Darth Vader tactics

As I was reading "The Sons of La Malinche," written by Octavio Paz, I came across this quote:

"The phrase 'I am your father' has no paternal flavor and is not said in order to protect or to guide another, but rather to impose one's superiority, that is, to humiliate." (65)

Immediately, I was reminded of the well-known line from Star Wars, when Darth Vader tells Luke Skywalker that rather than killing Luke's father, he WAS Luke's father. Now I'm not a Star Wars fan, but there's no way this scene would not come to mind when the words "I am your father" are ever said. But in this case, I believe that the movie-scene fits perfectly with the quote. Let's analyze.

When Paz stated that the phrase is not said in order to protect or guide, that can clearly be seen in Darth Vader's motivation for telling Luke who he was. Vader was definitely not trying to have a touching moment with his son. Protection? He just finished cutting off Luke's arm. Guidance? Yes, come to the dark side Luke. I think we can safely assume that Darth Vader was not having a change of heart and did not really care much about the fact that he was fighting against his own child.

With this in mind, we can begin to decipher exactly what the motive was for telling Luke this life-changing fact. As Paz said, "I am your father" says "I am your superior" and effectively lowers the other's status, thus humiliating them. Take a look at the movie clip and pay attention to just how humiliated and horrified Luke is (and try not to laugh).

Luke's rival, the one he has been trying to defeat, has just told him that he was fighting against a fantasy, a lie. If that's not a life-changer, I don't know what is. Darth Vader's offer for them to join together and fight together was in a way even more humiliating. He is offering Luke to not only give up all that he has ever believed, but fight against. it. In telling Luke that he is Luke's father, Darth Vader has degraded Luke to someone even less than he is. He is saying, you came from me, you are a product of my actions.

I think this is a perfect example of what Octavio Paz was saying. Anytime someone says "I am your father," it is in such a way that the child now feels as if they are in a shadow. They have to somehow break past what their "father" is, and become something better.