Your Presence Is Soothing

Originally posted on September 7, 2006


Don't go. Anakin to Padme', AOTC

I don't want to disturb you. Padme' to Anakin, AOTC

Your presence is soothing. Anakin

Ok...if you do not know when these lines were said, then I am disappointed in you  No, seriously...these were said the morning after Anakin had his nightmare about his mother, when Padme' checks on Anakin on the balcony of the Lake Retreat house. But...when Anakin said these words to Padme', did he just mean *soothing* at that moment or *soothing* every time she was near? I like to believe that he meant every time she was near him. However, there is a time when this soothing effect does not work...but I will discuss that in a moment.

Anakin always appears to be so much more calm when Padme' is around that it seems that she produces, for lack of a better word, a sedative effect on him. Whatever was troubling him moments before has less of an impact the moment she appears to him. Although he cannot always forget his troubles or the troubling visions (i.e. his nightmares about his mother and, later, Padme'), he gains a sense of comfort from her selflessness. He does not want to let this feeling go, so he confesses his love for her and later marries her. However, things are not always what they may seem

Fast forward approximately three years...to the end of the Clone Wars. Anakin comes home, excited to see his wife, his angel, once more. This time, however, she has "news" for him...she is pregnant with his child(ren) and worried about what this means. However, he soon expresses his joy at this wonderful event, and somewhat places her nerves at ease. However, because of his visions of her dying in childbirth, Anakin looks for the power to prevent these visions from coming true. This time, Padme' is not always *soothing,* as evident by Anakin's "shortness" with her during some of their discussions. He finds the power he needs to save her...but that means turning his back on the Jedi and joining the Sith. When it looks like all hope is lost, he pledges himself to Palps/Sidious' teachings...but under the condition of saving Padme's life because *I can't live without her.* By the time Padme' confronts Anakin on Mustafar, he was too far down the Dark path to be saved, even by his angel, his one source of comfort. When Vader/Anakin realizes that Padme' is gone, he eventually completely gives in to his anger and buries the feelings he once had.

Now, jump ahead twenty or so years when Anakin's son, Luke enters his life...a son he had thought died years before along with his wife. Now, the tables are turning, and the Darkness is beginnning to break in to Light. Because Luke was selfless like Padme' and carried with him her dying words of *there is good in him*, his presence allowed the "man" who was Vader to begin losing the battle with the "man" who was Anakin. Padme's presence in Luke more than likely brought back those comforting, soothing feelings Anakin once felt around his one *True Love." I also have a feeling that Leia exuded an aura of comfort around Vader...maybe that is why he could not allow her to be executed  Anyway...the love Anakin and Padme' shared all those years before came flooding back to Anakin through the presence and love of his children. So, essentially in the end, Padme's *soothing* presence reappeared to bring Anakin back to the Light, allowing him to join her once more

As always...comments are welcome. May the Force Be With You All...Always