Rey is a hero with the most humble origins. She is all the greater, virtuous, and nobler for that.
Written by Swara Salih | Rey is awesome. She’s courageous, smart, strong, talented, compassionate, complex, and one of the most compelling characters in all of Star Wars. But she has displayed two qualities not often combined in Star Wars heroes, or heroes generally. She displays deep humility and pure selflessness. While her abilities in the Force give her the capacity to be our new beloved hero, it is these qualities, combined with her deep sense of duty, that make her the most worthy to be the Force’s champion.
A Hero’s Virtue
Everyone can do well to learn from Rey. Master Yoda warned us against arrogance, and Rey is by far the least arrogant character in the entire saga. While she is confident when the situation demands it, she also doubts herself often. She also doubts whether she should go on this journey at all. She goes on this journey for the sake of her friends, and never for any personal glory or gain. If the Force, or simply the Light Side, has a will, it would undoubtedly look fondly upon this purity of heart.
Obviously her exceptional ability with the Force allows her to pursue the Hero’s Journey. However, it is her reasons for fighting that make her the most noble and worthy. Unlike Anakin or Luke, she never sought greatness or fame. She only sought a sense of belonging and to be with her loved ones. Abandoned and forced to grow up in the harsh deserts of Jakku, she only hoped her family would come back for her. While she certainly dreamed of adventure, she made staying on Jakku her priority, for fear her family wouldn’t find her if she left.
Her aspirations are the most pure and innocent of virtually any protagonist. She never sought greatness or actively sought adventure, but only to be part of a family. Too often people in real life and fiction take their families for granted. Rey obviously never did. Throughout The Force Awakens, it is in her connection to others and consistent selflessness that make her the most virtuous hero. Such selflessness helped instill her with the strongest sense of justice. It’s possible the Will of the Force, perhaps flowing through the kyber crystal in Luke’s lightsaber, sensed her innate goodness. It then selected her to be its Champion as a result.
Her Life on Jakku
Unkar Plutt and others on Jakku would constantly demean, belittle, and essentially abuse her. This caused her to think she could be nothing more than a scavenger (though a talented one at that). She persisted, however, becoming a talented mechanic and pilot. The ability to learn requires a fundamental sense of humility so that one can easily acknowledge where they need to grow. That, coupled with her need for mere survival, drove Rey to become exceptionally talented and knowledgeable. She became the best scavenger Plutt ever “employed”. With her insatiable curiosity, she went beyond the demands of her livelihood.
She studied starship schematics, flight simulations, and learned other languages like Shyriiwook (Wookiee) and binary (droid). Her Force sensitivity certainly helped her with this, and perhaps The Force itself looked out for her as well.
Perhaps she dreamed of visiting far off planets with her family when they would come back to her. Inevitably she dreamed of the wider galaxy after reading about the adventures of Han, Luke, Leia, and the Rebel Alliance. Perhaps wished she could be a part of the fight against the First Order. Despite all this, she resigned herself to Jakku, thinking she was “just a scavenger,” and for fear that her family wouldn’t find her if she left.
Rey’s New Family
It is when she meets BB-8 and Finn, and then Han and Chewie, that her adventure begins, and when she changes her priority. Knowing the evils of the First Order and feeling sympathy for BB-8’s predicament, she offers her help to this little droid. BB-8 instinctively showed her unconditional kindness, something she presumably hadn’t had in a long while. Finn showed her the same when they met (despite her knocking him down with her staff). As the three flee from the First Order, they strike up a fast friendship.
Rey isn’t used to being close with others due to her abandonment issues, and she’s hesitant to open up too much to Finn. However, they become the dearest of friends through their adventure. In Han, with whom she has so much in common, she finds her first real parental figure since parents abandoned her. He’s gruff but caring to her, in his trademark fashion, and confirms the validity of her beloved stories about the Jedi. This new family starts to fulfill her humble desire. Her personal fight became about protecting her newfound family, as well as protecting the galaxy.
When she has her Force vision and speaks with Maz, she opens her mind to the possibility of taking control of her own destiny. Maz tells her “The Light. It’s always been there. It will guide you.” While the Force has helped her thrive, she now opens her mind to using this power as a warrior for justice, to protect the innocent and her newfound family.
