Jack Bieler

Muddling the Myth:

The Mishandled Hero Story in Return of the Jedi

Viewers generally agree that Return of the Jedi is the weakest of the original three Star Wars films. Critics brought up a number of reasons for this: The audiences were aging and lost interest; the Ewoks were a transparent marketing ploy for children; the movie was just plain bad – pretentious, derivative, and hokey. While these points are undeniable, there is another reason why Jedi lacks the charisma of the first two films. George Lucas famously credits the work of Joseph Campbell for providing the model for his films. Campbell's Hero With a Thousand Faces describes the essential elements that are common threads in all hero stories. These elements make a story appealing at a deep psychological level. According to Campbell, they exemplify core spiritual themes common to all mankind. Lucas' reliance on this pattern led to the success of the first two Star Wars movies, and his muddling of the myth in Return of the Jedi is why it failed to reach the same impact.

At a banquet for Joseph Campbell, George Lucas said, "About ten years ago I set out to write a children's film. I had an idea about a modern fairy tale, and I stumbled across Hero With a Thousand Faces. After reading more of Joe's books, I began to understand how I could do this." (from The Hero's Journey.) Campbell acknowledges Lucas interpretation of his ideas when he said, "I think the Star Wars is a valid metaphor" (from The Power of Myth).

Campbell was a professor of literature, and recognized the basic story patterns in the various epics, fairy tales and scriptures he studied. As shown by Lucas, these story patterns evoke the same involvement and power in modern entertainment as in classical tales. Audiences became involved with Lucas' stories because it gave them familiar expectations to be fulfilled. The mythological symbols used in Star Wars are "spontaneous productions of the psyche" (The Hero With A Thousand Faces, p. 4).

Campbell attributes the appeal of mythical stories to their psychological identity with the universal dreams described by Freud and Jung. "…A great number of the ritual trials and images correspond to those that appear automatically in dream the moment a psychoanalyzed patient begins to abandon his infantile fixations and progress to the future" (ibid. p. 10). For Campbell, these stories resonate the life passages we all experience.

In the first Star Wars film, the audience identifies with Luke Skywalker, the inadequate bumpkin with great potential. He is the same character as Parzival, the galoot with a pure heart, the good child. He passes through the classic stages of adventure rather straightforwardly (see Figure 1 below), and emerges as a slightly more mature and seasoned hero.

In The Empire Strikes Back, Lucas repeats the sub-cycle, returning Luke as a naïve, immature apprentice to Master Yoda. This time, the hero figure rebels against authority to answer the call of adventure when he quits on Yoda. Luke then saves the princess from Vader in the Cloud City, and loses his hand trying to save his friend (see again Figure 1). Campbell points out that, "Many tales isolate and greatly enlarge upon…elements of the full cycle," while "others string together a number of independent cycles into a single series." (Hero, p. 246.) The Empire Strikes Back is a collection of minor adventures of personal rather than cosmic scope, but the second Star Wars movie is strong and appealing nonetheless. The stories fulfill all the elements of the myth in a fairly straightforward way, making the film clean and accessible.

Mythical Element	*Star Wars*	*Empire Strikes Back*
I. Departure The Call to Adventure	Finding the robots and Princess Leia's message	Obi-wan's advice to seek out Yoda
Refusal of the Call	The harvest coming up	"You ask the impossible."
Supernatural Aid	Obi-wan	Yoda
Crossing the Threshold	Blasting out of Mos Eisley	Blasting out of Hoth
Belly of the Whale	The Death Star	The asteroid creature
(Helpers)	Han Solo, Chewie, robots	Same plus Lando Calrissian
II. Initiation Trials	Escape from the Death Star and TIE fighters	Battle with the Ice Creature, confrontation with Vader in the Cloud City
Meeting the Goddess	Princess Leia	Princess Leia needs rescuing again
Temptation	(Han Solo) Takes the reward money and leaves	Luke's failure at the cave
(Breaking rules at the right time)	Turning off the targeting computer	Leaving Yoda to save his friends
Atonement with Father	Joining the Rebellion	Accepting Vader as "dad"
Apotheosis	Realizes Jedi powers	Passes test with Father
Ultimate Boon (elixir)	Luke is "A New Hope" for the galaxy	Hope continues
III. Return Refusal of Return	Luke wants to stay and help Ob-wan	Suicidal fall after confrontation with Vader
Magic Flight	Second escape from innards of the Death Star	Escape from the Cloud City
Rescue from Without	Han saves Luke from Vader's TIE fighter	Millennium Falcon rescues him from air vent
Returning to "reality"	Luke rejoins friends	Leaving the galaxy
Master of Two Worlds	Victory ceremony	Luke is back among non-Jedi friends
Freedom to Live	Death Star is destroyed	Rebellion is preserved and safe in hiding

Figure 1. Elements of the Mythical Cycle in the first two Star Wars films

The chart given as Figure 1 identifies the story elements of the first two Star Wars films that satisfy the mythical cycle Campbell describes in Hero With a Thousand Faces, with especial reference to his summary (p. 245) and the chapter titles in Part One, "The Adventure of the Hero." Empire actually contains multiple adventure story cycles, such as Luke's introductory fight with the ice creature. Figure 2 compares the mythical story elements in Return of the Jedi with Luke and Vader filling the hero role.

