Anakin and Luke: A Comparison

The big aspect of the Prequel Trilogy is the way Anakin is seduced by the darkside. The way he falls into evil.

Similarly, the big aspect of the Original Trilogy, is the way Luke manages to resist this temptation. The way he stays with the lightside.

So can we directly compare the two characters? See where Anakin failed and where Luke triumphed? Even without Ep3, we should be able to see a fair bit of the comparison

Lets start with Anakin. Anakin is a slave on Tatooine. He knows his mother, but never knew his father. He is stuck doing menial jobs to please an owner that only cares about what Anakin can do for him. Anakin constantly dreams of leaving, of finding adventure elsewhere.

When Anakin is taken out of his childhood environment, he is shown aspects of the Force. Shown what power it can hold, what insight it can bring, what abilities it can give. He sees a terrifying Sith Lord attack Qui Gon, he sees Jedi Masters looking into him, he sees the tremendous burden that being a Jedi can bring. The conflict. Right off the bat, Anakin sees a lot of the Force, both the good and the bad.

Anakin also sees rejection from the Jedi. In his first experience with a group of Jedi, he sees them utterly reject him. He was promised life as a Jedi, and had it snatched away. Anakin got angry. He was annoyed at the Jedi. He didnt want them telling him he wasnt good enough. Fortunately, he then had it given back to him, with the supreme sacrifice of his new mentor, and by a stroke of 'luck' of his own doing. He sees the good guys make promises, break them, reinstate them.

As he grows up, Anakin becomes one of the Jedi, but other than Obi Wan, the constant voice in his ear is that of someone trying to influence him. To distort him. To corrupt him.

We see Anakin being impatient. Argumentative. Disrespectful. Arrogant. He lacks the right focus for being a Jedi. He is a corrupted person.

The first real spark of the darkness within Anakin is when his mother is killed. He thirsts for revenge. To prove himself to be more powerful than others. He massacres a group of Tusken Raiders, including women and children. Not even recognising them as anything more than animals.

Anakin then moves directly into a War. He sees a former Jedi that has been corrupted. He should see some of himself in this ex-Jedi and be afraid. Perhaps he sees some of himself in Dooku, and likes it. But Anakin sees the evil in the galaxy. He sees the pain and hurt that people are willing to inflict on each other. He sees that the Jedi participate in these acts of anger and agression.

Throughtout his life, Anakin really hasnt had many friends. When he was a child, his friends were other slaves. children that he could play with, but children that couldnt help him grow as a person. When he was growing up, Anakin had no friends. He had a Master. He had other Jedi that would have provided him with limited socialising. He had a strong corrupting influence that was one of only two people that he would have really trusted.

But Anakin had no support net. Noone to turn to when things were tough. When we get to AotC, we see Anakin turn to Padme. He puts it all out on the line to be close to her. And she reciprocates. The only new support Anakin has in 10 years, was someone that was also corrupting him. Distracting him. Supporting him when he did the wrong thing.

What do we know will happen to Anakin? Well, he falls to the darkside. The corruption wells to a high enough level to take over. To make him lose the good Anakin, and just concentrate on the power that the dark side gives.


Now to Luke. Luke is an orphan living with family. He never knew either parent. He does menial jobs for his uncle, who is constantly trying to hinder his growth as a person. Luke also constantly dreams of finding adventure elsewhere. Of a larger galaxy where he can grow as a person.

One day a few droids come into his life, and it all changes. Luke meets a Jedi, and has his Uncle and Aunt murdered by the Empire. Lukes response? Well, much like his father, he want

 

[color=663300]Wow, you've put a lot of thought into this.

Well, I think the difference is in the training that they both receive. I think that in the time when Anakin is being trained, the Jedi are so used to training young Jedi that it becomes too routine. They are making "cookie cutter" jedi. We don't get to see the ten years of Obi Wan's training of Anakin, but I assume that Obi Wan just wasn't ready yet to train Anakin. Maybe another padawan but not Anakin. The fault lies with the Jedi Council. Maybe they did not see the true potential of Anakin and thought, "Sure, Obi Wan can train him. Now on to other things...." So Anakin doesn't receive good training, not enough to allow him to resist the Darkside.

