Anakin's Downfall and Redemption

Today I'll be looking at another Hero's Journey within the Star Wars Universe. The journey of Anakin Skywalker aka Darth Vader. His story is reminiscent of his son's but different in that it takes the form of a classic tragedy. His is a hero's journey that leads to failure and loss.

He begins as a small innocent slave boy with incredible potential. Anakin was a virgin birth much like many spiritual leaders of myth and religion. This strange circumstance marked him as destined to become a Jedi Master who defeats the dark side of the force. Realizing his powers, the boy is adopted by the Jedi who raise him to be a strong and honorable warrior.

However his inner darkness, fear, pride, and passions get the best of him as he slowly drifts from the Jedi. First he is tempted to go against the Jedi ways of celibacy when he falls in love and marries. Then the evil Sith Lord seduces Anakin with the promise of power and manipulates him to do evil. Eventually Anakin becomes powerful but the very evil he swore to defeat. As a result he loses everyone he ever loved as well as his own humanity. He becomes Darth Vader; the cold robotic symbol of authority and fear throughout the galaxy.

Anakin's tragic story is also reminiscent of Lucifer's downfall in Milton's Paradise Lost. Both are good honorable spirits who turn to evil due to their own pride and lust for the power to accomplish their goals. Its interesting to see how such a goodly messiah figure could turn to the very definition of evil and oppression.


1) Ordinary world: Anakin Skywalker is a small slave boy living with his mother in the desert planet of Tatooine. His life revolves around fixing parts for a local mechanic and fantasizing about exploring the galaxy.

2) The Call to Adventure/ Magical Guide: Anakin come across the Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. Realizing the boy's virgin birth was a sign of great potential, Qui-Gon helps free the boy and takes him as a pupil. When Qui-Gon dies, his student Obi-Wan becomes Anakin's master and trains the boy to be a Jedi.

3) Refusal of Call: When first confronted with the call the hero often sinks back and refuses it. It seems like too much for them to handle. They doubt their own skills and abilities to tackle such a task. As it comes time for Anakin to leave home, he stops a run back to his mother afraid to leave her.

4) Crossing the First Threshold: This is the Hero's first step on their adventure. The moment when the hero leaves his old life and enters a new and unfamiliar world. For Anakin this moment is when he leaves his home planet and arrives on the industrial city planet of Coruscant. This planet is vastly different from his desolate desert home world. Here he begins his new lifestyle as a student of the Jedi.

5) Road of Trails: Series of tests the hero must face to complete their quest and undergo their transformation. For his trails, Anakin is challenged throughout his quest from his first Pod Race for Qui-Gon to the Clone war. Each conflict brings him closer and closer to becoming a Jedi Master.

6) First Crucifixion&Dismemberment: Along the journey the Hero is oftentimes scared. These injuries represent the tole the journey takes on the hero. They cause him to grow as an adult, become stronger, but may also corrupt as the emotional scarring leads to rage. The first scaring Anakin goes through is when he encounters the Sith Lord Count Dooku. In the battle the Sith Lord cuts off the young Jedi's arm leading Anakin to get his first mechanical appendage. In the Star Wars world, the motif of mechanical limbs represents the loss of humanity. To Anakin this injury leads to resentment and anger toward the Sith Lord which fuels a lust for revenge; first steps toward the dark side.

7) Battle with the Father: A major theme in many mythological stories is the conflict between father and son. In Anakin's story his conflict is with his faster father and mentor Obi-Wan. Their relationship evolves and disintegrates throughout the story. First they are Master and Student, then Friends, and finally bitter enemies when Anakin finally turns to the dark side and against Obi-Wan's teachings.

8) Temptation: Throughout the story the hero deals with temptations and distractions which the hero must abandon in order to continues his or her quest. With each temptation, Anakin gets farther and farther away from his goal of becoming a Jedi Master. First he falls in love with the beautiful Padme. He marries her despite this action going against the Jedi way of life. The Jedi are sworn to celibacy and not allowed to marry. But in doing so, Anakin has taken his first step against the Jedi order. When Anakin has a vision of his wife dying, the evil Sith lord uses his fears to manipulate him. The Lord promises Anakin the power to save his wife but only if Anakin becomes his pupil. Anakin abandons his Jedi teachings, makes the faustian bargain, and turns to the dark side.

9) Second Crucifixion&Dismemberment/ Rebirth: After his decent into darkness, Anakin is confronted by his former master Obi Wan who seeks to redeem his friend. However Anakin is resolved to keep his power and obedience to the Dark side. The two battle and in the ensuing fight, Anakin is crippled, burned, and left for dead by Obi-Wan. As his body is consumed in flames, Anakin is filled with rage and hatred toward Obi-Wan and the Jedi order. In this moment he becomes the evil Darth Vader who dedicates his life to hunting the Jedi and ruling the galaxy with force and fear.

10) Apotheosis: The hero faces death either literally or figuratively and comes to a new state to knowledge and being. For Anakin, this comes in the final Star Wars film when his son Luke confronts the Evil Emperor. When Anakin is faced with the realization that his son surely die at the hands of the Sith Lord, Anakin decides that he must intervene. He turns on his dark master, kills him, and saves Luke. In the process he is mortally wounded and dies soon after.

10) Rescue from Without: Oftentimes the Hero needs a guide to bring them back to the ordinary life, especially if the hero has been wounded or weakened by the quest. For Anakin this is Luke reminding him of his noble Jedi roots and the love he felt for his wife and children. Anakin was weakened by the dark side which clouded his mind and weakened his spirit. In reminding Anakin of his fatherly love, Anakin is redeemed and returns from the dark side. This is represented in the scene when dying Anakin has Luke remove his black mask. In a way Luke is removing the last but of darkness separating himself from his father and the two can finally see each other face to face for the first, last, and only time.

11) Ultimate Boon: Here the hero achieves his quest. Although he dies, Anakin is redeemed and defeats the dark side just as the prophesy said he would.