Essay Questions

How is Nagiko's desire to be written upon come about?

Nagiko has a desire to be written upon with calligraphy and has coupled this with her sexual pleasure. The root of her desire to be written upon originated from her father writing words of good fortune upon her face every year as a child for her birthday. This created a connection between her and her father which was broken when she learned of his being blackmailed for sexual favors by the publisher in exchange for publishing his work. It is her desire to reclaim a real connection in her life that has been corrupted.

How does the Publisher die?

The Publisher has had the messenger slit his throat to kill him at the end of the film. The reason he does this is that the reality of what he has perpetrated upon people with his misuse of publishing power has ruined lives, and people have died because of his actions. He is buried in guilt and shame and cannot see a way out, so much so that he would rather die than find a way to be forgiven.

Why does Jerome attempt suicide?

Jerome has begun a romance with Nagiko that ends when she discovers he is having an affair with the publisher. This is the same publisher who blackmailed her father, When Jerome tries to see her and explain she won't see him. This causes him to concoct a plan to attempt suicide by taking just enough pills to cause him to pass out and be admitted to the hospital but not enough to kill him, and eventually Nagiko will find him and rekindle their romance. But he miscalculates how many pills he can take and kills himself with an overdose.