Luke on the other hand had two Jedi who trained him specifically to resist the Darkside. Both Yoda and Obi Wan had 20 years to REALLY think about their mistake, and had time to figure out where they went wrong. Yoda was constantly warning Luke of the darkside, and warning against trying to jump into things too fast (like his father did). He even had Luke confront the Darkside (in the cave) so Luke could get a feel of what he was up against. Because of this training, and the constant watch over him by Obi Wan, he was able to resist the Darkside.

Also there was the fact that he had a purpose. He wanted to bring his father back to the Lightside. I think this had a lot to do with his being able to resist the Darkside. [/color]

 

Excellent topic, Dagsy!

I think that Luke wass able to resist temptation in the end is because of his father. Luke made it his mission to save Anakin, not destroy him. He realized that he didn't hate Vader, but the darkness within him.

Luke was given warnings about becoming like his father. Yoda's dark side cave. Their mechanical hands. And when Luke is staring at the wires in Vader's wrist, his saber raised to Vader's throat, Palpy's cackled invitation to take his father's place triggers his desire to shun the dark side.

 

"The cave...remember your failure in the cave..."

Luke and Anakin were very much alike, yes. So much so that you may even be able to call Luke a mirror of Anakin - he reflects all the good things in Anakin, but also all of the bad. Which is where the cave quote comes in ? Luke fought Vader, yes, but in the end he was really fighting the darkness in himself, and his own ability to become exactly what his father was.

Unlike Anakin, Luke is able to see the consequences of his actions. Anakin, when turning to the Dark Side, didn't have that big fluorescent sign saying 'take this path, and this is what you become'. While he could see the effects the Dark Side had on Maul, Dooku and eventually Palpatine, he did not have that indication of what would happen if he himself took that course of action.

Which was really what saved Luke, in the end, IMO. He could see Anakin, and in that himself, and what would happen if he gave in to Palpatine?s lies. To me, it really had nothing to do with what had shaped them as children, or the different experiences it had. To me it came down to the person they were (essentially, in most of the ways that count, the same), and how Luke had a mirror to look into to see his own fate if he took that path.

 

Shara I agree. That is definately how I look at it. I think Luke was much stronger in resisting the Dark Side pressures of Vader and Palpatine because he had the example of his father before him to look at and think about. I think this thought process on Luke's part begins in the mental conversation he has with Vader in ESB. You can see it in his face there and in his last conversation with Yoda in ROTJ.

 

Very well thought out Dags.

For me, Star Wars is about the differences and simiarites Anakin and Luke, the journeys they make in life, the mistakes they make and the choices they make.

This one of the neat things about the Star Wars saga. Seeing where Anakin went wrong and Luke went right.

These two character are meant to be compared.

 

So its more of the personal nature of the Luke/Vader duel?

The fact that Anakin saw two terrible Sith Lords isnt easily comparable to Luke seeing Vader? This is because Luke had a closer connection to Vader than Anakin had to Maul or Dooku? The fact that it was Lukes father, rather than some stranger?

We all saw the scene in RotJ where Luke defeats Vader and Palpy calls him to be his apprentice. Luke looks at his artificial hand, and recognises that he is on the path, he must deviate now, or face losing himself. We can only hope that there is a similar scene in Ep3.

I think that, in this respect, we should reiterate that Anakin has sworn to become the most powerful Jedi ever. He wants to be better than everyone else. Rarely does this mean that the person would be happy to hold himself back.

Luke was never that sort of character. He wanted to stop the Empire, and hopefully on the way, save his father. It wasnt about being better than everyone, but simply, about helping everyone.



But I believe also that its Lukes network of friends that makes a huge difference.

Anakin never really had friends. He was a Jedi with a life of solitude.

Luke, however, always had friends. People that depended on him. People he felt obliged to help.

I think that this saved Luke. The fact that he couldnt just give in to his basic instincts. He had to hold back, or else he would let them down.

