The image of Vader conjures up many different images for Star Wars fans and the general public. Fear, terror, power, and anger are all commonly associated with him. Before the advent of the prequel trilogy, one would be hard-pressed to find an alternative view of Vader or profess sympathy for him. As the prequel trilogy unfolded, our understanding of the tragic and tumultuous life of Anakin Skywalker/Vader deepened. However, few would concede that Anakin in the Vader suit is anything but a force of evil, a hideous monster to be despised. But there is another possibility that explains his condition as Vader, a possibility drawn from Christian theology -- despair. As Vader, Anakin Skywalker dwells in a state of despair.
According to The Catholic Encyclopedia, despair is defined as “the voluntary and complete abandonment of all hope of saving one’s soul and of having the means for that end” (The Catholic Encyclopedia). The “Sin of Despair” or the “Sin Against the Holy Spirit” was one of great concern to early Christians because as Baird Tipson indicates in the Harvard Theological Review, “Jesus had plainly insisted that there was one sin -- the sin against the Holy Spirit -- that could never be forgiven” (301). As such, those who die with such a sin on their conscience must suffer eternal punishment. But, the theology behind the ”Sin Against the Holy Spirit” developed into multiple parts over time. Tipson gives a condensed history of this development, noting the pertinent biblical passages, the contributions of Augustine, Peter Lombard, and Thomas Aquinas, and stating the six basic facets of the sin: despair, presumption, impenitence, obstinacy, resisting the known truth, and envy of another’s good will (304-307). However, he also notes that Augustine made it quite clear that no reprobate is beyond the mercy of God -- “as long as a spark of life remained God might yet bring the most notorious sinner to repentance” (trans in Tipson 306). This is an important distinction because it lies at the heart of Anakin’s return to the light side at the end of Return of the Jedi.
But before exploring that, it is necessary to continue looking at the theological underpinnings of despair. Susan Snyder in “The Left Hand of God: Despair in the Medieval Tradition” writes that there is an inherent paradox within despair in that "an awareness of and sorrow for past sin, always the first step of fallen man on his way to salvation, may lead him into such self-loathing that he feels -- and therefore is -- beyond the reach of God’s mercy” (20). She notes that while excessive sorrow was once considered a deadly sin, remorse is necessary for repentance and offers as evidence John Cassian’s “distinction between useful sorrow that works for greater perfection and a deadly kind that expends itself in unproductive grief and destroys the fruits of the Holy Spirit...One is humble, obedient, patient, and forbearing; the other is impatient, full of rancor, ineffective, irrational” (trans in Snyder 21). The last half of that sentence could certainly apply to Anakin in Revenge of the Sith as his anxiety and grief propels him into “irrational” and “rancorous” behavior. Indeed, I would argue that Anakin’s desperation (related to despair linguistically) drives his fateful decisions far more than any lust for power despite what Obi-Wan says to him on Mustafar.
Like Faust, Anakin makes a pact with the devil, but unlike Faust he does not covet wealth and prestige. Rather, he seeks to protect the one he loves from dying. His pride in thinking that he can cheat death combined with his incredible rage and sorrow constitute despair. And that is what imprisons him in the Vader suit for over twenty years. This is not to suggest that Anakin’s crimes are unworthy of punishment, but that repentance and forgiveness are always available for the truly contrite. Faust fails to grasp this truth in Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus. Even though he swears an oath to the devil in exchange for worldly favors, there are several opportunities for him to repent of his sins and return to God. John McCloskey in “The theme of Despair in Marlowe’s Faustus” argues that Faust “succumbed to temptation because of his lust for more than human knowledge and power. But that is not the reason for his final fall. If he repents and begs God’s forgiveness, he will yet be saved, will escape hell, and will avoid the consequence of his contract with the devil” (111-2). However, Faust fails to believe that he can be forgiven, choosing instead to believe that it is too late, and ultimately ends up in hell.
Fortunately, Anakin does not maintain such a rigid view; otherwise there would be no possibility for redemption and the story would end much like Faust’s. But, Anakin doesn’t just wake up one morning in a state of despair, nor does he desire such worldly pleasures that would lead him to make a pact with the devil. Rather, Anakin’s despair grows over the entire course of the prequel trilogy. One of the sentiments expressed about Othello at the end of the play also applies to Anakin in that like Othello, Anakin “loved not wisely, but too well” (Shakespeare). Anakin feels very deeply for those who are dear to him, and that intense feeling can and does ignite despair when someone he loves is threatened or injured. For instance in The Phantom Menace, Anakin is concerned that he might not ever see his mother again. She tells him to search his heart to see whether he will see her again, and his response is not entirely positive. He says, “I hope so,” (TPM). He then tells Padmé and the Jedi Council that he misses his mother, cries at Qui-Gon’s funeral, and worries about his future when he talks to Obi-Wan. None of these inherently suggest desperation, but taken together they paint a portrait of a melancholy youth. Melancholy (an excess of black bile) is characterized by extreme sorrow and depression. It’s not difficult to see the connection between excessive sorrow and despair for one certainly feeds into the other.
