“I Know Your Eyes”: Eyes and Privilege in The Force Awakens
Part 4 of a 30 part series. You can find the previous entry here
*** Spoiler Heavy Post***
I’m convinced of two things after having seen the Star Wars: The Force Awakens for the fourth time. 1) The crux of this movies conflict is focussed on vision, specifically related to characters’ eyes. Everyone is looking forward or backward and at reflections of themselves in other characters. Though the main conflict surrounds finding Luke Skywalker, Luke’s absence is only an issue because (with the exception of the final scene) his gaze is missing. Because his gaze is missing, the universe is devoid of his vision for a new future of the galaxy.
Eyes
The first scene of the movie, Finn gazes upon the atrocities the First Order commits on the village on the planet of Jakku. Even impeded by his helmet we can see that he is traumatized by the death and destruction all around him perpetuated by the evil organization he belongs to. He shares a glance with Kylo Ren, who’s face is also hidden behind a helmet/mask, during the aftermath of the battle. One can only assume that Kylo connects with Finn in that moment as he contemplates the atrocities he’s witnessed and taken part in. That being said, the audience doesn’t truly connect with Finn until he takes off the helmet and we see his face for the first time, specifically the desperation and fear in his eyes.
Despite the face Poe and Finn don’t share a lot of scenes together (Poe himself is decidedly more removed from the plot than Rey and Finn), He is able to bond strongly in the scenes he share’s with Finn through his eyes. Oscar Isaac is a great actor for this role because he has very expressive eyes (just check him out in Inside Llewyn Davis and Ex Machina for proof) At first glance it’s a little weird how strong a bond they form (plot-wise) but if we focus on the connection J.J Makes through these characters’ eyes we can see that they definitely will have more adventures together in later movies.
Just like when Finn’s eyes were blocked by his helmet (a symbol of an identity he no longer identifies with)the first time we see Rey, her features are also obscured by a mask (googles and desert wraps.) This mask obscures her gender and allows the viewer to focus solely on her skills as a scavenger. It’s not until later in the scene does she take it off and from there, Rey’s eyes become a window into her characterization and her destiny.
While Darth Vader needed his mask to breathe, Kylo does not. Putting on this mask suggests that he is ashamed of his true face and he is in conflict with who he is as a person. I assume his mask is lost when Starkiller base is destroyed and Rey has now left him with a pretty big scar merging the monstrous mask that he wore with his current internal state. My guess is that in future movies, we will see Kylo Ren with an updated mask or he will eschew its use altogether no longer needing it to fulfill his evil destiny.
What’s more, not only do character’s eyes show us their motivations but we can learn a lot by observing when characters AVOID each other’s gaze. Kylo Ren’s mask not only is a representation of his inner character but it separates him from all other characters. We see everyone unsettled by his lack of expression. Poe jokes in an early scene that he can’t understand Kylo because of the mask. We only see him take of his mask for two people; Rey and Han. Han is his father and by meeting his gaze he’s able to make the fateful decision that will propel him towards his destiny. By taking his mask off while interrogating Rey he marks her as his equal.
Finn, when lying to Rey about his actual heritage (being raised as a stormtrooper) cannot look her in the eyes as he continues to perpetuate this ruse. He constantly tries to rope other characters into his lies by shooting them furtive glances behind Rey’s back (Han and BB-8). Maz Kanata is able to look through Finn’s ruse(with her own seemingly special eyes) to see Finn’s true heart.
Privilege
As far as privilege goes, on the side of good, we see two “nobodies” embrace their heroic nature. These are people who’ve been on the other side of privilege. Finn doesn’t even have a name at the beginning on the story. IT ends up being given to him by Poe. Rey doesn’t have a last name and is found on a backwater world in the company of all types of galactic riff-raff, despite her abilities.
On the dark side of things we have two characters who widely overestimate their own abilities. Kylo Ren and General Hux are what I imagine the dynamic would’ve been like between Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, if Harry has been sorted into Slytherin instead of Gryffindor and became Draco Malfoy’s rival. Every time Hux speaks I can help but think that he’s seconds away from grumbling “wait till my father hears about this.”
Kylo Ren on the other hand has a more fraught relationship with his destiny. He’s taken to hero worship of his evil grandfather as a source of pride and power. He disparages Han Solo and his former self and being weak and foolish. He’s made himself the Master of the Knight of Ren (who’s backstory we still don’t have) and yet throughout the movie he isn’t taken seriously by any of the other characters. Aside from killing off the new Jedi Order, Kylo is seen as a volatile and gifted force user, but also slightly bumbling. There are moments of Vader’s bravado in him but he seems frustrated as his own lack of control and power.
He feels entitled to Luke’s saber and is enraged when he sees Finn carrying it. Finn, in this climactic moment proves himself to be a worthy inheritor of the blade as it’s being used for peace and defense (in true Jedi fashion.) Though Finn is NOT the Jedi-in-training I wanted him to be, he still upholds many of the virtues of the Jedi and acts as a foil to Kylo Ren.
But the real foil to Kylo Ren’s lust for power, is Rey. Rey who reluctantly embraces her new powers. Rey, who from the start of the movie is seen as truly capable, but because of her abandonment seems to have internalized a feeling of worthlessness. After her force vision in Maz Kanata’s castle she opts to run instead of embracing her destiny. Eventually she learns he worth and with the weapon Han Solo gave her, along with his ship and co-pilot, as well as Luke’s saber, Rey in full Arthurian regalia comes into her own as the hero she was meant to be.
