Hmm, that was nicely written. I appreciate well-expressed writing (as a writer myself).
There are just a few parts I wish to discuss.
One, I am more than aware as to what a tragic flaw is, having written a handful of essays on tragic heroes throughout high school. And I've read Things Fall Apart years ago, as well (RIP Ikemefuna!). What made Okonkwo compelling and a classic tragic hero was, as you mentioned, his venerable characteristics (strength, courage, dedication) mixed with his flaw(s) (his fear of becoming like Unoka [effeminate, weak, useless]; his inability to change with the European arrival).
However, in the movies, Anakin's admirable qualities failed to appear. His emotional personality and flaws dominated his redeemable traits to the extent he comes off as completely unsympathetic to the audience.
I understand what you are saying, but I have some reservations on the terms you describe Anakin's positive qualities.
1. "Strong-willed." Sure, he is determined to get the things he wants. But he's rather obstinate instead.
2. "Loyal?" He is only loyal to Padme and Shmi. Apart from those two, he disobeys Obi-Wan time and time again. He disobeys Windu and screws him later. He betrays the entire Jedi Council by revealing its motives to Palpatine. And then of course he backstabs the entire Order. He is rapacious to the extent that he will throw away any bonds of allegiance to secure his desires.
3. "Intensely uncomfortable with dishonesty." True, except the ironic scene in which he finds out Palpatine completely deceived the entire galaxy (and orchestrated a war that caused titanic destruction and casualties), spares him, and later accepts him as his master because he needed to get what he wanted from Sidious.
As I wrote in Revan-Anakin thread:
"In the Prequel Trilogy, especially in AOTC, Anakin is depicted as querulous, creepy, arrogant, and rapacious. His attitude doesn’t improve in ROTS, except that he has become extremely gullible. His fear of losing Padme, ultimately a product of his unsympathetic personality, leads to his fall to the Dark Side. There is almost nothing ‘tragic’ about his downfall; yes, he wanted to save the one he loved. However, he was blinded by intoxicating, unnatural attachment. "
Anakin seemed to be falling the moment we see him in AOTC. This is why I said this earlier: "What makes it tragic is the character's intentions and personality beforehand that becomes twisted as a result of his/her actions and experiences."
Except, nothing becomes twisted. It starts off that way without any explanation in the movie other than Obi-Wan's orthodox teachings (which are shown to be perfectly competent and logical to the viewers)
I agree with your ABC explanation. That was nicely done. It's just the notion that Jinn might have prevented Anakin from becoming terribly angst-y is never once hinted at in the movie, and instead we see Anakin acting like a brat and Kenobi trying his best to get his Padawan to grow the fvck up.
__________________
BlackZero30x created this a-'Maize'-ing signature! =)
I find myself agreeing with this, only because AotC Anakin was generally an unlikable character. His petulant nature throughout drove a wedge between him and others around him, and had it been better balanced with compassion and understanding, he would have been far more likable.
Being obstinate and being strong-willed are not mutually exclusive though. To have survived and thrived in his younger life as a slave required willpower to avoid giving up or being crushed. He retained that defiant strength throughout his youth and into adulthood. Just because he's head strong and self centered doesn't mean he's weak-willed. The power to force his body to crawl up that sand while burning and in mortal danger on Mustafar speaks for itself.
Anakin's sense of loyalty is made difficult to detect because of his self-centered moral code, but it's still present. In RotS, he refuses to leave Obi-Wan behind, showing fierce loyalty in the face of Palpatine's suggestion to bring his master back from certain death. He is loyal to Padme in the sense that he doesn't cheat on her, he clings to her. True, his version of love is horribly flawed, but it is arguably loyal nonetheless. His love for his mother was the strongest and most enduring.
This strong conviction, had it been in a man less selfish, would have been an honorable trait.
This does align with Anakin's troublesome moral code though. He views everything in the galaxy as how it pertains to him and ultimately his need for Palpatine's cure transcends whatever subjective beliefs he has about political deception.
That being said, Anakin's lack of falsehoods is not because it's immoral, but because he doesn't see the need for obfuscation and manipulation. This is a guy who routinely attacks everything head-on.
Obi-Wan's teachings seem very logical, and had Anakin been raised as a Jedi and not as a slave with his mother, he likely would have succeeded. But Obi-Wan's failure to teach Anakin is reflective of the failure of the Order as a whole to adapt to students who are not raised into obedience.
Qui-Gon certainly does seem to be more likely to identify with and guide Anakin. He's both wise and perceptive, and he maintains the mentor-student distance appropriately. It's sometimes best to match the student with a teacher closer to their learning style. Mace would be too strict and unyielding. Yoda would be too cryptic, always stressing vague unknowns and patience. Obi-Wan, well... we saw what happened there. He could not control Anakin. Qui-Gon, of the Jedi we know, would have had the best chance.
But I still think Palpatine/Sidious played a bigger part in his eventual fall, and regardless of teachers, the Sith were too well entrenched and too powerful to be denied.
Aug 17th, 2011 02:38 AM
