Star Words: Episode II, Part 21
Feb. 15th, 2018 12:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matrilIt's hard to pick just one line from Anakin's confession scene. It's such an important, intense scene, and every line carries its own impact, from his extravagant claims -- "I will be the most powerful Jedi ever" "It's all Obi-Wan's fault; he's holding me back!" -- to the gut-wrenching details of his vengeful attack. "Not just the men, but the women and the children too" "They're like animals, and I slaughtered them like animals!" But I'd like to look at a quieter but no less significant quote from the beginning of the scene.
"I'm good at fixing things...always was."
All the tragic heroes have a fatal flaw that brings about their downfall. But the flaw isn't merely a character defect or a moral failing. True tragic flaws must come from the twisting of something good -- a virtue taken to excess. Why? Well, I've always felt that the story of someone's downfall is only interesting and meaningful if we could imagine ourselves having a similar downfall. If a villain becomes villainous simply because it's in their nature, because they enjoy evil? That's the easy way out. It's distancing ourselves, saying "oh, that would never happen to me, because I'm a good person." But those stories which force us to acknowledge the capacity for evil within our own selves, if we take a good trait too far in the wrong direction -- that's compelling. Challenging. Cathartic.
(That's not to say that there's no place for uncomplicated evil characters, like Palpatine. This isn't the story of his downfall. Palpatine plays the much-needed role of the devilish tempter. But as the central figure, Anakin needs points of sympathy so we can relate with his choices even as we recognize where he goes horribly wrong.)
Wanting to fix things -- that's a good instinct, right? He has a gift for it, and he has offered it freely. Remember his line in the dinner scene from Episode I -- "I can help! I can fix anything!" Undoubtedly he aspired to become a Jedi for the primary purpose of expanding his ability and opportunity to fix things. "I dreamed I was a Jedi. I came back here and freed all the slaves."
But alongside the altruistic desire to help others, a darker motivation has grown as well. Not just to be good at fixing things, but to be the best. To surpass everyone. To surpass every obstacle, even the natural course of life. To control, to master. Padmé reminds him "There are some things no one can fix" but he refuses to accept it. Anything less that total power is unacceptable. Of course this drive for power is motivated by grief and anguish, but even something good and pure as love for his mother (or his wife) can be twisted into selfish, grasping megalomania. See what he has become as Vader in the original trilogy. Every action is that of a man who must have complete control, who must fix every perceived problem single-handedly.
None of us aspire to rule the galaxy. But we've all known grief and loss. We've all known the desperation of being confronted with broken things that can't be fixed. And we all have to ask ourselves...what path might we be tempted to follow in pursuit of our deepest heart's desire? There are times we can fix things, and there are times we must accept the broken things and move on.
Next time, the funeral...
"I'm good at fixing things...always was."
All the tragic heroes have a fatal flaw that brings about their downfall. But the flaw isn't merely a character defect or a moral failing. True tragic flaws must come from the twisting of something good -- a virtue taken to excess. Why? Well, I've always felt that the story of someone's downfall is only interesting and meaningful if we could imagine ourselves having a similar downfall. If a villain becomes villainous simply because it's in their nature, because they enjoy evil? That's the easy way out. It's distancing ourselves, saying "oh, that would never happen to me, because I'm a good person." But those stories which force us to acknowledge the capacity for evil within our own selves, if we take a good trait too far in the wrong direction -- that's compelling. Challenging. Cathartic.
(That's not to say that there's no place for uncomplicated evil characters, like Palpatine. This isn't the story of his downfall. Palpatine plays the much-needed role of the devilish tempter. But as the central figure, Anakin needs points of sympathy so we can relate with his choices even as we recognize where he goes horribly wrong.)
Wanting to fix things -- that's a good instinct, right? He has a gift for it, and he has offered it freely. Remember his line in the dinner scene from Episode I -- "I can help! I can fix anything!" Undoubtedly he aspired to become a Jedi for the primary purpose of expanding his ability and opportunity to fix things. "I dreamed I was a Jedi. I came back here and freed all the slaves."
But alongside the altruistic desire to help others, a darker motivation has grown as well. Not just to be good at fixing things, but to be the best. To surpass everyone. To surpass every obstacle, even the natural course of life. To control, to master. Padmé reminds him "There are some things no one can fix" but he refuses to accept it. Anything less that total power is unacceptable. Of course this drive for power is motivated by grief and anguish, but even something good and pure as love for his mother (or his wife) can be twisted into selfish, grasping megalomania. See what he has become as Vader in the original trilogy. Every action is that of a man who must have complete control, who must fix every perceived problem single-handedly.
None of us aspire to rule the galaxy. But we've all known grief and loss. We've all known the desperation of being confronted with broken things that can't be fixed. And we all have to ask ourselves...what path might we be tempted to follow in pursuit of our deepest heart's desire? There are times we can fix things, and there are times we must accept the broken things and move on.
Next time, the funeral...
no subject
Date: 2018-02-16 11:54 pm (UTC)In reflecting on this particular line, though, I did get to wondering about "fixing things," if to step away from people is one reaction to difficulty anyone can fall into without the need for superhuman powers. I suppose dwelling on that can go a bit too far, anyway; I did get to wondering how many entries on my own journal might seem at first glance to be about things...
no subject
Date: 2018-02-17 12:11 am (UTC)