This had to play a huge part in his resistance of the Dark Side. It wasnt simply about having more power, as it was for Anakin. Power meant nothing to Luke, without his friends to share it with.

I think that is a huge message in the Saga. That its the company a person keeps that can influence the person they develop into.

 

I still don't think it really had anything to do with his friends. See Anakin did have them. Yes, they were slaves, but they were still friends. And their shared experiences would have helped them bond more, not less. So you can't say he was entirely alone.

And from what I remember of Luke's friends, they weren't the best people. Wasn't one of his nicknames 'wormie' or something? ?

At any rate, I'm still firmly convinced Luke's triumph was because he was able to see what would happen if he turned.

 

Yes, Luke's motivation was never greed for power.

In ANH, it's for revenge at first but then the desire to help people.

In ESB, it's a sense of duty to be a Jedi and to help the Rebellion and his friends.

In ROTJ, it's the determination to help the Rebellion and his friends again, but also his intention to save his father despite no-one else believing this can happen.


That to me is an amazing demonstration of courage and faith on Luke's part - that he is willing to take such a huge gamble on some part of Anakin surviving within the character of Darth Vader. If Luke had been killed by Vader or Palpatine, Leia would've been the only one still alive with the Force potential but she would have had no-one to train her. Luke gambles everything on the love he has for his father and the belief that Anakin can be turned back from the Dark Side.

No wonder everyone else was so sceptical, even Yoda and Obi-Wan. Trying to find good in the second-most evil and powerful man in the galaxy, at the heart of a vast Empire, would be virtually impossible for anyone.

But Luke is able to make use of both his abilities as a fledgling Jedi, and his heritage as Anakin's son, to finally give Anakin the chance to restore balance to the Force.

 

Great topic!
I would have to agree that Luke is a mirror for Anakin (and vice versa) and that the path of Luke now seems even more interesting now that we can see the choices that Anakin made.

 

"I still don't think it really had anything to do with his friends. See Anakin did have them. Yes, they were slaves, but they were still friends. And their shared experiences would have helped them bond more, not less. So you can't say he was entirely alone."

I think it's not a matter of having childhood friends but the friends we see during the movies. Let's look at what happens when both leave Tatooine.

In TPM it is quite clear Anakin is fond of his mother. When he leaves her Qui-Gon temporarily (sp?) takes her place, becoming something of a father figure. But Qui-Gon dies and noone steps in to take his place. I don't Obi-Wan does it. There's a big uncertainty factor since Obi-Wan decides to train Anakin as a way to honor Anakin. He's not only doing it for Anakin's sake. I think this is important because it makes me believe it opens up for distrust on Anakin's part.

Another thing, Anakin does not take Shmi's advice about not looking back. AOTC gives me the impression he is living in the past by still dreaming about freeing Shmi.

When Luke leaves Tatooine he has nothing left there. All he can do is to go forward, there is really no way back when Owen and Beru dies. He finds a father figure in Obi-Wan and when Obi-Wan dies he finds a new true company in Han and Leia. The difference here is that unlike Anakin the people around Luke cares about Luke for his own sake.

I'm not saying Obi-Wan did not care at all for Anakin but there is a degree of uncertainty in their relationship that causes problems. When I think about it, it may be more important that Anakin does not find the sort of friends Luke has in Han and Leia. He finds Padmé but that becomes a romantic relationship.

I don't the whole answer lies in this. But Luke seems to find the right people at the right plus he can better see what the Dark Side does to you.

 

Also, add to this that Luke and Anakin have a special Force connection because of their father/son relationship. It supersedes those around them. On Dagobah, Luke tells Ben that "There is still good in him." Ben disagrees "He's more machine now than man..." On the Death Star Vader tells the Emperor that his son is with the small Rebel. The Emperor is surprised and questions Vader. The Emperor did not feel Luke's presence... So, Luke took the risk with his father because he felt his father's conflict and in the end Anakin did the right thing to save his son.

