Character Analysis
Why So Serious?
Oh, Anakin. This poor guy is so emo, he should dye his hair matte black and wear lots of smudgy eyeliner. Emo Kylo Ren would be super happy to know that his grandpappy was so in touch with his own sorrow.
(In fact, you can track Anakin's progression to the dark side through the film based on how dark his under-eye shadow gets.)
This guy is so broody, he practically glowers in every scene … including the ones where he's supposedly gazing at his wife in adoration. You can count the amount of times he smiles in this film on one hand.
Anakin's angsty angst is the result of three things:
One: the ol' dark side. This evilness is growing inside of Anakin, and you usually don't see characters get sunnier as they get more enmeshed in negative emotions.
Two: fear for his lovely bride. Poor emo Anakin is plagued by really horrific night terrors that show his wife dying in childbirth. This is not a recipe for a happy camper. Anakin is super susceptible to bad dreams (and pretty much everything else).
And three: trouble at work. Anakin risks life and limb only to be told by the Jedi Council that he's just too dang young to get a promotion. This ticks him off, and he proceeds to show everyone just how young he is by sulking around like a 5-year-old who has just been told that animal crackers don't count as a vegetable.
Good Intentions, Poor Results
Let's check out that first reason for Anakin's angst: ye olde dark side.
Ever since we met young Anakin as a spunky young'un, we've known that he battles with his own dark side from time to time. (Remember the Tusken Raiders he slaughtered in Attack of the Clones?) He has a simmering anger that sits just beneath the surface, and it doesn't take much for it to rise up and make an appearance.
That is not a good character trait for someone who has a lightsaber and knows how to use it.
Even Count Dooku remarks:
COUNT DOOKU: I sense great fear in you, Skywalker. You have hate, you have anger, but you don't use them.
And, here's the kicker—Count Dooku says this in the beginning of this movie, when everything seems to be hunky-dory. It seems like Anakin is in a good place. He loves his Master like a brother, he's really coming into his own with his Jedi skills, he has a (secret) wife he adores, and he's fighting for a cause that will save the world. Not too shabby.
But, we see that even when things are going well, Anakin struggles to be a "good" Jedi.
The first big rain cloud of doom comes when Anakin kills Count Dooku instead of arresting him and giving him the trial he deserves. He knows that offing Dooku is a decidedly un-Jedi-like move, but Palpatine gives him the go-ahead (and this is when everyone thinks Palpatine is to be trusted).
This weighs heavily on Anakin's conscience … which further inflames the dark side. The dark side is fed by feelings of fear, shame, and anger, and lightsabering even a dude as evil as Dooku brings all of these feelings out in force (pun intended).
But Anakin's gloom 'n' doom thoughts about Jedi ineptitude don't stop there.
Anakin even confesses to Padmé that he has a hard time doing what is expected of him. He tells her:
ANAKIN: I feel lost. […] Something's happening. I'm not the Jedi I should be. I want more, and I know I shouldn't.
This feeling of being lost is key. Anakin feels like he's supposed to repress feelings that come naturally to him (and, if we're being honest, to all of us). Being a Jedi means giving up half of human emotions.
And, in fact, most of the dastardly deeds Anakin commits during the course of this film come from the fact that he gives in to these all-too-human emotions. He wants to confront Chancellor Palpatine but instead ends up killing Mace Windu in an act of desperation. (Desperation is a Jedi no-no.) He wants to save his wife from dying in childbirth, but his fear of losing her leads to him forever sacrificing himself to the dark side. (Fear is a Jedi no-no.)
In fact, one of the reasons why Anakin moves so seamlessly over to the dark side is because the Chancellor tells Anakin to obey his darker instincts. A figure of massive power telling a susceptible youth that he'll attain greatness by doing what comes naturally? Seems like a pretty hard thing to resist.
Power of Persuasion
That brings us to the second reason Anakin is such a Gloomy Gus: he's susceptible. This susceptibility leads him to become convinced that his wife will die in childbirth.
When he's told that Padmé is pregnant, he starts to have terrible nightmares about her dying in childbirth. While some might shake off such premonitions, Anakin can't—because he had nightmares about his mother dying shortly before Mama Skywalker bit the bullet.
At first, he consults Yoda, but he isn't happy with Yoda's analysis of the situation:
YODA: Careful you must be when sensing the future, Anakin. The fear of loss is a path to the dark side.
ANAKIN: I won't let these visions come true, Master Yoda.
YODA: Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them, do not. Miss them, do not. Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed, that is.
ANAKIN: What must I do, Master Yoda?
Notice that Yoda doesn't tell Anakin his dreams will come true. Anakin simply takes Yoda's blanket wisdom as affirmation that Padmé is doomed. He's susceptible like that. In fact, Anakin should've been dubbed Darth Play-Doh—he's that easily molded.
But, he isn't just molded by dreams. He's also molded by authority figures.
When we first meet Anakin (way back in The Phantom Menace), he's a rebellious kid with amazing skills. Obi-Wan finds him and starts to instruct him in the ways of the Jedi. From then on, little Ani is committed to emulating his good Master Obi-Wan, even though oftentimes, it seems to go against his instincts.
That's all well and good because Obi-Wan is an excellent Master. But, when Palpatine hits the scene, he proves to be more charismatic than even Obi-Wan—because he allows Anakin to explore the oh-so-verboten emotions of anger and fear.
And, when Palpatine taps into Anakin's fear, little Ani becomes putty in the Chancellor's hands. It's no coincidence that he tells Anakin the story of Darth Plagueis, the man who learned how to conquer death through the dark side. When he hears this, Anakin's ears perk up like a corgi who's heard the word "walk."
Essentially, Palpatine taps into multiple layers of Anakin's susceptibility: he's susceptible to fear (in this case, his paralyzing dreams of his bride's death), and he's susceptible to benevolent-seeming authority.
Gimme That Gold Star
Which brings us to the third reason Anakin cannot seem to turn that frown upside down: he's always looking for approval.
When Anakin is getting praised by his superiors, he's as happy as a clam. But when he's not—like when Mace Windu decides that he's not going to join the ranks of the Jedi Masters—he flips out.
We could go all Freud and tell you that Anakin has mad daddy issues. We could go all Marx and tell you that Anakin is trying and failing to break into the aristocracy.
But, the basics are this: Anakin is a really young dude looking for a pat on the back. And he gets that pat from Palpatine:
ANAKIN: What have I done?
PALPATINE: You are fulfilling your destiny, Anakin. Become my apprentice. Learn to use the dark side of the Force.
ANAKIN: I will do whatever you ask.
PALPATINE: Good.
[…]
ANAKIN: I pledge myself to your teachings. To the ways of the Sith.
PALPATINE: Good. Good. The Force is strong with you. A powerful Sith you will become. Henceforth, you shall be known as Darth … Vader.
ANAKIN: Thank you, my Master.
PALPATINE: Rise, Darth Vader.
Hey, we've got to admit that it's nice getting told that what you're doing is spot-on. Positive reinforcement works wonders. But, Anakin shows us that positive reinforcement + susceptibility + negative emotions galore lead straight to … Darth Vader-hood.
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader's Timeline