Hero's Journey

1412 Words3 Pages

The iconic Star Wars series, created by George Lucas in 1977, follows our hero, Luke, as he meets the old Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi. Luke must learn the ways of the Force to defeat the Tyrannonian Empire and its dark lord Vader. Luke must face the evils that control the galaxy and find friends to face it with. One notable aspect of the movie is Lucas’ efforts to deepen the conflict, focusing on internal struggles.A large part of Lucas’ focus is on the conflict within Luke himself. The journey follows the same pattern as The Heros Journey, from Joseph Campbell, as Lucas drew much of his inspiration from it; it is a vital component in understanding how Luke’s story unfolds. The primary focus is on Luke as he must traverse his own morality in …show more content…

Through him, Luke discovers the Force and its influence in the galaxy, “Well, the Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.”(Obi-wan, A New Hope). This Force is supposed to be a good influence and functions as a religious basis for the Jedi. From this point on, Luke's fascination with the Force builds as he becomes more akin to it. This Force serves as a positive influence on Luke and contributes to his morality. Without this initial introduction, he may not have become a morally hardened Jedi and a leader in the rebellion. This guidance provided by the Jedi is an essential step in Luke’s journey as it sets his path to becoming a hero. It is arguable the weapon in the story is not the lightsaber but rather the Force, as it has the most impact on his triumphs through struggles. The Jedi served as a mystical group of warriors who were sworn as defenders and peacekeepers, using the Force as their weapon of influence. Obi-Wan is one of the last Jedi that remains in this …show more content…

The Emperor could be called the darkside itself in that moment as he speaks for it. It wants to draw Luke in and use him as a Force of evil, but while combating the evil physically, Luke can pull back and resist it, overpowering it. This overpowering allows Luke to self actualize. He fully comes into his own as a Jedi. Luke’s journey to become a Jedi is a perfect representation of Luke’s battle against evil, both in the form of the empire, and within himself. Vader is almost as important to Luke’s journey to heroism as Luke himself. Vader is Luke’s primary enemy throughout all the movies, from killing his mentor, to revealing himself as his father, and finally exposing him to the influence that is the Emperor. Vader also lives as an alternate future for Luke, a symbol of his potential failure. As Luke checks off the boxes of the Hero's Journey, he pushes closer and closer to becoming like Vader, but is able to overpower the dark side. This is truly the main struggle of the Star Wars trilogy. Lucas’ intention was to show a true struggle between good and evil, both in the world and within the hearts of the audience. His success in this story telling cemented Star Wars as the icon of good versus

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