 

I agree with the part that Luke had support from the good(his friends, rebellion etc..) to lead him to the light.When Anakin was training as a Jedi, the good was falling in general.The Jedi, Republic everything that represented the light side was falling; so Anakin caught up in the movement I think.Since he was conceived by the Force itself, he was in a position where he could have not resisted in my opinion.
Basically, I think that the will of the force was to use darkness to fix the light; so Anakin's and the whole galaxy's fate was determined to go all through that...
Luke started to use the Force when good was regaining its presence in the galaxy, and his fate was based on different upcomings than his father.
I sometimes imagine if Luke joined his father and destroyed the Emperor; they would have become really powerful.

 

A Dark Side Luke would've horribly powerful on his own. With his father...wow, they'd be hard to beat.

 

This had to play a huge part in his resistance of the Dark Side. It wasnt simply about having more power, as it was for Anakin. Power meant nothing to Luke, without his friends to share it with

I think Anakin's want for power came from loving too much or wanting to hold on to those he loved. It wasn't a greed of power for power's sake. He wanted it for the protection of his loved ones and the order of the galaxy. It was a misplaced need, but one that came from his life, and not having the network he needed. He saw it all slip away between EpI and III.

 

Hmm! An interesting topic you've got here Dagsy.

I agree with everybody else - who agrees with me, I guess. Anakin was seduced into the darkness because of love - first Shmi, then others. We still don't know what's going to happen in EP III, but I'm pretty sure there will be something in there involving Amidala that ticks Anakin off.

As far as Luke goes - his goal is to save his father - kill Vader, not Anakin. I think he ultimately realizes that he is becoming exactly what he is trying to pull his father back from being: a Sith. The realization on Luke's face when he looks at his own mechanical hand and then at Vader is so profound, you can just conjure up the image whenever you want.

So, I think that it was just a matter of different situations, different goals, and different characters - Anakin didn't have a goal (he turned because of all that happened to him - reactive role) whereas Luke did have a goal (he wanted to save his father - active role).

Make sense

Aunecah

 

It all comes down to the fact that Anakin gave into his anger and fears. Luke did not.

 

Anakin / Luke : both raised on Tatooine by oppressive father figures using them as slave labour until they are liberated and adopted by Jedi - in Anakin's case, Qui Gon is instrumental in releasing him, and in Luke's case Darth Vader is instrumental in releasing him (by killing Owen & Beru) - so Qui Gon (a Jedi) releases Anakin (who becomes a Sith), and Anakin (a Sith) ironically enough releases his own son (who becomes a Jedi) - and both end up being apprenticed to Obi-Wan (remember that Anakin never officially becomes Qui-Gon's apprentice...)

So you have a wonderful irony of Jedi creating Sith, and Sith creating Jedi. Is this the Force at work, trying to bring balance?

But some folks might have realised that I've already said that before in another thread. So here's something new:

I've just come across something Jung (Campbell's mentor) said - in mythology and dreams, there is a recurring theme of opposite forms being amalgamated into a third composite form. In terms of SW, I would see this as the joining of Anakin (yang, male, darkness, chaos) and Padme (yin, female, light, order) into Luke (balance of yin-yang, male-female, darkness-light, chaos-order).


(No, I'm not forgetting Leia - because they are twins, they are both part of the same unified third form - but this is a thread about Luke...)

So Luke is not just a mirror of Anakin, but also an amalgamation of both Anakin & Padme, as well as an amalgamation of the Jedi & Sith ...

He is the child of chaos and order, Jedi and Sith, struggling to find balance between the two.

 

The reason Luke resisted where Anakin failed was because of his father; there was a precendence. Without Anakins failure to guide Luke to do the right thing, the opposite of what Anakin did, Luke too would have fallen. If Anakin had a failure to compare himself too he could have been saved just as Luke was. Look at what happens in the films:

Luke wants to rush off to face vader. He wants to leave Tatooine, leave Dagobah, begin his training, end his training. He is impatient. There is nothing different between him and Anakin. So why does he succeed where Anakin failed? Because him and Yoda/Ben have seen what happened to Anakin. They can say "see? see what happened to your father? this will happen to you too". Because of Vaders failure they can point out exactly what to do and what not to do. They can train him with the knowledge of Anakin in mind.

