Anakin and Luke: The Parallels of "Star Wars"

It may seem odd to compare the characters of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.  After all, they are the main protagonist and antagonist of the original Star Wars trilogy.  However, once we get past the initial impression of the characters, it becomes abundantly clear that there are quite a few key similarities.  In fact, one can draw several major parallels directly between the two trilogies.  There are stark lines connecting these two sagas and at the center of these respective stories are two young men. 

Similarities

              So, how much do Anakin and Luke really have in common?  Well, they are both young boys who are stuck on the dessert planet of Tatooine.  They hate working out in the hot sun and both dream of bigger and more important activities occurring amongst the stars.  They are both good-hearted people who wish to help those around them as well as the greater good in the galaxy.  Along with this idealistic approach comes a fair amount of naiveté about how the worlds work.  Anakin is an established pod racer by age 8.  Luke has set records doing the Beggars Canyon run with his friends in their landspeeders.  We can chalk this up to the abnormally high level of skill and reflexes both boys have due to their strong connection to the Force.  Essentially, this taste of power and success has left these boys starving for more action, adventure, and meaning to their lives.  This dream of running off and joining something bigger than themselves is realized when they are each introduced to a certain Jedi knight.

            Through a series of events, Luke meets Obi-Wan Kenobi, as does Anakin (as well as Qui-Gon Jinn).  In Luke’s case, this comes at the same time as the horrible murder of his aunt and uncle who have raised him since he was a baby.  Anakin on the other hand, is given the opportunity to escape his life as a slave, but at the cost of leaving his mother.  In the wake of these trying and traumatic times, both boys find a sense of calm and solace in the presence of their new Jedi companions. 

            It is these same Jedi who play a key role in the overall direction of these characters and their development.  The Jedi are able to sense the power and potential that these young men carry.  The Force is unusually strong with both of them and the Jedi are the first people that Luke and Anakin have met to fully recognize what potential that holds.  In short, both these people learn that they have the power to change the galaxy.

Although their stories start years apart, Luke and Anakin are heading down almost identical paths.  They are informed that there are two sides to the Force and that they must use their powers for good as the Jedi have for thousands of years.  If they do not, they will be doomed to be seduced by the Dark Side.  In other words, each force-sensitive being in the galaxy is eventually faced with a life-defining choice.  Will you join the Dark or the Light side?  Will you use your powers for good, or for evil? 

Anakin and Luke are both given this choice at pivotal moments of their lives.  These two farm boys from Tatooine have led eerily similar lives.  So how is it, that with all of their commonalities and likenesses, that they end up doing the exact opposite of one another?  To answer that, we must look beyond the areas where they are the same, and notice some key areas in which they are different.

Trauma

            Both Luke and Anakin are faced with their share of traumatic events.  Having said that, one could argue that the events of Anakin's life were more traumatic to him.  Let’s start by looking at Luke.  Luke is faced with the burnt corpses of his primary caregivers and that is enough to upset even the most stonehearted individual.  Although Luke was never a fan of Tatooine or his role on the moisture farm, he still cared for and loved his Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru.  Their passing certainly takes an emotional toll on Luke, but I think that he is somewhat prepared to move on (or as much as anyone could be) due to his deep desire to move on from that life.  He has wanted to leave for years.  Now that his last ties to this world are gone, he wants to get out of there as soon as possible.  It wouldn’t surprise me if part of him wanted to run away from the pain and sadness he was feeling.  Also, this murder at the hands of the Empire simply adds fuel to the already significant desire he has to join the Rebellion.  Now it’s become personal. 

            This is furthered when Luke suffers his next traumatic experience.  Obi-Wan has not only provided Luke with a picture of what awaits out there and the potentially massive role that Luke could play in this galactic space opera.  He has also given Luke information and insights about his father, Anakin Skywalker.  Luke learns that his father was not the mere spice freighter pilot that he was led to believe, but instead a powerful Jedi knight. 

            Unfortunately, Obi-Wan is ripped from Luke’s life almost as suddenly as he came into it.  Luke sees him cut down by the seemingly evil Darth Vader.  Despite their short time together, Luke has now been separated from arguably the most influential person in his life.  This gives him even more reason to become a Jedi and fight for good.  In short, Luke’s trauma drives him to do good.  It’s makes doing the right thing an obvious and logical choice.  I don’t want to minimize the level of suffering that Luke went through.  I’m just making the argument that it made his choices almost easy.  All of his hardship comes from a very tangible target in the form of the Galactic Empire.  As we will see, Anakin’s life and struggles are far more muddied.

            Anakin’s first major trauma is when he leaves his mom.  Most kids his age have trouble going to a week at summer camp, let alone leaving their moms for good.  He certainly hopes to come back at some point and free her, but he knows that there is no guarantee that this happens.  He is fully committing his life to the Jedi order and that requires true sacrifice.  Soon after he makes the decision to leave, he is faced with the Jedi Council.  When asked about missing his mother, he confesses that he does in fact have those feelings.  And he gets reprimanded for it.  This is going to be a key for Anakin’s story.  The people he respects more than anyone will never seem to fully understand or empathize with his feelings.  This leaves him confused and conflicted.  Is it truly that simple to forget your mother and your love for her?  Does it make me a bad person and an ineffective Jedi if I can’t? 

