A long time ago… Luke was on the Road Star Wars was a low budget science-fiction film that became a blockbuster box office success. The movie has been extremely popular with all cultures and ages for several decades. As well as being popular Star Wars also conveys many important themes. I believe one of the more prominent themes throughout the movie is the classic hero journey.
The hero journey is a major part of stories and myths throughout the world. Both primitive and modern cultures use hero journeys as the basis for stories. The three main parts of a hero journey are the departure, the initiation, and the return. Luke’s departure is caused by a variety of factors. Luke’s eventual departure is set in motion by the purchase of two androids that were previously involved in the rebellion.
Luke receives a call to aid in the form of a prerecorded message stored in one of the android’s memory. Luke finds a traveling companion and a teacher in Obi-wan Kenobi. Luke is hesitant to leave his home planet until the empire kills his Aunt and Uncle, leaving him no option but to fight. Luke’s next step is initiation.
Luke goes through many initiations during his journey. He is initiated to the loss of loved ones with the deaths of his Aunt and Uncle and eventually Obi-wan. He is initiated to the way the world really works by spending time in the Mos Eisley Cantina. He is also initiated to battle during the groups amazing escape from the Death star. The final step in Luke’s journey is the return. Luke’s return most certainly takes place at the end of the movie.
The Essay on The story of an archetypal hero in Star Wars
The story of an archetypal hero has been told and written various times throughout history by unique and unrelated cultures. We have all heard the story about “Superman,” “Indiana Jones,” and other stories of an archetypal hero. What makes these stories alike? Joseph Campbell defines an archetypal hero in his book “The Hero With A Thousand Faces.” The archetypal ...
It seems all might be lost as Darth Vader has wiped out all the fighters except for Luke. Darth is moving Luke into his sights when Han Solo and the Millennium Falcon appear and remove all threats to Luke’s safety. He is able to fire the successful shot and make his return to the rebel base. Much as you might expect Luke receives a hero’s welcome and is honored at a huge ceremony. Star Wars is an extremely popular movie with many underlying themes. I believe that the hero journey is the most important theme in the movie.
Luke goes through all three parts of the hero journey, the departure, the initiation, and the return.
