Do You Think Anakin Was Tricked Into Falling To The Dark Side?

my brother and i think so lets look at the facts.

palpatine lies to anakin that he can save padme
palpatine manipulates ani into thinking the jedi are traitors.

what do you think?

 

"Vader was seduced by the Dark Side of the Force..."

Seduction: Something that seduces or has the qualities to seduce; an enticement.

In sociology, seduction is the process of deliberately enticing a person to engage in some sort of behavior. The word seduction stems from Indo-European roots and means literally "to lead astray."

 

Somewhat, but was he such a gem in the first place? Killing innocents in AOTC in combination with his general attitude and demeanor tells me that it seemed almost natural for him to become a Sith.

Albeit a whiny one.

 

I don't think he was tricked. It was something that was going to happen no matter what. Like said above, the killing in AOTC. It's not like Anakin was perfect before he turned.

 

He was not tricked just lead on the wrong path he could of done anything for himself he just did no want to look past his nose

 

Do You Think Anakin Was Tricked Into Falling To The Dark Side?

Not entirely. I think he clearly had a foot down the dark path (as evidenced in his encounter with the Tuskens, etc.) which contributed to his manipulation later on. He joined the dark side for a reason - to save Padme.

 

That's not a lie.

 

Palpatine to Anakin: "I have the power to save the one you love. You must choose."

Then just a few minutes later...
Anakin: "Just help me save Padme's life. I can't live without her."

Palpatine: "To cheat death is a power only one has achieved, but if we work together, I know we can discover the secret."

 

ANAKIN: You know the dark side?!?

PALPATINE: Anakin, if one is to understand the great mystery, one must study all its aspects, not just the dogmatic, narrow view of the Jedi.

"To cheat death is a power only one has achieved, but if we work together, I know we can discover the secret."

 

He was tricked in so far as he was told he would be able to master the dark side. Palpatine conveniently "forgot" to tell him that he would, in fact, become enslaved by it. Anakin's not entirely to blame - Palpatine was whispering evil thoughts in his ear from day one.

 

Interesting that we are essentially quoting the same line to offer differing viewpoints. I take "To cheat death is a power only one has achieved, but if we work together, I know we can discover the secret" to sound like a step back from his earlier statements that he had the power, period. Once Anakin had helped him kill Mace and essentially passed the point of no return, he knew he had Anakin and then conveniently provided a little more detail... essentially saying, "OK, well I don't actually know how to do it, but Plagueis did. But don't worry! If we work together I'm sure we can figure it out." He's backing off from his original claim to "have the power to save the one you love", while still stringing Anakin along.

 

It's called the dark side of the Force.

 

So maybe he had the power, due to the dark side, but not necessarily the how-to knowledge yet?

I haven't read Dark Lord yet (currently reading ROTS), so I'm not familiar with that part of the novel. Not exactly sure how "saved from dying" differs from "cheated death".

 

Do tricked and brainwashed mean the same thing? If so, yes, Anakin was tricked.

 

I believe Sidious manipulated Ani. But true that Anakin was no innocent before. I believe he started to turn in AOTC when he murdered the Sand people and that he was open to the Sidious' manipulations. His love for Padme may have had something to do with it all to since he was desperate to save her. Though Sidious did lie about that too I believe. he told Anakin what Anakin needed and wanted to hear; that Padme could be saved from death. He was absolutely desperate to save Padme from death because he loved her and couldn't live without her.

 

in the words of han solo " he was a kid with a dead mother i would have done the same thing". "what he did wasn't evil it was human". i think anakin was so overcome with grief that he lost controll and killed all the sand people was he sorry for it yes he was
he told shmi he wouldn't fail again. i believe palpatine gave anakin that vision of padme dying during childbirth. padme did die during childbirth of a broken heart. but i don't believe anakin used drain life to kill her.