Unfortunately, Anakin’s proclivity toward melancholy is further emphasized in Attack of the Clones. He is moody, moping, whiny, and prone to extreme bouts of sappy troth plighting as he navigates his way into Padmé’s heart. His anguish in the fireplace scene, much maligned by fans and critics alike, perfectly reveals his melancholy state of mind. He tells her that he “can’t breathe” when he’s around her, and that he “wishes” he could divest himself of his feelings. After she rejects his advances, he appears crestfallen, and remarks that if their love were found out “it would destroy us” (AOTC). Anakin does not speak lightly; his words are always impassioned, always intense, always definitive. It’s all or nothing for him, which is why he suffers loss so profoundly.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the scene where he discovers his dying mother. At first he’s tender and loving, but as soon as Shmi dies, a maelstrom of emotions pass over his face and he becomes blindly enraged, slaughtering every single Tusken in the camp. Later on, he is remorseful, but his incredible anger, born out of despair for the loss of his mother, is a portent of things to come. A glimpse of that is also present in the battle of Geonosis when Padmé falls out of the gunship. Anakin is frantic, desperate to go back and save her, and Obi-Wan barely gets him under control. Although George Lucas chose not to give us an explanation on film as to why Anakin and Padmé decided to marry, one could surmise that the decision was born out of desperation and the fear of loss.
If this is true, then it makes the events in Revenge of the Sith all the more powerful where Anakin’s overwhelming despair of losing his wife leads him to make his fateful choice. His fear of loss completely overrides his sense as he screams and cuts off Mace’s hand, effectively choosing Palpatine over the Jedi. He knows that he has made a terrible choice, utters, “What have I done?” (ROTS) and falls to his knees. From that moment on, Anakin acts as if there is no other choice. Even when Padmé tries to reason with him on Mustafar, he does not see that there are other alternatives. Like Faust, Anakin knows that his choice has consequences, but unlike Faust, Anakin does not get to reap the benefits of the deal he makes. His beloved wife dies anyway, and his incredible scream of anguish at the end of Sith seals his fate, at least in his mind. This is apparent in his conversations with his son in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. He tells Luke that “it’s the only way” (ESB) and that “it’s too late for me, son” (ROTJ), but it isn’t too late for Anakin. His son breaks through his despair with powerful love, and releases Anakin from his torment. At the end of Jedi, all of Anakin’s wrongs are forgiven and his spirit is redeemed by the saving act of his son’s love.
Love is the means by which Anakin returns to the light side. Because his son is able to free his heart from constraints and release the love that was once there, Anakin is eligible for redemption, and as such his spirit joins with others who died in the light. This is akin to the Christian concept previously mentioned that God can find a way to lead even the most sinful to salvation if there is an opening (Tipson 306). Despair, then, does not have to lead to eternal damnation. It can be forgiven, but only if the sinner is repentant and recognizes that it is possible. This is exactly what happens to Anakin when he admits to his son “you were right” and states that Luke has already saved him (ROTJ). In the final moments of his life, Anakin is sorry for his misdeeds and recognizes that there is still good within him, paving the way for redemption. Twenty years of despair, imprisoned in a cage made from his wrath, impatience, and pride come to an end with that final act of love. And that is how we should see Anakin/Vader, as a victim of despair, redeemed by love.
Works Cited
“Despair” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Online Edition. 27 October 2005. <http:www.newadvent.org>.
Lucas, George. Star Wars, Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Perf. Ewan MacGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen. Twentieth Century Fox, 2002.
Star Wars, Epsiode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Perf. Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill. Twentieth Century Fox, 1980.
Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Perf. Jake Lloyd, Ewan MacGregor, Liam Neeson. Twentieth Century Fox,1999.
Star Wars, Epsiode VI: Return of the Jedi. Perf. Harrison Ford, .Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher. Twentieth Century Fox, 1982.
Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Perf. Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Ewan MacGregor. Twentieth Century Fox, 2005.
McCloskey, John C. “The Theme of Despair in Marlowe’s Faustus.” College English 4:2 (1942) 110-3. JSTOR. The Catholic University of America. Washington DC. 27 October 2005. <http:www.jstor.org>
Shakespeare, William. Othello.
Snyder, Susan. “The Left Hand of God: Despair In Medieval and Renaissance Tradition.” Studies in the Renaissance. 12 (1965) 18-59. JSTOR. The Catholic University of America. Washington DC. 27 October 2005. <http:www.jstor.org>
Tipson, Baird. “A Dark Side of Seventeenth-Century English Protestantism: The Sin Against the Holy Spirit.” The Harvard Theological Review. 77:3/4 (1984) 310-30. JSTOR. The Catholic University of America. Washington DC. 27 October 2005. <http:www.jstor.org>
