Star Wars: The Force Awakens Theme of Good vs. Evil

Star Wars has always been about sorting the good guys from the bad guys. In a film series with color-coded lightsabers, there's not a whole lot of room for moral ambiguity. And The Force Awakens isn't any different, though it leaves the final destiny of some of its characters up in the air.

Kylo Ren, for instance, may find himself slipping back to Team Good Guy, while Finn seems to be permanently terrified that his former colleagues in the First Order are going to find him. Either way, this galaxy far, far away has never been shy about the defining lines of its conflict.

Questions about Good vs. Evil

  1. Which characters start out as neither good nor evil but end up choosing a side? What prompts them to make that choice?
  2. How do costumes and physical appearances tell us which side the characters have chosen? Why use those particular details?
  3. What kinds of emotions are associated with good and evil?
  4. How does the film show us that doing good is harder than doing evil?

Chew on This

Take a peek at these thesis statements. Agree or disagree?

The film shows us ways that good characters can do evil, and evil characters can do good.

There's no real "crossing over" between good and evil. They both tend to be pretty straightforward.