Union of Opposites

[swiftsnowmane]

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Nothing frustrates me more than seeing Anakin and Padme (and the Skywalker family in general) constantly referred to as ‘dysfunctional’. 

 

The reasons for my frustration are twofold:

First of all, a couple or family is not ‘dysfunctional’ if they were never freely ALLOWED to function as a couple or family to begin with. (Not to mention if most of the members of said family never even KNEW they were related until well over halfway through the story!!)

Secondly, I find this interpretation of the Skywalkers to be a very limited and cynical view—one which is all-too often used to dismiss these characters and their relationships (both romantic and familial) in some way as being too ‘problematic’ to be taken seriously….or even to be viewed in a positive light at all. 

All of this seems like yet another result of people forgetting that there is SO much more to a fictional story—and to the relationships presented therein—than just the obvious layer of realism. Do the Skywalkers ‘act’ like an ideal family in our world should act? Well, no. But that is kind of the point. The context of their world never even allowed them the chance to *be* a family in the first place. And not only that, but there are symbolic elements at play here that ought to be taken into consideration before dismissing something just because it does not live up to some real-world social ideal (as tumblr is so wont to do). 

For instance, it is pretty clear that Anakin and Padme are meant to embody the Jungian/alchemical concept of the ‘Union of Opposites’. This ‘opposite’ nature does not mean that Anakin and Padme are somehow inherently incompatible—on the contrary. They are meant to be together. They need each other. On a symbolic level, they each represent two aspects of galactic rule which are *MEANT* to be in balance (the military defense/enforcement side and the democratic, truth-speaking side). Of course, we see that the galaxy as a whole is thrown drastically out of balance by Palpatine’s machinations—Anakin’s fall, along with the Fall of the Republic and the ensuing Dark Times, illustrate the devastating result of this.

It is for this reason that the end of RotJ is so important: by acting in *defense* of his son (aka acting in the manner of protector and defender as he was always supposed to), Anakin returns to his True Self, and brings balance to both the Force as well as to these two long-sundered aspects of the galaxy, and with his dying breath declares that those who love him ‘were RIGHT’ about him. He acknowledges this long-suppressed Truth (’there is good in him, I know, there’s still…’), and in doing so, symbolically joins himself with his beloved Padme once more.

The Union of Opposites is the ideal and intended outcome of the alchemical progression, aka the magnum opus….which is what the PT and OT form together. 

Anidala is a forbidden love story that seemingly ends in tragedy, but which is ultimately redeemed by the result of said forbidden union....aka the love of Luke their son. It’s not just some story about ‘lol two people who couldn’t make it work’. They are not inherently incompatible, nor are they inherently dysfunctional--rather they are torn apart because the GALAXY ITSELF IS BEING TORN APART.