Analysis

The Return of the Jedi

Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi is a science-fiction movie directed by George Lucas.  It is about two opposing factions: the Rebels (the good guys) and the Empire (the bad guys).  But as with any literary work, including Star Wars, there is almost always a meaning behind literary works, whether it is a hidden meaning, or one that is blatantly obvious.  Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi is no different, and the meaning here is somewhat hidden, but not too difficult to discover.  The meaning behind this movie is one that is uncovered through using the main character throughout the series: Anakin Skywalker.  Anakin is labeled the "chosen one" throughout the series, because he is prophesied to bring balance to the Force, making him the center of attention.  But when Anakin, a very nice and respectful young man, turns to the dark side, he turns away from everything good that he was fighting for.  Anakin is used to show perseverance, the good in everyone, and simply the story of life itself.

Goals are one of the most important aspects of life needed in order to be successful, and going hand in hand with goals is having perseverance.  If nobody persevered in their goals, we wouldn’t have great inventions such as the light bulb, which Thomas Edison tried over a thousand ways to make until he finally discovered the correct way to make one.  Anakin, also known as Darth Vader, is used to show perseverance with goals through his son, Luke Skywalker.  Luke represents the inventor, and Vader the invention.  Luke does not give up throughout the whole of The Return of the Jedi in his quest to save his father, and guide him from the dark side back to the light.  After many attempts of trying to turn his father back to the light in previous films, Luke finally succeeds at the end by using the power of love.  At the end of the movie, Luke carries a wounded Vader to an escape vessel, saying “I will not leave you here, I’ve got to save you”, to which Vader replies, “You already have” (Star Wars).  This means that Luke finally achieved his goal of saving his father, by never giving up.

Some people believe that humans are inherently evil, but that does not seem to be the case with Anakin.  He was a very nice young boy who cared about everyone.  Darth Vader, on the other hand, views human life as insignificant, as shown when Vader uses the force to choke and kill multiple commanding officers who do not perform to Vader’s standards.  But Vader shows that he has good still deep within him when his son, Luke, confronts him and Emperor Palpatine.  As Palpatine uses the force to shock Luke to the brink of death, Vader finds it within him to save Luke from the Emperor, showing the goodness within him.  It also shows that it is not always easy to find the good within, as Vader was conflicted in this decision, shown by Vader looking at Palpatine, then at Luke, repeatedly, up until he finally saved Luke.

Skywalker, if broken down, can be viewed in many different ways.  Literally, to walk on the sky, which could be interpreted as floating through life, similar to a cloud.  The trilogy of Star Wars, as a whole, shows Anakin from when he was just a young boy, up until his death as a grown man, therefore showing essentially his whole life.  As a young boy in the earlier movies, Anakin shows his innocence through his curiosity of becoming a Jedi and of the galaxy.  As he becomes an adolescent, his growing anger becomes apparent, until finally he becomes Darth Vader, whom we see in The Return of the Jedi.  This relates back to the story of life because it is specifically the story of someone who is conflicted.  This is seen a lot in love stories, due to the conflicted person wanting to provide everything they can for their lover, who in Anakin’s case is his now deceased wife, Padmé.  Anakin wanted to keep Padmé from dying, and therefore turned to the dark side in order to do so, which ultimately was his undoing.  This shows the story of life for a conflicted individual.

Lucas uses Anakin as a vessel to transport his view of life to his viewers.  As with any literary work, Anakin could be viewed as a variety of different meanings, however the meanings of good and evil, life in general, and perseverance are the more prominent and obvious meanings.  And in Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi, Anakin really shows these traits as the film wraps up the ending of a great trilogy.  Therefore, if I had to rename Star Wars to a different trilogy name, it would be something along the lines of Star Wars: The Chronicles of Anakin Skywalker.

Works Cited

Star Wars Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi. Dir. George Lucas. Perf. Harrison Ford, Mark

Hamill, Carrie Fisher. Lucasfilm, 1983. DVD.