I’m being torn apart. I want to be free of this pain. I know what I have to do but I don’t know if I have the strength to do it. Will you help me?
The double meaning in these lines is so obvious nobody even comments on it. It’s what gives the scene tension: if Kylo means one thing, the scene will end happily, but if he means the other thing, the scene will end horribly.
There’s actually three possible meanings, depending on how you think Kylo plans to get free of his pain. “What I have to do” could mean:
1) Rejecting the dark side by surrendering to Han,
2) Rejecting the light side by killing Han, or
3) Refusing either side and killing himself.
I wouldn’t even have thought of option #3 if this scene didn’t remind me so much of Act 5, Scene 1 of Doctor Faustus. It’s as if the filmmakers took that scene from Faustus and put it in a blender.
In that scene, Faustus, who has sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for magical powers, faces the hour of reckoning when he must pay the Devil what he owes. And of course he’s terrified. On the one hand, he repents, and he’d take it all back if he could. A saintly old man even appears to tell him it’s not too late to ask for God’s mercy. But the Devil’s agent, Mephistophilis, appears and hands Faustus a dagger, which represents despair. The dagger as a conventional sign for despair is both symbolic and literal. Translation: there’s no chance God will forgive you even if you beg, so you may as well kill yourself and embrace damnation.
In TFA, all the same elements are there: the young man torn between good and evil, the old man offering mercy and a reminder that it’s “not too late,” the extended weapon. But in TFA, it’s like Kylo and Han take turns playing Faustus. One moment, it’s Kylo who teeters on the edge of hope and despair. The next moment, he’s holding out the dagger as a Mephistophelean lure and it’s Hanwho has to choose.
This actually makes sense, cuz Han isn’t the saintly agent of light who comes to remind Faustus (Kylo) of God’s universal promise. Han never had much faith that Kylo could turn back from the dark side, and when he steps out on that bridge, he still clearly thinks the odds are long. (It’s his lack of faith that makes it such a beautiful character moment for him. Cuz Han started as the reluctant hero who would only back the side with a chance of winning…but he ends attempting something he’s almost certain will kill him, purely motivated by love.)
So it isn’t Kylo but Han who makes the suicidal grab for the dagger. And Han grabbing the lightsaber is an act that expresses hope, not despair. Or maybe it just expresses unconditional love for his kid, whether Kylo is dark or light. See what I mean about the blender? I don’t know where this Faustus stuff gets me, but there you go. I mean, was there ever a chance Kylo might throw himselfoff that bridge, or was option #3 only ever a faint, spectral idea that nobody but readers of Marlowe would consider? Maybe people smarter than me will be able to make something of all this.
Agree 100% and I’d like to add that this was the only scene in the movie where I was truly surprised by the narrative I legitimately didn’t know how it was going to play out. Kylo was being sincere and his words had 3 different meanings (as mentioned by OP). It was truly unpredictable.
@emmyjeanb and I were talking about this scene last night, because I had seen a post where someone said Han’s faith in his son was what got him killed and the lesson was no one should believe he is capable of returning. Now, putting aside what a bleak moral that would be, if true, I think it takes away from what a heroic act Han committed. Because he was terrified and unsure but he did it anyway, because he loved his son and his wife too much to not try
And the takeaway may be that Han’s love resulted in his death but I in no way think that the story is indicting that love or Leia’s faith.
OKAY I HAVE TO CONFESS–
THE FIRST TIME I SAW TFA I THOUGHT KYLO WAS GOING TO KILL HIMSELF. i knew that the foreshadowing was beating us over the head that han was going to die, but in the heat of the moment, the way adam delivered those lines, how profoundly sad he looked and the self-loathing kylo ren as a character displayed–i really thought that suicide was an option. so it’s interesting to see this interpretation reinforcing my initial thought of what he could mean
FFUCK!! CAN EVERYONE STOP WITH THE SAD TONIGHT BECAUSE YOU KNOW IN THE BOOK THAT WAS PRETTY MUCH HAN’S THOUGHT TOO AT THAT MOMENT I CAN’T HANDLE THIS RIGHT NOW!! D;
Schmi’s death was Anakin’s first step into the darkness. Maybe Han’s death will be Ben’s first step back out of it.
Even Satan got a tragic backstory so we could understand why the light-bringing angel fell from grace and people on the internet are complaining about the possibility of character development for Kylo Ren.
On one hand when you say it like that ………
But on the other hand lucifer didn’t kill Han Solo, Kylo Ren did.
So “killing Han Solo” is worse than being the literal Devil and the evil incarnate in occidental culture. I love tumblr’s moral alignment. It’s hilarious and more chaotic that Kylo Ren’s behavior in The Force Awakens.
“Kylo Ren is the worse than the actual devil” –Tumblr dot com
“Better to be the Father of Lies than the dude who killed Han Solo, lmao.”
