Many people tend to interpret Anakin’s black robe as a symbol of foreshadowing of his later identity as Darth Vader. I think that’s wrong. Since George Lucas said for himself that Anakin and the prequel story weren’t created to show how Darth Vader already appeared to be evil right from the beginning, it’s also rubbish to say, Anakin wears a black robe to demonstrate his later evilness. I think it means something different.
His first appearance in AotC already speaks for itself:
Anakin steps out of the shadow. First he is completely dark, like being the shadow himself, and then comes forward shyly and insecure as if he didn’t want to intrude. He stands behind Obi-Wan who appears brighter in his white-brown robe. Anakin seems to be a shadow of Obi-Wan, a slave to his master, always in the background instead of beside him. And you find that again in RotS:
Anakin’s position towards Obi-Wan doesn’t change, he is still his padawan, and Obi-Wan still Anakin’s master. Anakin is in a lower position, so he has to stand back while Obi-Wan is speaking up for them both. Anakin nearly seems invisible! If this show hadn’t been about Anakin Skywalker and his turn to the dark side, we wouldn’t even recognise him!
Being a shadow also means, you have nothing to say. Other people speak up for you. Anakin only follows and accompanies, so he also accompanies Padme when both face Count Dooku in AotC.
Like a bodyguard, only present for security, Anakin stands beside Padme, staring at Count Dooku but emotionless and without talking or reacting on anything they say. It’s not his job, he is just there to protect Padme and do nothing else.
The same you find in RotS. Anakin has to serve Palpatine now (the jedi gave him this order), and again we see him standing beside Palpatine, without a move, without any reaction or saying one word. He is Palpatines shadow. His job is again not to interfere into the matters of the masters, his only job is to stand beside them, to listen but not to give his own statement. It’s oppression if you ask me. And it’s one rare time of the films where you can not watch and follow Anakin’s emotional movements, in this time you’re shut out from what’s happening inside of him. But I’m sure he didn’t like it at all. How would you feel if you were treated like a servant, only present to play a little bit around with your lightsaber if some kind of attack happens? It fits pretty well to “We don’t trust you” (and he was born as a slave, so why should that change?).
Becoming a shadow of Palpatine, of course, means a lot already. Darth Vader becomes the shadow of his next master. In A New Hope you nearly believe he has some power, but by the second of the orignial films you already realise, Anakin is in the same lower position as he always has been before: He is a slave to his master, he has no power at all but is always used.
It all changes when Luke appears. Luke never was a shadow (his clothes were always bright, white at the beginning, then even yellow and brown) but he changes that for himself in the last of the films. He appears black. First you might think he is turning to the dark side now, to join his father perhaps. But he doesn’t join him in turning to the dark side, but simply in clothing himself black to be the same as his father. He wants to reach him, he wants to be able to communicate with him. Anakin is not alone anymore. He has someone beside him, someone who is on the same level as he is. He doesn’t feel like a slave or a shadow anymore. Beside Luke who wears black as himself he feels himself near to him as if nothing stands between them. So, Luke manages to erase Anakin’s existence as a shadow but forms one of a human being.
Many thanks to @adanwen who provided me with the gifs! 😀 ❤ They are amazing! 🙂
konekorambles 