Fox,1980
2 Freud, Sigmund. Civilization and its Discontents. Trans. James Strachey. W. W. Norton, New York. 1961
3 Galipeau, Stephen A. The Journey of Luke Skywalker. P. 22. Open Court Publishing, Chicago. 2001.
4 Gordon, Andrew. Star Wars: A myth for our time. Screening the Sacred. Ed. Joel Martin. P. 82. Westview Press, Boulder, Colorado. 1995.
5 Gotterdamerrung. "Why do people love Darth Vader?", FanForce.net, Literature Forum. Wars: The New Jedi Order: Force Heretic I: Del Rey, New York. 2003.