– John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book One, Line 263
I’ve never seen such a succinct and transparent explanation of why certain quarters don’t like the idea of a redeemed Kylo: he killed somebody they thought was cool when they first watched the films when they were 7, and that’s unforgivable. Apparently
It all comes down to Han Solo. Never mind the fact that Kylo immediately regretted that decision after (which Adam Driver conveyed perfectly, I might add – but apparently some people need to be spoon-fed because subtext and micro-expressions aren’t enough of a give away.)
Or the fact that he admits to feeling the pull to the Light/being torn apart.
Or the fact that he’s a victim of child grooming and years of manipulation/conditioning thanks to Snoke.
Or the fact that he’s Han and Leia’s son and people should absolutely want him to have a redemption arc and for Han’s death to have meaning – for Han to have, in the end, succeeded in what he set out to do when he confronted Kylo: bringing Ben home.
But no. Kylo Ren killing ~Han Solo~ is so unforgivable that it makes him worse than Satan.
People do realise that –if Ford had had his say– Han wouldn’t even have survived RotJ, right? Ford was giddy for Han to die a meaningful death. Which he did! (You might say… The Ford willed it, so who is the true villain here :P)
Kylo/Ben immediately regretted his decision (as was already stated above) and realising that he was very much not at ‘peace’ with killing his father as he made himself believe beforehand added to the character’s conflict. I don’t think it is a mere coincidence that Snoke wants Kylo to be brought to him as soon as possible. The old snake probably felt that conflict ripple through the force (that snitch!) and needs to make sure that his dominance/grip will not falter. Which of course it will, because Snoke is the Sauron/Palpatine of the new triology and I can’t wait for him to go up in flames.
So yeah, Han’s death might have turned Ben into the direction of his way back home. If one of the coolest scoundrels who ever lived had to die, I am glad his death will have the desired goal: Getting that boy home back to his mother, resulting Han to make good on his promise.
And by saying that a redemption arc is stupid and Kylo being worse than Satan… you just spat into your dead heroes face!
I’ve always thought the entire purpose of Han’s death is to set forth the redemption arc. This “wicked act” had to happen and Kylo had to do it. Kylo’s crimes needed to be personal for the audience–which is why I think there is something BIG planned for Kylo to redeem himself in all our eyes. I love Kylo and he is by far the most interesting to me, but he is still responsible for his crimes. Han will succeed in bringing Ben home (just not right away) and he won’t die for nothing, that would be the cruelest thing to do to us fans–and Leia!! Anyway, I can’t see them letting Han’s death be meaningless. I would bet money on a redemption arc–and Satan can kiss my ass 😘
I think it’s also the fact that an integral part of many redemption arcs is that the person in question has to “achieve” the goal they thought they wanted, so that they can then realize how hollow it is, and empty.
It’s literally how it is for Zuko from ATLA; Zuko betrays his uncle (his true family) in the second act so that he can get into the good graces of his abusive father and be the perfect son his father wanted. But when he reaches that goal, he realizes he’s more unhappy and unfulfilled than ever, and the guilt eats him alive. And this is in fact the catalyst that propels Zuko to leave the life he spent years trying to earn in order to help the scrappy band of rebels he’s been hunting for three years defeat the evil empire he was once a part of. Sound familiar? Storytelling. It repeats.
In a way, I think Han had to die, because it is the only thing shocking enough to pull Ben out of the leagues of indoctrination and delusion that he is under. It is the only thing that will burn bright enough to incinerate the lies Ben has told himself to keep his persona of Kylo Ren intact– that his parents would never forgive him, that his father doesn’t care for him, that they don’t want him home, that love is not one lone candle is enough to hold back the dark. All of the crimes Ben has already committed, every razed village, every innocent dead at his hands, have not been enough to sway him. So, logically, what would? What would be so cutting that it would vivisect the marrow of everything Ben is and is trying to be and thinks he wants? Without Han’s sacrifice, Ben could have probably continued for years thinking that this next raid, this next massacre, would finally slake the Light inside him. But killing Han was supposed to be the ultimate test. If that didn’t achieve total darkness for Ben, if he still feels the knifeblade of his conflict and his regret and the ever pulsing light, then nothing will slake those feelings inside of him. And he too has to understand that. Maybe not immediately. But it will haunt him until he admits it to himself.
This is barring looking at Han’s death from any sort of moral perspective, but I’m just saying– from a storytelling perspective, it had to happen, and it was perfectly placed for the narrative it is ultimately serving.
^
Luke “I’m always late so I better start running” Skywalker
Leia “I may be wearing florals but I can still punch you in the face” Organa
You’re right in that that’s a grievous crime, but I think the point is that the weight of the sacrifice will mean that, ultimately, something good has to come from it. Don’t forget that Han Solo was last seen lovingly caressing Kylo’s face – he forgave his son even while fully aware that he had been killed by him. The magnitude of the crime will lend extra weight and gravity to Kylo’s eventual redemption, and make the stakes infinitely higher.
What Han wanted was for his son to be redeemed, return to the light, and be happy. If his son can recognise the evil of his actions and chooses to atone for them, finding happiness in his new life, that would be Han’s happy ending.
Anyway, I can’t see them letting Han’s death be meaningless. I would bet money on a redemption arc–and Satan can kiss my ass 😘
hamliet 