The Younglings and the Force
© Paul F. McDonald
There is a wonderful passage in Joseph Campbell's "Primitive Mythology" which greatly illuminates the significance of the scene:
" ... the old in many societies spend a considerable part of their time playing with and taking care of the youngsters, while the parents delve and spin: so that the old are returned to the sphere of eternal things not only within but without. And we may take it also, I should think, that the considerable mutual attraction of the very young and the very old may derive something from their common, secret knowledge that it is they, and not the busy generation between, who are concerned with a poetic play that is eternal and truly wise."
The scene in the film highlights the wisdom of the old and the young through Yoda and the Jedi children, who easily figure out a problem that has stumped the busy generation inbetween, represented by Obi-Wan. It again proves that George Lucas can use even the simplest of plot points to express many levels of archetypal depth.
On one such level, the children bring us back to this theme of procreation that runs throughout the film. Lucas has strong feelings about the importance of raising children, and this reflects that. Perhaps he had in mind the Bible's first commandment about being fruitful and multiplying when putting together his own Star Wars genesis. The child has always played a big part in myth, and scriptures from the New Testament to the Tao Te Ching speak of becoming as one again. This is not simply because of a nostalgic view of innocence, but rather acknowledging that children, with their uncluttered, non-dogmatic minds, do have a natural, intuitive wisdom that is to be trusted. This is surely why Anakin had to be ten years old in The Phantom Menace.
It is likewise significant that the title of the particular group of children Yoda is instructing is the Bear Clan. There is an old Christian fable about a she-bear with featureless offspring, and only by licking them does she give them form and shape. This is thought of as being analogous to giving a child spiritual instruction and likewise shaping their character. This ties-in well with the Jedi children. Various sources have confirmed that potential Jedi are usually identified by the time they're six months old, and they are raised and taught in the Jedi Temple from a very early age.
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