But her lack of confidence in herself, has her initially rejecting her calling and attempts to flee back to Jakku. This is also due to her fear and emotional pain resulting from the Force vision. However, her love for her friends and sense of duty has her come back to the fight. As she flees, she runs into BB-8 and selflessly protects him from the First Order, resulting in her Kylo Ren capturing her. It is in her interactions with this character that her virtue and humility become exceptionally clear.
Rey vs. Kylo
In the brilliant animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, beloved character Uncle Iroh once tells his nephew Zuko, “Pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source. True humility is the only antidote to shame.” Kylo is everything Rey is not. He is prideful, selfish, entitled, arrogant, jealous, insecure, egotistical, and cares for no one but himself. He arrogantly belittles her for being a scavenger, and is shocked to discover that she could be more powerful in the Force than him. Because he has evidently not learned the patience and humility that Rey has, he cannot access the full power of the Force that Rey presumably will.
He has instead sought the “quick and easy path,” becoming “an agent of evil.” In doing so, he cruelly cut off his family. In pursuit of living up to his grandfather’s legacy, he threw away his relationship with his parents, who still retained faith in him. Yet it is most likely he felt jealous at Rey’s relationship with his father. She established a connection with him that he may have never had, and achieved it in so short a time. Rey’s sheer Force ability and resistance to his mental assault on her, however, shocked him most of all.
With her beginning to realize her Force sensitivity, and through observation of Kylo’s use of the mind invasion, she was able to turn the tables on him and protect Luke’s location. She also revealed his extreme fear and insecurity. Ultimately, Rey’s humility and desire to protect her friends led to her being able to resist Kylo. Had he been more humble, he could have found the antidote to his shame, and spared himself his pain.
Her Resolve and Reason for Fighting
Rey had found a family. She had made best friends in Finn and BB-8. She had found a father figure who conveyed unconditional fondness and affection for her. After she and Finn set charges in Starkiller Base, she sees and feels the true depth of Kylo’s monstrosity. She, who had only ever craved a family, sees the entitled Dark Sider kill his own father. The contrast is stark and horrific. As the polar opposite of Rey, Kylo wants to sever and kill his familial connections. Unlike our hero, he treats them as disposable and irritating objects. This revolts Rey, who knows the worth of such connections better than anyone. This gives more meaning when she rightfully calls Kylo, “a monster.”
She was already set on defeating Kylo when she and Finn run into him, but she bolsters her resolve. Despite putting up an extraordinarily brave fight, Kylo strikes Finn down (thankfully he’s still alive). Rey refuses to let him kill another of her beloved ones. She then takes a full hold of her destiny. The same music that accompanied Luke’s discovery of his uncle and aunt’s death swells as she takes up the lightsaber. Both experienced severe grief that informed their fight against evil, but Rey’s resolve appears even more acutely than Luke’s. He grew up with his loved ones where she hadn’t.
Rey’s Belief in Herself
But her strong resolve isn’t enough. It is only when she remembers Maz telling her “the light has always been inside [her],” that she lets the Force flow fully through her. She fully believes in herself for the first time. Yoda once famously reprimanded Luke for not believing in himself and the power of the Force. The Jedi Master would be proud of Rey here, as she finally puts faith in herself and the Light Side’s power. She is able to strike down Kylo, saving what is left of her family. With the purest and most selfless reasons for fighting, and with the Light guiding her, she is victorious. While she undoubtedly felt the temptation of the Dark Side as well to kill Kylo, what matters most is the way she won—with the Light. As she continues her journey, she will have more victories with this faith in the Force, herself, and her friends.
The Continuing Journey
Rey knows what is at stake in the galaxy, and that Luke may hold the answer to who she really is. Out of this and her desire to protect her friends and newfound family, she seeks out the Jedi Master. It is unknown whether Rey will become a Jedi or “something else”, as Luke says, “It’s time for the Jedi to end.” However, she has still demonstrated she is the most worthy to be the Force’s, and our, hero. Her good-natured intentions and unselfish reasons for fighting should serve as a timeless inspiration for Star Wars fans.
Her ingenuity, combined with her humility, selfless nature, and compassion for others make her one of the most virtuous protagonists in the entire franchise. Other characters at or near this level of virtue include Leia, Padme, and Obi-Wan. But Rey displays them so much more acutely and in a way that is pivotal to the story of The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and presumably Episode IX. Her journey is off to an amazing start, and is sure to be riveting in the direction it goes. It will be emotional and profound, as Rey has proven to be with her extraordinary character.