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Context Analysis / TheForceAwakens

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1!! Allusion:
2The interactions between Kylo Ren and Rey heavily allude to the Persephone myth from ancient Greece. Soon after touching the legacy saber (alluding to the narcissus flower), which appears irresistable to Rey, Kylo Ren descends upon Takodana in his Command Shuttle (Hades' black chariot) dressed as a traditional Death figure (Hades is god of the dead), and abducts Rey from the lush forest (in Persephone it is a lush meadow), bridal carrying her across the threshold of his shuttle (symbolic marriage) then sprititing her away while heralded by four black TIE fighters (Hades' chariot pulled by four black horses). Starkiller Base is a wintery forest (the land grows cold and barren when Demeter looks for her daughter), and Kylo has taken Rey underground at the base (Hades takes Persephone to the underworld). While there, Rey comes to realize her own power in the Force (Persephone realizes her own power as Queen of the Dead), even overpowering and defeating Kylo Ren in their lightsaber dual (in the myth, after becoming queen Persephone is more feared than Hades, who defers to her judgment, even so far as allowing Persephone to keep Adonis, a beautiful young mortal, in the underworld so as not to upset his wife!). Notably, after their suggestive encounter at the cliff Rey no longer wears the white garb she wore throughout the film (Persephone's mother realizes she is no longer a little girl because of the red stain from the pomegranite seeds she ate while with Hades).
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4!!Fandom:
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6The new main characters, Poe, Finn, Kylo Ren, and Rey all represent types of ''Star Wars'' fans and the film [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall leans hard against the fourth wall]] with them.
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8'''Poe Dameron:''' Poe is the casual fan. He knows about the general ideas and themes of ''Star Wars'', but doesn't concern himself too much with the details. He's mostly concerned with the here and now, worried about what's going around him at the moment rather than what preceded it. He also quickly accepts Finn as a new character, and enthusiastically helps him settle into the excitement and joy of ''Star Wars'', much like how a fan might introduce the franchise to an unaware friend.
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10'''Finn:''' Finn is the newcomer. The guy who doesn't know zip about the franchise and is going in completely blind. He's [[Headscratchers/HomePage questioning everything]], unsure about his enthusiasm for his involvement, and displays some unfamiliarity with the franchise's most well known characters. But for some brief moments, he gets invested and even excited for some things, such as the actions scenes. And much like the audience, he gets attached to Rey, concerned for her safety and willing to go into more uncertain territory to see if she's okay. Eventually, he joins the fandom and wields a lightsaber. He's JustForFun/OneOfUs now.
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12'''Rey:''' Rey is the old, disillusioned fan. A lonely adult surrounded by familiar ''Star Wars'' imagery, continuing with her life, and feeling nostalgic for something. She's the fan that had stuck with the franchise for a long time, was disappointed by the prequels, and is now simply counting down the days to the new one, with expectations low as [[WebVideo/RedLetterMedia dinosaur bones]]. She's offered a chance to get back in the game, enticed by familiar names and faces like Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, but wants to remain away from everything to get back to normalcy despite her geeking out. She ''wants'' to be interested in ''The Force Awakens'', but her experiences discourage her from getting too attached. Upon seeing the lightsaber, she has a moment of great hesitation and tries to detach from everything. But soon she finds herself into the film, emotionally invested in the story, the new sights, and the death of her favorite characters. By the end, she accepts that she's back in the fold and cautiously looks forward for more adventures in this new trilogy.
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