To some extent, these elements are present in Return of the Jedi as well (Figure 2). However, the message and characterizations are unfocused. Luke does not grow, does not make a passage. He is supposed to be the hero figure, and presents himself as a sacrifice, but he is not the one transformed. Vader is.

Mythical Element	Luke as hero figure	Vader as hero figure
I. Departure The Call to Adventure	Yoda says he must face Vader
Refusal of the Call	Returned to Dagobah
Supernatural Aid
Crossing the Threshold
Belly of the Whale	Jabba's dungeon
(Helpers)	Han, Lando, Chewie, Leia and the Robots
II. Initiation Trials	Battle with Jabba's pet	Fights Luke, then takes the Emperor's deathblow meant for Luke
Meeting the Goddess	Turns out it's his sister
Temptation		Offers to overthrow the emperor and rule together
(Breaking rules at the right time)		Turns against the Emperor and slays him
Atonement with Father	Father saves him from Emperor	Achieves balance in the Force (his "father")
Apotheosis	Becomes the only Jedi	Turns into Force Wraith (immortality)
Ultimate Boon (elixir)	Saves his father and the galaxy	Regains his soul
III. Return Refusal of Return		Remains faithful to Emperor almost to the end
Magic Flight	Luke drags father's body out of Death Star	Luke drags father's body out of Death Star
Rescue from Without	Vader attacks Emperor	Luke sacrifices himself
Returning to "reality"		"Take off this mask"
Master of Two Worlds		Lived as evil and good
Freedom to Live	Universe is safe	Freed from evil

Figure 2. Mythical Heroes: Luke and Anakin/Vader in Return of the Jedi

Figure 2 lists the hero story elements in Return of the Jedi with Luke as the hero, compared to the elements present for Darth Vader (Anakin Skywalker). Some of the resonating story elements are missing for Luke, and many of those present are weak. Jedi finds Luke in mid-adventure. When he rescues Han he functions as a full-fledged Jedi Knight, and has enough use of the Force to back it up. This is not the beginning of a story, but the middle. At the end, Luke is fundamentally unchanged in his beliefs and understanding.

Anakin/Vader, however is at the transformational climax of his epic. His heroic elements are the profound spiritual ones—redeeming his soul from the abyss, reconciling good and evil. These are exactly the messages of the hero story that resonate for Campbell. The fact that this role is given to Anakin/Vader instead of Luke dilutes the film's mythical impact, making it confusing and dissatisfying.

The heroic deed with which Luke fulfills the quest is an act of faith, and he must rely on his father to rescue him. This irony is pointed out literally by Anakin/Vader in his death speech. This spiritually sophisticated act does not lead to the personal transformation that would be expected for such a hero.

Campbell discusses the male psychology of Father Atonement at length. "The ogre aspect [of the father] is a reflex of the victims own [split] ego," he says (Hero, p. 129). The confrontation with the father is hopeless as a matter of contention, and the hero must be humbled to succeed. Campbell states, "one must have a faith that the father is merciful, and then a reliance on that mercy." This happens in Jedi, but suddenly the father ceases to represent the Imperishable and himself experiences a salvation and return to mere humanity.

Luke himself, and thematically Jedi as a film, does not transcend the pair of opposites. Vader is evil and Luke achieves the adventure not by reconciling with the evil, not by replacing the father, but by changing the father to suit his youthful conviction. Campbell states, "The paradox of creation, the coming of the forms of time out of eternity, is the germinal secret of the father." (Hero, p. 147) This paradox (the sorrow and goodness of life) is the same as the psychological conflict (id and superego) that must be reconciled by the hero. Campbell continues,

"The problem of the hero going to meet the father is to open his soul beyond terror to such a degree that he will be ripe to understand how the sickening and insane tragedies of this vast and ruthless cosmos are completely validated in the majesty of Being. The hero transcends life with its peculiar blind spot and for a moment rises to a glimpse of the source. He beholds the face of the father, understands—and the two are atoned." (Hero, p. 147)

For Campbell, the father clearly represents the duality of the universe and eternity. The point of the hero story is the acceptance of the evil in the world, not its defeat and rejection. The father, if he is to represent Nature, must remain impartial and immutable.

The ego rejects the world as it is, interpreting it as good and evil. The hero transcends these personal prejudices and learns to see the world as God does, with full knowledge of the horror and affirmation implicit in life. When Vader, the father, is "restored" to the son's level, he loses his ability to work as a crucible of psychological change for Luke. The story loses the impact and resolution of Luke's "hero's journey."