 

I don't really understand how the Tuskin ordeal can be used to say that Anakin had a foot on the dark side. I mean, then Lars and all those villagers too had a foot on the dark side. That is how the villagers went about things, they formed up and went out to rescue loved ones and killed any Tuskins they had to. On Tatooine, that is how things were done. Anakin was simply more powerful than Lars and gang and he lost it when his mum died in his arms. His act was dark, but I cannot agree that he was thinking like a Sith at the time he killed the Tuskins. He wasn't killing these people for not submitting to his will - or to control anyone - or to gain supremacy - or to eliminate the Jedi. Don't get me wrong - it was a horrendous act what with the children and all, but he didn't jump to the dark side to kill them and then jump back. He was just like having a dark moment, much like when he killed Dooku and similarly wanted revenge. What I mean to say is that Anakin could have fully and completely continued to be a Jedi after that event, so I don't see it as any kind of 'clue' that he was pegged for the dark side. Unless "losing it" and killing purely in revenge and under emotional duress with no bigger goal in mind is what Sith do - which they don't.

Hence, I would say that Anakin came to a crossroads due to a number of factors. His anger with the Jedi for their manipulation, not trusting him, not elevating his position and "holding him back". His duress over trying to save Padme. Papa Palpatine's manipulation over time, and his formidable manipulation regarding Padme. His desire inside for power and his arrogant feeling that he knew best how to run things (with Padme). And his belief that he was doomed after trying to stop Mace and his act ending in the Master's death at Palpatine's hand. That clinched it, I don't think he felt he could recover from that - even though in honesty he hadn't wanted for Mace to be killed. Well with all those feelings churning around, Palpatine took advantage - but I wouldn't call it a trick. He told Anakin before he knelt to pledge himself to the Sith that he would "work with him to discover how to save Padme" - so Anakin wasn't tricked in that regard. He may have believed that together they could do it, but ultimately his plan was to kill Palpatine anyway - he told Padme that she and he would ultimately rule.

So my feeling was that Anakin thought things through and came up with the idea that loyalty for Palpatine at the time was the best way to go. He was done with the Jedi, having rationalized them as monsters and so he'd only to get the info from Palpatine, kill him, and then he and Padme could lead the galaxy to his idea of peace. But upon pledging himself to the Sith and allowing himself to be ruled by dark passions, openly - he began sinking like the Titanic into the dark abyss. It wasn't sudden - he stood there with the tears and all that after killing the Jedi (I presume no tears fell for the separtists). And his emotions got in the way while he fought Obi-Wan also - and stopped him from choking Padme to death. But once he was suited up, the Jedi were gone, etc., there was only one path to trod - behind Sidious.

So I wouldn't say "tricked" - I would say he rationalized his way onto the dark side with a little manipulation, etc., from "friends" - but he didn't slink in with blinders on - he knew what he was doing in my judgment. Naturally, I think it was brilliant...but what can I say, I'm a Vader fan...

 

Anakin was always vulnerable, ever since he was a child. But as Lucas said, when Palpatine tell Anakin that its possible to save people from death, thats when he finally succumbs to the influence of the "devil". So in this way he was actually "tricked" IMO. But this was just the final piece of the puzzle, and other than in this incident he was never actually tricked, over the years he was told things, and introduced to certain truths from different perspectives (The Jedi`s and Palpatine). Anakin makes the choice of what to believe in.

Remember when he talks to Padme on Naboo about things like he dont believe the political system works, and he mention that if people dont agree, "then they should be made to". Padme looks kind of shocked, and in the end Anakin starts laughing, like he was just joking, but he was actually serious.

 

Anakin was tricked. To be more precise, he was conned.

A while back, I posted the idea that, when you get right down to it, Palpatine was a con artist and Ani was a mark. He set himself up as Ani's friend, observed his character, tailored a pitch to his needs, and offered him what he wanted in such a way that was clearly improper (and, hence, a "sure thing"). And, once Ani was hooked and reeled in, it was clear that he was really offering him nothing, but it was too late.

Think of Palpatine as a meglomaniacal version of Henry Gondorf, who (unlike Gondorf) didn't have the sense to get out of Dodge when the con was completed.

 

Dark side Anakin could have gone on to learn the power the Sith dream of.

 

Palpatine merely amplified Anakin's self-importance, present since his monologue in TPM where he states he will become a Jedi and return to Tatooine to free all the slaves.

The Chancellor convinces Anakin that Skywalker's happiness is the be all to end all -- more important even than galactic civil war.

Anakin believes him . . . because he WANTS to believe him. He was not deceived -- he was skillfully 'encouraged.'

"Only a fool expects to be happy all the time."
~ Robertson Davies