Anakin as Avatar

[swiftsnowmane]

"

Anakin…exists relative to the state of the galaxy. He is not Luke, he is not the youth of western literature on a journey; that is Luke’s role. Anakin’s role is that of the demi-god of Greek and Roman origin. When Anakin rises, the galaxy rises with him, when Anakin is in turmoil, the galaxy is in turmoil, when Anakin falls, so falls the galaxy. Anakin is intrinsic to the galaxy because Anakin, like so many other mythological demi-gods, is an avatar for the gods or, in the case of Star Wars, the Force. Regardless of any one person’s views on the Force (which are extremely disparate and widely varied, so we won’t broach that subject here), this fact is indisputable. Anakin, as the Chosen One who will “bring balance to the Force”, is its avatar. When Anakin is claimed by the Dark, the Jedi Order’s zenith is reached, the Balance is tipped, and the Order descends into darkness with Anakin, just as his return also signals theirs.


The title ‘Return of the Jedi’ doesn’t just reference Luke becoming a Jedi, but Anakin’s return to the Light, and with it, the ability for the Jedi Order to once more flourish. In this he is much like Beowulf, when the Geatish hero sacrifices himself to defeat the dragon at the end of the epic poem. Failure would spell ultimate destruction for Beowulf’s people and country, just as, had Anakin failed to destroy the Emperor, the Jedi and the galaxy would truly have been wiped out. Anakin himself has to die, however, because he is what tips the scales. Once he dies and becomes one with the Force, only then is balance restored."


 

-- ‘STAR WARS: The Creation of a Modern Myth: Cultural Influence, Fan Response and the Impact of Literary Archetypes on Saga Perception’

(via muldertorture)


This right here is absolutely fundamental to understanding the entire purpose of the Skywalker saga, as Lucas so painstakingly told it. The destruction of the old Jedi Order that had ‘lost its way’ and forgotten its true role in the galaxy, and the founding of the New, heralded by Anakin’s return to the Light, and Luke’s essential role in reminding him—and us all—of what it means to be a True Jedi.

P.S. If anyone is interested in reading more on this topic and on the significance of George Lucas' Star Wars as a mythology in general, I HIGHLY recommend the above linked essay!

** Original posts HERE and HERE.

 

Comments

[roses4tonight.livejournal.com]

Korra is good, but no where near The Last Airbender's level of good. And I'm a tad disappointed with the comics also. Korra suffered because it was cut (budget) and the storylines aren't as engaging. Yes, Korra suffers more blows than Aang ever did and you do feel for her, but for me, TLA is far superior.

Yes, I agree. Ani turning wasn't the only problem for the Jedi, it ultimately was the culmination of issues that had been plaguing the order, but not the whole source.

I love that comic myself. But I do admit that I'm also into the Shattered Empire and Poe Dameron comics.

You know, maybe had Ani known that Obi-Wan was prepared to leave with him, it would have if not swayed him to remain, at least reassure him that Obi-Wan cared about him enough to go with him and perhaps, it would have opened more their brotherhood to the point where Ani would have felt more comfortable sharing what he felt with Obi-Wan. But oh well.

[swiftsnowmane]

Oh, good to know about the Korra series. I may give it a try at some point, though I am still undecided!

And I should have perhaps clarified that the Obi-Wan and Anakin comic is my favourite of the comics that I've actually read thus far. I have avoided a great many of them, including the ones you mention, because unfortunately I am not a fan of the new canon's version of events post-RotJ (or anything to do with TFA) at all. Though the art for Shattered Empire does look nice, from what I have seen. :)

And yes, I agree about your assessment of Obi and Ani in that instance. *sighs forever*

[roses4tonight.livejournal.com]

I think the first 3 seasons of Korra are solid (save for the damn love triangle), but the 4th suffered from cuts and it shows.

Ah I see. That's fine, you shouldn't subject yourself to read things you don't like. Personally, I'm enjoying them, but that's me.

Oh indeed, what it could have been!

[swiftsnowmane]

Oh, yeah, argh, love triangles can be SO infuriating (mostly because they usually aren't necessary).

And you're not alone in enjoying those, many others do too! I wish I could enjoy that side of things, believe me. The fact that I can't has caused me a great deal of anguish and anxiety this past year, not to mention often made me feel very isolated from the fandom in general. But sadly, the whole thing (TFA, I mean) nearly destroyed my enjoyment of SW forever, and I've spent the last year now steadily trying to build it back. So, I definitely don't mean to sound overly negative or dismissive or anything, I just can't bring myself to ever accept something as a canonical part of the Star Wars saga when I feel it destroys the meaning and significance of everything that came before.

Now that said, I am not against the 'new canon' entirely, nor am I somehow adverse to any new additions to the SW universe as a whole. For me, it just depends on the nature and implications of such additions. There have been a number of things i've quite enjoyed, including Rebels, the above-mentioned comics, the A New Dawn novel, and, more recently, Rogue One. I wrote my thoughts on that film here on tumblr (and cross posted here on LJ). :)

[roses4tonight.livejournal.com]

I second you on the love triangles, I don't like them most of the time.

Hey, don't be hard on yourself, it's ok to dislike parts of the canon. It happens. And I'm sorry that you feel that you almost lost your interest (listen girl, I get you, do you know how much I'm suffering with the DC movie universe?).

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed Rogue One, it was such a solid movie and I was so happy with it. I'm trying to get my hands on "Bloodline", Leia's book, by all accounts, it's a good one.