Thursday, April 25, 2013
Adoption Movie Guide: The Empire Strikes Back
This is the fifth in a series of six adoption-themed movie
reviews on the Star Wars series. Some background: Around 40 years ago, there
was no father. Anakin left his mother to be raised by a group of
philosopher/warriors called Jedi; he returned to find that his mother had been
kidnapped. He found her, but she died in his arms. Anakin grew very angry and,
following his anger, he betrayed the Jedi and became devoted to his new mentor,
the Emperor, an evil Sith lord, who renamed Anakin “Darth Vader.” Anakin had married, but his wife died in
childbirth while giving birth to twins, Luke and Leia. When Anakin learned of
this, he grew even more angry and even more inextricably linked to his evil
master. Twenty or so years passed, and Anakin’s two children have survived.
They are raised separately and do not know of each other, or of the truth about
their father. Leia was raised by politicians and is a princess. Luke is raised
by extended family members. As young adults, Luke and Leia are engaged in a war
against their father’s forces. They meet each other and, without realizing that
they are siblings, fight side-by-side and develop feelings for each other. In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke and Darth
Vader learn about each other. Darth Vader searches for Luke. When they meet,
Luke learns the truth that Darth Vader is his father.
How is This Relevant
to Adoption?
Luke’s family and his mentor, Obi-Wan (Ben) Kenobi, lied to
him about his father. Ben told Luke that Anakin was killed by Darth Vader. Now, Luke
finds out the truth. While they are dueling, Darth Vader tells Luke, “Obi-Wan never
told you what happened to your father.” Luke replies, “He told me enough. He
told me you killed him.” And Vader responds with the crushing, iconic line,
“No. I am your father.” Luke screams, expresses his disbelief, and rather than
joining his father, falls to his likely death. Although he survives, he cannot
force thoughts of Darth Vader from his mind, and tearfully asks, “Ben, why
didn’t you tell me?”
Darth Vader is obsessed with finding Luke. He has been
ordered by the Emperor to bring Luke into the Emperor’s service. Vader is a
very gifted Jedi, and so the Emperor believes Luke will be, as well. Vader’s
mixed motives are apparent – he wishes to rule the galaxy with his son, and also
has extreme allegiance to the Emperor. He declares that Luke will “join us or
die.”
Strong Points
There is a strong sense of loyalty between Luke and his
friends.
Luke is advised not to give into his anger.
Challenges
Some children in foster and adoptive families do not know
their birthfathers. In many circumstances, they don’t even know much about their birthfathers. Like Luke,
they are given little information or even misinformation – and, as with Luke,
this is often done in an effort to protect the child’s feelings. Luke thought about his father all the time, and
seemed to have deeply-held knowledge of the truth; in a vision, he sees his own
face inside of Darth Vader’s mask. Luke grieves that he was not told the truth
about his father. Children without knowledge of their birthfathers may
experience life much like Luke – their thoughts and fears are left unspoken, hidden
from friends and family who mistake questions as unhealthy and mistake silence as
a healthy lack of questions. This film could help parents become more sensitive
to the inner thoughts of their children. It points out that keeping secrets doesn’t
stop a child from having questions.
Young adoptees viewing this movie might find it difficult: it
seems to confirm their fears about birthfathers – after all, when Luke finally
meets his father, they meet as enemies. Even before they meet, Vader is
unpredictably violent – which might play into specific stereotypes of
birthfathers from which children may draw their own fears.
Luke and Leia share a kiss in this movie, without realizing that
they are siblings. Some adoptees worry that they may be attracted to someone
without knowing that the person is biologically related to them. The
relationship between Luke and Leia isn’t played up in this scene, but it still
could be troubling for more observant viewers.
Weak Points
Small children might find some scenes scary; Luke is mauled
by a Yeti, and his hand is cut off in a duel with Darth Vader.
Recommendations
Parents watching this film could reflect on how Luke’s life
might have been different had secrets not been kept from him.
For adoptees, the film might touch on fears related to
beliefs about the birthfather, or on fears related to accidental attraction to
an unknown sibling. While these fears are not universally held, they are very
real for some adoptees, and they might seem particularly unpleasant, shameful,
or difficult to talk about. The best way
to help is to ask directly, “some kids have worries about this – do you?” Be
willing to take “no” for an answer. If your child does have worries, listen to
them, show that you understand them, and help them find information that could
help them understand their fears.
Questions for
Discussion After the Film
How do you feel about how Luke found out that Darth Vader
was his father? What would have been a better time / situation for him to learn
this? Was it realistic of his family to believe that he would never learn?
Luke wondered aloud Ben, didn’t tell him that Darth Vader was
his father. What do you think Ben’s answer would be? Do you think that answer
is right?
For teens:
Luke thought about his father often. He had lots of
questions. What questions do you have about your birthfather?
Luke and Leia kissed without realizing that they were
brother and sister. Some kids who are adopted worry about that happening to
them, and some don’t worry about it because it’s not very likely to happen.
What about you?
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As a Star Wars nerd I enjoy reading these :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rachel :) I never owned a lightsaber. But I wanted one.
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