000-1The hero’s return

The ‘hero’s return’ marks the end of the ‘road of trails’. The hero must return from his adventures with the means to benefit his society. Luke comes home to Tatooine to rescue Han from Jabba the Hutt. This is not an easy transition for Luke; his new-found abilities as a Jedi Knight are doubted by friend and for alike.

As the story continues, all the character undergo changes: Han is resurrected from his carbonite tomb, Lando makes up for his betrayal of Han by helping to rescue him, and Leia assures the end of Jabba’s reign of tyranny by

 

001-1The shadow rises

The heroes are not the only ones who can undergo change and rebirth. The forces of evil can also recoup their power and grow with new strength. While the Rebels continue to struggle against Imperial tyranny, the Empire is constructing a new Death Star. A final confrontation must now take place. The forces of good, represented by Mom Mothma, leader of Rebel Alliance, and those of evil, led by the Emperor, regroup to plan their strategies. Luke discovers that Leia, who has guided and supported him throughout his journey, is his twin sister. In many ways she represents his positive ‘anima’, the personification of the feminine aspects of his psyche. He also find he must confront Vader again. Yet when they make mind-to-mind contact through the Force, Vader appears uncertain rather than aggressive – a sign that he is beginning a transformation.

002-1The enchanted forest

The inhabitants of an ‘enchanted forest’ can be both dangerous and helpful. The hero must know the right magic to evoke their protective powers. Luke wins the help of the Ewoks, the small furry inhabitants of the forest moon of Endor.

The Ewoks prove that heroes can come in any size or shape. They battle the high technology of the Empire with logs, stones and vines. Their lush green environment and harmony with nature make a warm contrast to the cold, austere technology of the Empire. The Ewoks help the Rebels deactivate the Death Star’s energy shield generator, so Lando can fly into the Death Star and bomb the reactor core.

Meanwhile, Luke realizes that he must set out on a different path from his friends to attempt to reach that part of Vader that is still his father and to turn him back from the dark side.

003-1The heart of darkness

The heroes must at least enter the ‘ heart of darkness’, the fortes of evil itself, to destroy its stronghold.

When Han and Leia finally destroy the energy shield generator, Lando and Wedge fly into the Death Star to fire on the reactor core at the center of the space station. While conflict rages around the Death Star, Luke struggles with the dark forces within the Death Star, where he is undergoing a spiritual conflict in his battle of will with the Emperor.

The final Victory

The destruction of evil is not always accomplished by sheer physical force or cunning. There is always hope that those who have given themselves to the forces of darkness can be redeemed. In his confrontation with Vader and the Emperor, Luke wins not through his warrior skills, but through an appeal to his father’s heart. It is Vader who slay the Emperor to save his son.

Masks are frequently part of mythic ritual and Darth Vader’s release from the imprisonment of his role, a release that comes for only at the moment of death. Yet this gesture is also an affirmation of life, the final opening up of father to son.

As the Rebels and Ewoks celebrate their victory over the Empire, Luke burns his father’s armour on a funeral pyre. The spirit of Luke’s father, Anakin Skywalker, joins the spirit of Ben and Yoda. Luke has achieved the final triumph of the mythic hero’s journey – he has brought back from his adventures the means of the regeneration of his society.

Humanity has triumphed over a repressive, monolithic system, and Luke, through his hero’s journey has opened his heart to compassion and succeeded in following a spiritual path between light and dark, good and evil.