STAR WARS
1 . Separation , in which the hero is summoned to face a surprising adventure .
2 . Initiation , in which the hero must survive a succession of life- and self-threatening trials and
3 . Return , in which the hero comes back forever changed , restoring life to the world .
Lucas , like fellow director Steven Spielberg , admits a great debt to Campbell . The three stages became the structure of the initial first Star Wars trilogy and the journey of its hero , Luke Skywalker . First , there is the thrilling adventure , A New Hope ; then a dark inner struggle for identity , The Empire Strikes Back ; and finally , a literal Return ( of the Jedi ) in which Luke overcomes existential challenges . Note the parallels with JRR Tolkien ’ s Lord of the Rings ( 1954 ), also a trilogy ending with Return ( of the King ).
Campbell cites this pattern in Chinese , Egyptian , Greek , English , Buddhist and Hindu mythologies , as well as in Judaism , Christianity and Islam . But it is fascinating to discover a particularly compelling example in our tradition that predates most of the others .
On Mount Sinai , our hero , Moses , epitomises the threestage journey . According to Midrash ( Tanchuma , Ki Tisa 31 & Seder Olam Rabbah 6:1 ) each lasted 40 days : 1 . First , fending off angels to receive the Torah ( Talmud , Shabbat 88b ). 2 . Second 40 days after the Golden Calf in which Moses smashes the Tablets and speaks intimately with G-d ( Exodus 33:12-23 ). 3 . After a third period of 40 days , Moses returns with two new Tablets on Yom Kippur , heralding the Day of Divine Forgiveness for evermore .
Remarkably , the lifespan of Moses also follows this pattern : 40 years a promising prince of Egypt ; 40 years an exiled shepherd ; and 40 years our redeemer-teacher , Moshe Rabbenu ( Midrash , Genesis Rabbah 100:10 ). So , Star Wars taps into ancient dramatic currents which can be found in the Torah .
Episode VII : The Force Awakens parallels the return of faith to our post-modern embattled world ; maybe even the ‘ return to history ’ of the Jewish people since 1948 . The more mature Han Solo has now lost his scepticism : “ I used to wonder … [ I ] thought it was a bunch of mumbo-jumbo . A magical power holding together good
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