Look at the scene where Luke is about to strike down Vader in ROTJ. Why does he not do it? Because he looked within himself and realized to do so would be to succumb to the dark side? In effect yes, but what instigated this realization? Vader. He looks at Vaders severed hand and looks at his own and says "my god, if i do this then i end up like my father". It is because of Anakins failure that Luke can realize the true path. If Dooku had been in place of Vader, Luke would have gone through with it; this is my theory on the decisive moment in episode III--Anakin kills Dooku and turns, but because Luke can see where Anakin failed and how he will be just like him, he resists.

Look at the scene where Luke is rushing off Dagobah to face Vader. The same as Anakin rushing off to save Shmi and to fight Dooku. But because Yoda and Ben know that Anakin did the same thing and that it led to his downfall, they specifically said "dont go, dont be impatient just as Vader or you will fall to the darkside". And even with this, Luke still goes after Vader and rushes into combat the way Anakin did with Dooku. It is only afterwards, where he can see what happened when his father made the same choices that Luke himself realizes that he must make the opposite. Anakin was impatient--therefore Luke must be patient. Anakin was angry--therefore Luke must be calm. etc.

It is only because of Anakins fall that Luke is saved. It is only because of Anakins example that Luke can see what direction to turn too and that Yoda and Ben can specifically train Luke with certain knowledge in mind. So a Skywalker was destined to fall not matter what--if Anakin hadnt, Luke would have.

But Luke had it a bit easier. He had friends who supported him every step of the way, and he sure as hell didnt have Palpatine whispering dark thoughts in his head every time Obi Wan turned around. Good thing, because even with all those advantages he still succumbs--almost. But he can see that his father failed for the same reasons he would, and at the very last possible moment he can resist.

 

But Luke had it a bit easier. He had friends who supported him every step of the way, and he sure as hell didnt have Palpatine whispering dark thoughts in his head every time Obi Wan turned around. Good thing, because even with all those advantages he still succumbs--almost.

i agree with the Palpatine part & everything else you said, but Luke did NOT necesarily have it easier

he fell into a small rebel force fighting the reigning Empire

Anakin fell into the Republic as a Jedi

true, Luke had his friends but that's because he allowed them to be his friends

Anakin had the whole Jedi community taking care of him but he CHOSE to disregard them because "they were holding him back"

Anakin CHOSE to rebel against Obi-Wan(Epi 3 HURRY UP)

Luke found his "parents" brutally murdered & his rage made him want to learn more about the force & fight the Empire

Anakin faced his demons when his mother died & chose to lose himself in his hatred & slaughtered a whole village

i don't know what Episode 3 holds in store for us concercing Anakins relationship with the Jedi/Palpatine but i'm sure it'll liven up these discussions even more

 

I agree with Dagsy. Anakin is (we presume) going to lose EVERYTHING that matters to him. He has nothing to live for, unlike Luke, who has family and friends.

Here's an interesting side question here - would Anakin be able to resist the Dark Side if he knew about his offspring when he was making the choice (instead of 20 years later when he learns about Luke)? Would knowing about his children give him something to live for?

Lot of presumptions, but worth discussing.

 

I didn't read the whole thread but I wanted to say that I agree that the primary difference between Anakin and Luke is this:

One does not have a father and one does. It's that simple.

My premise is that the son will always see the worst aspects of himself manifested in his father. It is awareness of the badness of these aspects that keeps the son from embracing them, and helps him to become a better man then his father. So if Anakin has no father to reflect his bad qualities, he becomes blinded to them.

Inversely, the father will recognize his own best qualities in the son. In Anakin's case, it's his capacity for sacrifice.

 

Here's an interesting side question here - would Anakin be able to resist the Dark Side if he knew about his offspring when he was making the choice (instead of 20 years later when he learns about Luke)? Would knowing about his children give him something to live for?

