After meeting Obi-wan and
being asked to come with Obi-wan to Alderaan with him, Luke fulfills
the next part of his Departure by refusing the call, saying that he
has chores and responsibilities to his aunt and uncle. Unfortunately
his refusal is in vain, as his aunt and uncle are killed by the
Empire before Luke can return. As the trilogy goes on, Luke fulfills
more and more of Campbell's hero's journey, finishing the Departure,
and culminating with the Atonement with the Father.
This occurs at the end of
the trilogy, when Luke faces the Emperor and Vader. Darth Vader,
unable to watch the Emperor kill his son, throws the Emperor into a
vast pit on the Death Star, and begins to die. This is a deep moment
of atonement for Vader, as he is finally redeemed for all of the evil
that he has done. Vader, although it is too late to save his life,
has been saved from the Dark side of the Force. Before Vader dies, he
asks Luke to remove his mask so that he may see Luke with his own
eyes." It is here where the two experience a moment of
understanding, Luke has saved his father, and Vader has saved his
son, the two meet as equals, as father and son for the last time.
It is also important to note
the type of hero that Luke is. According to Campbell, there is the
contemplative hero, and the civic hero. The former being one that is
somewhat removed from the community, but contributes to a higher
cause. Luke fulfills this as he never really fits in with his
community. Growing up he wasn't allowed to join the Rebel fleet as a
pilot, when he was with Han on the Millennium Falcon, he was just a
passenger learning the Force from an old hermit, and even after Hoth
he leaves his friends in order to pursue further training from Yoda.
His removal from his friends is what allows him to become a hero and
a Jedi Knight. Han Solo on the other hand fulfills the civic hero,
one that is already imbedded in the community. He doesn't care to
seek the Force, he just wants to earn a buck to pay back Jabba the
Hutt. In negotiating his world, he finally finds his place among the
Rebels, helping lead the fight against the Empire.
Tom Mather
Tom, I agree with you that Luke should be considered the "main hero" of the Star Wars trilogy. However, I would disagree in your discrediting Han as a hero. It is correct that he does not follow Campbell's hero's journey quite as clearly as Luke does; but I would argue that he still does follow it in some sense. For example, we find him in the Belly of the Whale in Empire Strikes Back when he is literally in the mouth of a monster. Additionally, after reading the article defining the civic hero versus the contemplative hero, I would argue further that Han plays a pivotal role in the trilogy as a hero. Because Luke is absent from the Rebel army for much of his hero's journey, Han's heroic presence becomes required of the Rebel army. This is shown when, at the beginning of Empire, Leia convinces Han to stay. We can see in this scene his Refusal of the Call (threatening to leave the Rebel army, leaving them without a leader) followed by his Departure (accepting his role as leader in Luke's absence). Luke, as the contemplative hero, plays the role of the spiritual hero, but his absence requires some sort of replacement, temporary or permanent, in the non spiritual world, and this is the heroic role that Han plays throughout the trilogy.
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