Nothing You Could Have Done
In the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy, Anakin and Luke Skywalker both suffer the loss of loved parental figures. As they grieve these losses, they receive similar counsel from other characters, but their differing responses illuminate why Anakin falls to the dark side and Luke does not.
In Attack of the Clones, Anakin Skywalker loses his mother, Shmi Skywalker, who dies in captivity in a Tusken Raider camp despite Anakin's efforts to save her. Trying to comfort Anakin as he grieves this loss, Padmé Amidala tells him, "Sometimes, there are things no one can fix. You're not all-powerful, Ani." However, Anakin resists this comfort, refusing to accept that some things are outside his control. He insists that he will become more powerful so that he can stop the ones he loves from dying.
In A New Hope, Luke Skywalker loses his foster parents Owen and Beru Lars, who die in an Imperial raid on their homestead while Luke is away. Not long after, he loses Obi-Wan Kenobi, who dies during his duel with Darth Vader while Luke can only watch from afar. Two wise characters use the same strategy to comfort Luke as he grieves these losses. After the deaths of Owen and Beru, Obi-Wan tells Luke, "There's nothing you could have done." Leia Organa repeats the same phrase to Luke – "There's nothing you could have done" – after Obi-Wan's death. Unlike Anakin, Luke does not resist their consolation and seems to take their words to heart.
Anakin responds to his loss by trying to take responsibility for things that are ultimately beyond his control. This posture of the heart makes him vulnerable to the temptation of the power that Palpatine offers and eventually leads him to the dark side. Luke, however, is consoled when he accepts the reality that he is not all-powerful and there are some things he cannot change.
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Characters: Anakin Skywalker / Leia Organa / Luke Skywalker / Obi-Wan Kenobi / Padmé Amidala
Films: Episode II: Attack of the Clones / Episode IV: A New Hope
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Concepts: grief / loss / power and weakness
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