I think he would. Not knowing how fully into the darkside he is at the point where he might think Padme and his unborn child are dead, I think they are the small thread of humanity holding him bound to the lightside. I'm speculating that when he thinks he's lost this, is when he loses his will to remain the good man he once was.

 

I agree that the story of the Skywalkers is ultimately about choices rather than circumstances, but I think there are two factors in Anakin's life that made him more suceptible to turning to the dark side.

One, Anakin's background carried a much greater stigma than Luke's. Being a farmboy on a giant dirtball is nothing to brag about, but being a slave will really make you defensive. Anakin's early life was perfect raw material for a great big "something to prove" complex.

Two, the whole "Chosen One" thing and Anakin's success in the Battle of Naboo raised his expectations of life much too high much too fast. Basically being told "you're the messiah" at the age of nine is pretty heady stuff.

By the time Anakin's a young man, his ambitions have gone from "merely" freeing all the slaves to being the "most powerful Jedi ever" and keeping "people from dying." If that's what you demand from yourself and your life, you're going to be permanently disappointed. That kind of unending disappointment leads to self-hate, bitterness, an inability to feel gratitude, and the general sense that the world has ripped you off somehow.

Add that to the fact that Anakin has some legitimate reasons to feel ripped off (childhood in slavery, mom tortured and murdered), and you have a recipe for self-pity and a really unhealthy sense of entitlement. I mean, nobody ever gave Anakin any breaks, right? He's been trying to use his superior powers as the Chosen One to help people out, but they just keep giving him crap and getting in his way. Nobody appreciates him, not even his so-called "friends." Maybe it's about time he quit caring about what they think. Maybe it's time to start doing what he wants for a change -- like collecting on that debt the universe owes him for the death of his mother. And who the hell put Alderaan between his meditation chamber viewscreen and the sun, anyway? Stupid, no-weapons, rebel-spawning planet. Somebody ought to blow that sucker up.

Luke, by contrast, wasn't caught between wanting to be a god and feeling doomed to be a slave. He just wanted to be a student at the Academy instead of a moisture farmer. Even after old Ben introduced him to "a larger world," Luke's goal was to become "a Jedi like my father." A Jedi, he says, implying "a basic, standard-issue Jedi." Being the Jedi in the Temple weight room who hands out the towels would be fine, thanks very much. None of this "stopping people from dying" crap.

Obi-Wan takes a lot of flak for concealing Luke's background from him for so long. But it seems to me that experience taught him it would be best for Luke to grow up a nobody and then train with the goal of becoming "J. Anonymous Jedi" one day. (Instead of having him toddle around Obi-Wan's cave in the desert wearing a T-shirt that says, "My Daddy went to the Dark Side and all I got was this lousy T-shirt.")

Because he was better sheltered, Luke retained his innocence, and the humility that goes with it, far longer than Anakin did. And while Luke's ultimate choice was his own, he was better prepared to make a wise decision than his father was.

 

I see the Anakin/Luke comparison as being very similar to Lancelot/Galahad.


Anakin and Lancelot are both extremely powerful, much more so than their contemporaries. Yet in both cases, their sons succeed where they fail.

Anakin and Lancelot both know they are 'better' than those around them and that leads to pride bordering on arrogance. If you look at Anakin, he's aware from a very young age just how special he is. He brags how he's the only human capable of pod racing and after he's taken by Qui-Gon, learns that he's this Chosen One who prophecy says will bring balance to the Force.

Luke, like Galahad, is raised in an environment of innocence and humility. His wishes and desires (such as leaving Tatooine to attend the Academy) are secondary to the decrees of his uncle. Luke chafes against this, but he does follow his uncle's wishes.

It isn't until Owen and Beru are killed that Luke is set upon his path and starts to learn just what he's capable of accomplishing. By this point he's much older than his father and the knowledge that he's special and 'better' than those around him doesn't affect him the same was as it did Anakin.

Of course, as has been mentioned several times in this thread, Luke knows the price of failure. While on Dagobah, Luke sees that if he isn't careful he can become just like Vader, who at that time is undoubtedly the person who Luke hates/fears more than anything.