Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
The Dark Side
The
Dark Side has the ultimate attraction of power and security for weak beings.
Because these people feel weak, they feel that they must become stronger in order
to live a fulfilling life. The Dark Side draws from emotions that are
relatively easy to invoke, such as anger, rage, hatred, fear, aggression, and
passion. To appease these emotions, users of the Dark Side seek attention and
recognition that they are the most powerful beings and asserts their strength
over others. Even during production, Lucas leaked a keyword about the film: "revenge," which pointed towards the Dark Side's reference and overall theme in the final movie (Pfeiffer 133).
In
particular for Luke, I believe it is worthy to note that Darth Vader offered
the chance for Luke to join forces with him, thus giving both a mutual feeling
of family. Luke has always longed to know about his father, and inherently,
Darth Vader almost gives off the feeling that he also wanted to bond with his
son by extending an offer to Luke to finish his training for him. In Episode V,
Darth Vader tempted him for a slight moment before Luke decided to jump off the
railing after having his hand cut off by Darth Vader. Luke sensed compassion in
Darth Vader, and this ultimately saved him. Darth Vader had many chances to
strike down Luke, but Darth Vader kept attempting to turn him towards the Dark
Side instead of destroy him.
In
Episode VI, the Emperor also extends an offer for Luke to strike him down in
his anger. Here, we see Luke conflict within himself and ultimately does give
into the Dark Side for a brief moment when he force-pulls the lightsaber into
his hand and tries to strike down the Emperor, only to be blocked by Darth Vader's
lightsaber. Momentarily, Luke succumbs to the Dark Side in a furious attack on
Darth Vader after his provoking comments about Leia in an epic battle scene
where Luke overpowers and defeats Darth Vader. In Luke's first strike, it can
be noted he takes the attack stance of the Ataru lightsaber fighting style. Ultimately,
Luke remembers the compassion in Darth Vader after noticing that he cut off his
hand, just as his father did to him previously.
Most
accounts of the temptations of the Dark Side occur from the standpoint of
converting a good character to the Dark Side. However, Darth Vader shows an
internal struggle with the Dark Side at the very end when the Emperor was in
the process of killing Luke. If Vader gave into the Dark Side at that point,
Luke would have died. Darth Vader would have remained as the right-hand man for
the Emperor, and this would have been the temptation. However, he also toyed
with the notion of the Light Side, in which his soul would have been redeemed.
Ultimately, the good inside of him wins out, even at the cost of his own life.
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| Darth Vader's internal conflict as noted by his head tilting down in this close-up. |
Yunuen Cacique-Borja,
ReplyDeleteI agree that Luke overcomes the Dark Side to a feeling of family with his father but I also think this feeling arises from the already establish family he has. His already established family consists of Leia, Han, Obi-wan, the droids, Chewie and the rest of the rebels. What Luke is looking for in his fight with Vader and the emperor extends past a simple reunion with his father. Luke understands that he is more than his personal needs; he is the hope of the universe. Thus his decision to overcome the dark side is also a decision he takes for Leia, Han, Obi-wan etc. I think the role of Leia in Luke’s decisions throughout the movies is vastly underappreciated. Leia is there for Luke is his most fragile moments. In The Empire Strikes Back, when Luke is hanging under the platform after finding out that Vader is his father. He is utterly lost and alone. Leia is the only one there to help him because she is the only one he is able to contact. She also stays with him in the rebels station during his recovery. She is a critical part of Luke’s decision to not succumb to the dark side.
I like the idea that the Dark Side is can easily be given in to but difficultly rejected however, I disagree with the idea that the Dark Side is for the weak minded. I think the Dark Side is a depiction of the battle within every person rather than only the weak. That would imply that Luke and many other characters are weak. If anything Vader has to show great strength in order to turn away from his master. The Dark Side is much more of captor that uses people’s own humanity against them. I agree though that the struggle is no a onetime occurrence. It is a constant struggle that constantly is challenged on both sides. There is no one person who is all evil nor is anyone all good. Therefore, as long as a person is alive he or she battles with the two sides of the force and the verdict can only be determined at the moment of death. This is evident by Vader’s sprit standing alongside Yoda and Obi Wan.
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