            This motherly theme is continued years later when Anakin finally is faced with the opportunity to go and free her from slavery.  He tracks her down just in time to have her die in his arms after she has been abused and tortured for months.  He wasn’t fast enough.  What good is all of this power he has if he cannot save the ones he loves?  As his feelings churn deep within him something becomes clear to him.  He is really angry.  He has loved two people in his whole life and one of them was just killed.  And that pisses him off.  Now, this seems reasonable to must of us.  Anger is a perfectly natural response to losing a loved one.  But Anakin has been told constantly for the last ten years that anger is a slippery slope that ends with the Dark Side.  Jedi don’t get angry.  So once again, those who Anakin looks to for advice and guidance are telling him that his feelings are wrong. 

            Anakin has heard all the warnings about anger, but in those moments he has a single thought that is all consuming.  The animals that killed my mother will pay.  And he slaughters them like animals.  And this is our first sign that Anakin is taking steps in a very different direction than Luke.  Rage and revenge are not Jedi traits.  What makes things worse is that Anakin knows this.  He eventually does calm down and now there is a sense of immense guilt piled on top of the already potent sadness and anger.  All Anakin has heard since he met Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon is that he is the one that is destined to be the ultimate Jedi.  So why does he keep doing these un-Jedi things?  Part of him truly believes that the code of the Jedi is correct.  Part of him truly believes that his mother was worth avenging.  And he is faced with a philosophical question that will define his whole life:  What happens when the Jedi code conflicts with my own beliefs and the wellbeing of those I love? 

            You see, there is one other person that Anakin loves in Padme, whom he marries contrary to the Jedi code.  Anakin is given another scenario where his emotions and duty to the Jedi are causing a significant internal struggle.  After Padme becomes pregnant with twins, Anakin has another vision, but now it is Padme dying instead of his mother.

            Anakin awakens with a start and immediately makes a promise to himself and to Padme.  He will not let her die.  He is far more powerful now than he was when his mother died and he will do whatever it takes to further develop his powers to where he can defy the most basic truth of the universe.  He will beat death. 

            This is not an easy task.  Soon he is faced with a harsh discovery.  The only person who can help him accomplish this is the dark lord of the Sith.  And now Anakin is faced with what many would argue is his ultimate choice.  Does he betray the Jedi and join the Sith to save Padme and his unborn children?  Or does he make the ultimate personal sacrifice for the greater good?  He chooses to honor his promise to Padme and break the promise he made to the Jedi order.  And he goes all in.  He personally kills several Jedi and even battles his mentor Obi-Wan.  And this battle is really important on an emotional level for Anakin because it is the physical embodiment of the ongoing conflict between himself and the Jedi.  And it is a battle he loses. 

Darth Vader is born.  Upon waking up from the medical procedure, Vader learns that Padme has died.  Palpatine then builds on Anakin’s already existing pile of pain and guilt by lying to him and saying that he is responsible for not only her death, but that the children have died as well.  Anakin has no reason to believe otherwise and screams in indignation.  How could this happen?  How could he have failed again?  We need to realize something.  In Anakin’s mind, he is responsible for the death of his mother, his wife, his children, his father figure, his friends, and all of the Jedi.  He has nothing left.  In my mind, Vader spends the coming years in utter self-loathing for failing to save those he loves and for all of the other lost lives for which he is responsible.  That is, until one fateful moment.

The Final Choice

And here we come to the final and most important parallel between Luke and Vader; the ultimate choice.  You see, most think that Anakin failed his ultimate choice when he tried to save Padme.  And he did fail at that choice.  But he is given a rare gift when he gets a second chance.

In the 6^th film, Luke is given a chance to kill Vader and join the Emperor.  However, as he stands over the beaten Vader and is about to kill him, he sees the mechanical hand that his father has.  Luke cut it off in the battle and seeing it now is a striking moment deep inside of himself.  He immediately sees what he will become if he does not gain control of his anger.  And where his father fell short, Luke rises to the occasion.

“Never.  I’ll never turn to the Dark Side.  You’ve failed your highness.  I am a Jedi, like my father before me.”  And this is when Anakin is given a chance to atone for his horrible failure earlier.  Because the Emperor mutters the words “so be it… Jedi” and begins to torture Luke.  Lightning bolts fly from Palpatine’s fingertips and Luke is rendered helpless.  He is writhing on the ground and begins to scream.  With his final moments, he looks to his father and begins to plead.  “Father.  Please.  Help me.” 

And Anakin does.  It is amazing to think that he is wearing a mask and we can still see the moment on his face when the ultimate realization comes crashing down.  Anakin did everything to save his family.  Whatever gets between Anakin and those he loves needs to be eliminated.  And right now, Vader is finally able to see that the Emperor was never able to help save his family, but just the opposite.  He is now the animal that is causing them harm.  And he slaughters that animal.  In an instant Anakin snaps back into his initial drive and does what is necessary and what is right.  Anakin sacrifices himself to save his son and kill the Emperor.  With this single act he achieves redemption and becomes the ultimate Jedi that returns balance to the Force, just like he was supposed to. 

Anakin and Luke are both subjected to the manipulations of the Emperor and the Dark Side.  And their responses are both a similarity and a difference.  At first, Anakin makes the wrong choice.  Luke on the other hand learns from his Father’s mistakes and makes the correct choice.  And in a poetic and wonderful turn of events, that choice allows Anakin to see the error of his ways and to finally join his son in the light; as a Jedi.