Redemption of Anakin and other redemption stories (moved from Main)

[dumbledore11214]

Montavilla47:
<SNIP>
It sounds like that was a deal-breaker for you. It wasn't
ever a deal-breaker for me. But then, it wasn't something
that struck me as particularly brutal. That's just me.

You know, I do feel sympathy for your POV. I'm the
same way with Darth Vader. The man blew up Naboo, for
goodness sake.

When he told Luke that he was his father, that seemed
important to me because it affected Luke--but it didn't
change my opinion of Vader one little bit. And when
Luke went to go save him, I just shook my head. Could
not have cared less that Anakin got redeemed.

Twenty years later, I went to see the new SW films--
and got all the backstory on Anakin/Vader. Still don't
care about him.

All I really learned was that, in addition to every other
horrible thing he does, he blew up Jimmy Smits. I'll never
forgive him for that. (Although, I suppose he ought to
get a little credit for blowing up Jar-Jar Binks.)
<SNIP>


Alla:

This was really an example in Snape's discussion for those who do not go on Main, but this got me thinking about redemption stories in literature and film and what works and does not work for me. And I decided that I would love to hear what others think.


Redemption of Anakin actually worked amazingly well for me and in such short period of time. It worked for me, because to me the story of his relationship with Luke was driving the series, therefore Anakin's redemption from what he did on the personal level totally worked for me.

Redemption of Snape did not work for me because as I mentioned on Main to me Snape was not redeemed at all from what I felt was one of two his main misgivings (how he treated kids), but now when I think about Anakin, I actually realized another reason why his redemption from being a DE did not work for me.

Yes Dart Vader blew up the whole planet and yes, it is a really really bad thing, seriously I realize that. However, this deed of his (yes blowing up the whole planet) leaves me strangely uncaring, because it is so, I don't know? Abstract in the story? Yeah, he uses it to upset poor Lea, but it is not like we spent time getting to know the inhabitants of the planet and not like we are made to feel their anguish, etc. Does it make sense?

I also in a way find Snape's redemption from being DE to be strangely well, abstract in a same way.

Way before DH came out I used to argue that Snape's hands just must be bloody simply because there will be no way that one member of the merry gang of killers and torturers just avoided getting his hands bloody for the sole reason that his name is Severus Snape. I still think so. However, now I also think that there is a reason why JKR did not show it. I do not care much for Snape's redemption from being DE because besides selling Potters to Voldemort I did not SEE him doing anything bad as DE, if that makes sense. Even him killing Dumbledore turned out to be something he did not want to do and did on Dumbledore's persistent request.

Anyways, believe it or not, Snape really was not the main reason for this post, general redemption theme in literature was :)

One redemption story that worked perfectly for me was Jean Valjean in Les Miserables. Which I found to be, hmmm, surprising in a way. I could root for good character, although I usually love Snape like characters better (unless they are Snape lol), but Valjean literally behaves like a saint to me so many times through the story. And his redemption is just, well, too fast to me, I usually prefer my redemption stories to be slow and painful. But I get the point that he saw God, I get it and I love him and pity him too much to get concentrated on too fast redemption for too long.

Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment also worked great for me and that was to me a perfect redemption storyline, albeit in essense it is also coming to God and merging love to Sonya with love to God and finding redemption through it.

Zuco in Avatar was lovely.

I will think of more and will let you know if I do :)

So which redemption stories in literature and film work for you and which do not and why?