Introduction
Heroes are people who execute feats that appear unachievable to a normal human being. They endure difficulties, sometimes to the brick of death, fight an evil entity and overcome evil with good. Most of the time, heroes often live by patterns and themes that reflect the deep meaning of a myth or a spiritual truth. One of those heroes is Luke Skywalker, the protagonist in the Star Wars series. From the beginning of his life to the very end, Skywalker lives a life that is out of the ordinary – a heroic life that aligns with Joseph Campbell’s theories. Skywalker’s hero’s journey fits into the standard narrative patterns and themes identified by Campbell Campbell’s mono-myth.
In explaining this thesis, the task will begin by identifying the three main stages of Campbell’s theory. The next paragraphs will outline the first stage of Skywalker’s adventure, followed by the different phases of the initiation stage and the final stage of the ultimate boon. The task will conclude by showing how Skywalker’s heroic acts in Star Wars align with Campbell’s mono-myths.
Skywalker Joseph Campbell Myths and Theories
Joseph Campbell was a 20th-century American mythologist and writer best known for his theories on the commonality of mythological narratives across different cultures. According to Campbell, myths from different cultures and eras often share similar narrative patterns and themes, which are often interpreted as a reflection of universal psychological and spiritual truths. One of the critical concepts in Campbell’s theories is the hero’s journey, a typical narrative pattern he identified in many different myths. The hero’s journey consists of several stages, including the call to adventure (departure), the road of trials (the initiation), and the ultimate goal of achieving the ultimate boon or return (Başarıcı, Samsun, and Yılmaz 17). According to CBC Radio, the hero’s journey examines the different stages of the hero who ventures on an adventure, faces a life-threatening crisis, and returns victorious. These stages are best showcased in different actors, one of them Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. Luke Skywalker, the protagonist of the Star Wars series, can be seen as fitting into Joseph Campbell’s theories on myths. In particular, Skywalker follows the archetypal hero’s journey, a common narrative pattern identified by Campbell.
Luke Skywalker from Star Wars pulls a range of fits that fits into Campbell’s monomyth. At the beginning of the story, Skywalker is living a mundane life as a moisture farmer on Tatooine, whose hero’s journey begins after he purchases a pair of robots in which there is a hidden plea from Princess Leia calling for help. He is called to adventure when he learns of the existence of the Rebel Alliance and their fight against the evil Empire. This marks the beginning of his hero’s journey (Başarıcı, Samsun, and Yılmaz 23). This stage reflects’ Campbell’s first stage of call to adventure, which represents an interruption to the hero’s life as they are separated from their loved ones and community. He faces an inevitable disruption to his normal life, where he lives in a mundane world and ventures into the unknown. Skywalker is an ordinary teenager living with his uncle, a common myth that heroes grow up with a missing parent or parents. He balks at the invitation made by Obi-Wan Kenobi as he is overwhelmed by the sudden changes. Like most heroes, Skywalker struggles to leave the comfort of everything he knows and holds dear. This confirms Campbell’s explanation that heroes are often scared to venture into the known as the journey removes them from all things familiar and comfortable.
During the initiation stage, the hero meets his mentor, who guides him through the journey. Although Skywalker has already met his mentor, active mentoring begins when he finds out that the stormtroopers of the Empire have annihilated his family. At this moment, he feels sad and heartbroken as he stands beside his mentor Obi-Wan. Realizing that he would also have been killed and lost the droids to the Empire, he commits to join the old Jedi and venture toward Alderaan, into the unknown (CBC Radio). Campbell’s theory also explains that the hero must cross the threshold by leaving the familiar to venture into the unfamiliar. As Obi-Wan talks to Skywalker, he becomes convinced that he has no other choice than to follow his mentor, Obi-Wan. He begins his journey by acquiring the Loyal Retainers, Chewbacca and Han Solo. They penetrate the Death Star and rescue Princess Leia, marking the beginning of his heroic journey.
The hero’s journey is a demanding one with challenges and undesirable encounters, which Campbell calls the road of trials or the initiation stage. As Skywalker embarks on this journey, he faces many challenges and obstacles, including facing off against the Empire’s deadliest weapons and confronting the dark side of the Force. In episode V, The Empire Strikes Back, he almost gives up when he fails to get his X-wing that had fallen deep into the swamp. In later scenes, he gets beaten down mentally, spiritually, and physically as he gets scarred by a Wampa and almost faces death (Başarıcı, Samsun, and Yılmaz 18). As they converse with Yoda, his response to fear and the unknown is making the scene more relatable to the audience and to Campbell’s theory. In the final scenes of the episode, Skywalker gets a new robotic hand after he gets his hand severed. As they stare into the void together with Leia, one realizes that Skywalker learned a couple of lessons during his time on Dagobah and is developing into the best version of himself. The undesirable encounters served an organic moment in his character growth (Butler 17). The challenges can be seen as the road of trials that the hero must overcome in order to achieve the ultimate goal. According to Campbell’s monomyth, the protagonist must undergo a series of challenges and struggles that serves as a transformation into a true hero. As showcased by Skywalker, it is normal for a hero to fail some of these tests before overcoming them, an achievement that builds his character and builds a sense of self-confidence.
The last stage in the hero’s journey is the return or the achievement of the ultimate boon. During this stage, the hero achieves whatever he sets his mind upon or the goal he sets out to achieve. The organic growth in character he encountered in the previous scenes reveals itself at this stage. In the next episode, The Return of the Jedi, Skywalker is a very different man. He is very confident and showcases strong faith in the Force (CBC Radio). He stands defiant and turns his weaknesses into strengths – he shows minimal resistance as he gets tortured by the Emperor. In the last scene, Skywalker joins his father, who is standing alongside Ben Kenobi and Yoda. He smiles as he is invited back by Leia to the party. This scene shows the achievement of Skywalker’s dream of the realization of the greater good. Ultimately, he overcomes all the challenges he faces and achieves the ultimate boon by destroying the Empire’s deadliest weapon, the Death Star. Finally, he returns to his community with newfound knowledge and power and has become a full-fledged Jedi Knight. In doing so, he becomes a true hero and fulfills the narrative pattern of the hero’s journey.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Skywalker’s hero’s journey fits into the common narrative patterns and themes identified by Campbell as his life aligns with Campbell’s mono-myth. Skywalker follows the archetypal hero’s journey that consists of several stages – a journey that starts with his exit from the Tatooine planet to become a Jedi Knight. It aligns with Campbell’s theories that highlight other common themes and motifs in myths, such as the absence of parents, the separation of the hero from their community, the encounter with the divine, and the return of the hero to their community with newfound knowledge and power. Throughout the film, Skywalker has a series of encounters with divine or spiritual forces, including his training with the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and his confrontation with the evil Darth Vader. These patterns and themes reflect universal psychological and spiritual truths and can be seen as reflecting the deep significance of myth in human experience.
Works Cited
CBC Radio. “How mythologist Joseph Campbell made Luke Skywalker a hero.” CBC Radio. Accessed December 8, 2022, from https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5262649
Film Inquiry. “Luke Skywalker: The hero of the mono-myth.” Film Inquiry. Accessed December 8, 2022, from https://www.filminquiry.com/luke-skywalker-mono-myth/
Başarıcı, Samsun Mustafa, and Yılmaz Kılıçaslan. “Hero’s journey as a lattice structure: A case study of star wars.” Journal of Balkan Libraries Union 5.2 (2017): 17-23.
Butler, William Connor. “Star Wars and the Hero’s Journey.” Plan II Honors Theses-Openly Available (2019).
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