When complete, Lucas' epic will span six films, and Return of the Jedi is the conclusion. He knows where the story is going and where it begins, even if the rest of his audience does not. The story in Jedi seems to take into account his prequel series, which was not made at the time and was completely unknown to the public. In Episode I The Phantom Menace, the tragic hero for the saga is established as Anakin Skywalker. Although some have argued for Jar Jar Binks, including Chris Aylott in "Jar Jar, Hidden Jedi" (Space.com, 14 April 2000), Lucas seems to be weaving his epic around the descent of Anakin into evil and his eventual salvation from it. While Luke, the apprentice Obi-wan or even Jar Jar might be the hero of particular sub-cycles, Anakin's apotheosis spans the entire series.

Anakin/Vader's role is established in the first two Star Wars films as being the epitome of evil. When he is revealed as Luke's father in The Empire Strikes Back, this sets up the conflict and reconciliation as the crucial adventure. The characters are cast in their mythological roles, but they don't quite fulfill them.

Luke, the adventurer, becomes a sacrificial son figure who evokes compassion. This rescues his father, Anakin, from his enslavement to evil. Luke's stubborn faith in the Jedi teachings (he won't submit to anger) and in his father's good nature becomes the great deed that achieves the adventure.

Mythologically, this sacrifice is more similar to that of Isaac than that of Jesus. In Genesis 22:1-19, Abraham receives the blessing of God because he was willing to sacrifice his son. In Return of the Jedi, Darth Vader is redeemed because he was not willing to sacrifice his son. Luke remains the son, Isaac's role. Shortly thereafter, the restored Anakin dies a noble death. This completes Luke's personal and public missions, the universe is saved, and he is free to return to a normal life, much as he was. Despite fulfilling Yoda's challenge to face his father, Luke remains a wide-eyed boy.

Luke, and Return of the Jedi in general, never transcend the one-sided goodness of Luke's simple country upbringing. Obi-wan's "point of view" lecture and Yoda's "unfortunate" truth about Luke's parentage are instructional, but these speeches are a clumsy substitute for experience. Taken on its own, the story does not bear out a reconciliation between good and evil. The father does not remain "the father" long enough to force Luke to learn anything. The adventure becomes Anakin/Vader's, and it is past.

In The Phantom Menace, Lucas introduces the idea of "bringing balance to the Force." Over the scope of Anakin's career, this is a higher imperative than immediate good or evil. We know that Anakin, as Vader, will destroy all the Jedi. This is an evil act, but he also destroys the Sith at the end of Return of the Jedi. The "balance" is the overarching divine process that must be satisfied.

In this way, Vader is the sacrificial figure that both cleanses the galaxy of the decadent old order and saves it from the tyrannical new order. Vader takes the force of the Emperor's deathblow to Luke, giving his life for his son. Vader/Anakin switches places with his son and dies. This is not an eternal force of nature, but an adventure hero on his own mission and transcendence. After spending most of three movies treating Vader as the evil enemy, he becomes the true hero. This would be like Pontius Pilate or Judas offering himself as a substitute for Jesus in a passion play.

Mythically, Return of the Jedi can be seen on three levels. First it must stand on it's own, as a sub-cycle of a mythical story. Second, it is the conclusion of the original trilogy. Third, it is the conclusion to the overall epic (the super-cycle). Only in the third interpretation does the ending clearly follow the mythical pattern.

This mixed treatment of the hero theme in Return of the Jedi weakens the impact and appeal of the story. Lucas seems to have tried to conclude not only his Luke Skywalker trilogy, but also his entire epic cycle. This blurs the focus of the plot, and prevents Return from standing on its own. Because we cannot sympathize with Vader until the last moment, his redemption is difficult to identify with.

At this writing, there are two more films of the prequel series yet to be released. These must stand on their own merits and also be complete as an initial trilogy. The third purpose of these films is, for Lucas, to explain and redeem Return of the Jedi, the muddled conclusion to which all of these films lead.

REFERENCES

Star Wars. Twentieth Century Fox, 1977. Video. CBS Fox Video, 1990.

The Empire Strikes Back. Lucasfilm Ltd., 1980. Video. CBS Fox Video, 1990.

Return of the Jedi. Lucasfilm Ltd., 1983. Video. CBS Fox Video, 1990.

Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Lucasfilm Ltd., 1999. Video. Twentieth Century Fox, 2000.

Campbell, Joseph. The Hero With a Thousand Faces. Bollingen Series XVII, Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ. Second edition, 1968, Third Princeton/Bollingen Paperback Printing, 1973.

Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth with Bill Moyers. PBS, 1985. Video. Mystic Fire, 1990.

The Hero's Journey. PBS, 1987. Video. Mystic Fire, 2002.