Star Wars And Lord Of The Rings: A Literary Analysis

There is the small child in every human’s mind just itching for adventure and high fantasy. Whether it be wielding all powerful magical powers, or exploring the vast unknown, people of all ages loves to imagine themselves the hero of their own story. Shooting fireballs from hands, summoning dragons and saving the world, it's inarguable that we love fantasy. And what makes these stories we all hold dear so memorable, but the heroes who occupy them. King Arthur, Gandalf, Sherlock Holmes, Batman, all are heroes in popular culture that we cannot help but admire. The bravery of Prince Phillip in Sleeping Beauty, and the cunning of Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean shows that even though many heroic characters are different, they are all admirable
in their own way. However, some characters are a little more similar then they may appear. Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One from the Star Wars series, and Frodo Baggins, the Chosen One from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, are an example of that. Their similarities range from the tales told about them, to their eventual fall to the dark side and back, to their journey back to the light. Consequently, this is why the Epic Fantasies, The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars have become so immensely popular.
The Lord of the Rings, published in 1954, tells the tale of a young Hobbit named Frodo Baggins on his quest to destroy the One Ring, an all-encompassing evil device. Star Wars, the Epic Space Opera released in 1977, weaves a powerful story of Anakin Skywalker, and his journey from the light side to the dark, on his quest to bring balance to The Force. These two characters both exhibit many of the same qualities, from their traits to their heroics. However, both shared an experience in their tales that to this day make audiences everywhere continue to love them. Frodo and Anakin's journey to the dark side and back, how they overcome and reached their goal, is something which many are given hope from every
day. Frodo and Anakin both had to go through incredible adversity to reach their final goal. After all, without adversity, there would be no real story. Though, interestingly enough, both of them had to face a different kind of adversity then one might think. Frodo's story is riddled with action, suspense, and choice. He fights his way through his journey facing Orcs, a Balrog, some Nazgul, and a giant spider named Shelob. Through every one he prevails. However, his strongest adversary, which ultimately led him to evil was himself. The same goes for Anakin. On his quest to become the chosen one and bring balance to The Force he would face bounty hunters, massive robotic armies, lightsaber wielding sith-lords, and his own son, Luke. Nevertheless, just the same as Mr. Baggins, his biggest adversary to face was himself. Anakin's lust for power and control ultimately became what led him to the dark side. Anakin became society's poster boy of evil, Darth Vader. The adversities these two characters faced, though different, are also quite similar. Regardless, each overcame their struggles to fulfill their quest. Now, in each story the hero is shown to struggle immensely, eventually falling into each of his respective dark sides. Anakin had the most profound fall of the two. Being The Chosen One, or the savior of the galaxy at such a young age opened him up to a few negative traits. Selfness, lust for power, and pride fullness were just a few emotions Anakin let run rampant in his life. Emotions are not in themselves bad, but when acted upon they become dastardly things. So was true with young Skywalker. He acted upon his emotions, killing many innocents and instating a new Empire. However, he lost his wife, his purpose, his mentor, and on top of that, all four limbs. Anakin would then become Darth Vader, a robotic, dark slave to the dark side, for the next twenty years of his life. Yet, despite his fall, and despite everything that happened to him, in the end Anakin still found his way back to the light. He ended up fulfilling his purpose, ultimately dying to destroy the Dark Side, dismantle the evil Empire he created, and bring balance to The Force. Despite the evil he endured, Anakin Skywalker came back to the light, and became the hero he was always meant to be. Frodo did indeed suffer, not quite as drastically, as he lost a finger and must live with a lifelong ebbing wound. Both these heroes are shown to live with the consequence of falling. Without conflict, there would be no story.
Without stories, where would imagination be? The tales so expertly woven by J.R Tolkien and George Lucas illustrate the very thing that makes heroes great. Heroes do not become legends by sitting and doing nothing. Ordinary people do not become great by saying someone else will do it. No, heroes like Frodo and Anakin show that heroes are not born, but made. They show that in every story there will be adversity, pain, and struggles. However, they also show that with every hardship, there is hope. Hope at a better future, and that every quest, no matter how humble or how complex, can be completed with just a little perseverance. Humans nowadays like to dream of being the knight in shining armor, or the Disney princess who saves her kingdom, yet seem to think that those are impossible goals. What they don’t realize, is that every single one of them can be heroes in their lives. All it takes is finding the quest, and going for
it.