From the
point of view of the Star Wars characters,
it is easy to see the allure of the Dark Side. I find that the Dark Side is not
exclusively for the use of the Empire, but it is rather a general misuse of
power for selfish gains. It is not only Luke who must grapple with the appeal
of the Dark Side. The Dark Side means different things to different characters
and Luke and Darth Vader simply exhibit the most obvious examples of the
internal conflict between good and evil. Han Solo also struggles with his on
internal conflict of whether or not to look out for his own neck or aid the
Rebel Alliance in their noble cause. We find these types of internal conflicts
interesting due to the fat that they are relatable to us. The evil character is
the most interesting because he or she exhibits what society says we ought not
to do or what is considered taboo. In a way, we are experiencing the thrill of
their negative acts vicariously. Think about why we venerate celebrities and
essentially encourage their bad behavior (ie. Justin Bieber’s DUI). There is no
such thing as bad press. But I digress.
Han Solo’s
conflict is the choice between staying to help the Rebel Alliance’s cause or
leaving to pay off his debts to Jabba the Hut. He knows staying to help his
friends is the right thing to do but he seems to grapple with this dilemma a
few times over the course of the trilogy. The second occurrence of this
conflict comes us in the beginning of The
Empire Stikes Back. An argument that he has with Leia seems to convince him
that he wants to stay for her. However, we do not know if he really made the
decision to stay because it was his search for Luke impeded his departure. This
frame of Han and Leia arguing displays Han’s conflict between caring about
himself and caring about others.
Luke and
Darth Vader also must struggle with the conflict of good and evil but in terms
of the Force and the Dark Side. “[Luke] must try to sway his father… from the
path of evil he has chosen (Pfiffer 103). In Return of the Jedi, during Luke’s and Vader’s battle it is clear
that Luke is conflicted about letting his anger and the Dark Side get the best
of him and doing what is right. It is clear his anger about watching the Rebels
and his friends in a trap caused him to take his lightsaber and begin to fight
Vader. This frame shows that he is not sure about his next course of action. His half-lit face demonstrates his conflict between good and evil.
Vader’s
conflict occurs when the he is observing the Emperor killing Luke after Luke
refuses to kill his father. The frames cut back and forth between Luke’s suffering
and Vader’s reaction, demonstrating that he is not all evil. Eventually seeing
his son dying is too much for him and he knows that he must kill his master in
order to save his son. This frame is of his reaction. Due to the fact that we
cannot see his facial expression, the cutting back and forth is employed.
I thought that it was interesting and helpful that you related the conflict between the Force and the Dark Side to real life situations. Obviously, this is part of what makes the Star Wars trilogy a classic piece of cinema since the struggles faced by Luke, Vader, and the other characters involved are timeless examples of the faults of humanity. It is also important to note that this conflict reaches beyond Luke and Darth Vader and occurs in the other characters in the cast as well. You mention and explain Han Solo’s fight to determine the right thing to do, but another significant example is that of Lando Carlissian, who first gives in to Vader’s demands then joins the Rebel Alliance once he realizes the repercussions of his weakness. You mention that we enjoy watching people give in to their “dark sides.” I suppose the question is if it is possible to enjoy the experience of making the right choice without first learning from our mistakes. Also, if we make an unpopular choice that is contrary to what society considers acceptable practice, does this mean that our choice is immoral even if we are doing what we think is right?
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