Oh you mentioned Ben Solo and it made me curious since you do not talk of the Sequels very much.What are your thoughts on his character and Ben dying since you mentioned the difficulty of redeemed characters
Lmao I’m going to be very controversal here. I don’t talk about the sequels a lot because I think prequels fans do the same thing that OG fans did to the prequels when they first came out,which is be unreasonably rude and hateful about them. I like the sequels. Call me weird but I happen to be a Star Wars fan that actually likes Star Wars. Do I think they should have done things differently,were there things I really didn’t like and inconsistencies because of the change of directors? Yes,but I still love them and think there’s some beautiful and fun stuff they added to the gffa. Like porgs and BB8 and Oscar Isaac’s thiccc ass.
I also liked Kylo Ren. I don’t think his character was as well fleshed out as Anakin’s but listen,I study literature and story telling and archetypes in history and culture and when I sat in the theater watching The Force Awakens And he pulled off his helmet I said,oh,he’s going to get a redemption arc. I understand people disagreeing with it and not liking it,but the fact is, it was written into his character arc from the very beginning and I don’t think it was terribly deep or subversive to pick up on it. Star Wars is very blunt about how it uses the physicality of its characters to convey good and bad,like Anakin’s progression of becoming more machine as he slowly succumbs to the dark side. So when Kylo pulled off his helmet and he was young and pretty I thought,oh yeah for sure,the symbolism is all there that he’s going to get a redemption arc,because he is unmarred. And the wounds he does earn are healed in the end,unlike Anakin who keeps his.
And I think what some people don’t understand is that for a character to get a redemption arc,that does not mean they are excused for their atrocities or that other characters must forgive or excuse what they did. A redemption arc is an internal thing,it’s a fulfillment of character where the person realizes that they were in the wrong and they seek to redeem themselves,often through actions of good or self sacrifice. A very important component is forgiveness,not from other characters but from themselves. Self hate is not a path to healing,even when a person has done something horrible,that’s self torment and only internalized negativity and malice and hatred. By all the classic literary definitions Kylo/Ben gets his redemption arc,and he doesn’t need the forgiveness of others to do it,he merely needs to accept his wrong,repent and then give himself to good/good actions.
I understand that it’s very difficult to deal with a redeemed character who has committed atrocities. Because while the narrative/character arc is a personal thing,that doesn’t mean that the other characters will accept the redemption. And very understandably so,especially in the case of someone like Kylo Ren,who murdered his father and ruled an empire of blood and slavery. The truth is a path of good and redemption doesn’t end when the character reaches their climax of fulfillment/self actualization,because you reap what you sow and there are consequences to the wrongs you do. In a narrative as fast paced and focused as Star Wars,it’s more difficult to take this villain who finds peace and redemption within themself and then be like,and now they must go off to exist in the world they’ve created,and they must face their crimes and their hurt and it will be a battle every day for the rest of their life.
That being said,I wish the finale had the narrative strength to break the mold of a common redemption arc for Ben. Because I think killing him was the easy way out,because the answer of what do you do with this character when they have to face the music is a difficult one. And I do think Kylo’s arc mirrored Vader’s very closely,and in the end I would have liked to seen the mirroring character arcs break with how the self sacrifice and redemption plays out in the end. Because I think a more nuanced way to examine Ben’s redemption and sacrifice is to say that,his ultimate sacrifice would have been living and standing up to his wrongs in the world he created. His sacrifice could have been keeping to the light side of the force in a galaxy where he murdered his father and his mother and uncle died for him and he destroyed peace and happiness and life for billions-if not trillions. When Anakin finds his redemption and dies,he really doesn’t have a life to give to the light and his death makes sense. He is middle aged and kept alive by machines and doesn’t stand to live a long life because of his wounds and his redemption is the ultimate act of selflessness because of love,where his entire life was selfish decisions made for love. I’m not saying Ben’s end actions were any different from Anakin’s,they both chose to forfeit their lives for someone who deserved to live and who helped bring them to the light. But Ben had a long life before him that I personally think would have made for a phenomenal narrative impact and would have shown an incredible strength and deftness of writing; if he spent it fighting for the light and facing the consequences of turning to the dark side.
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