Umineko and The Power of the Author
"I'm going to become an author" - Ushiromiya Ange
*Post contains full Umineko spoilers, proceed with caution.*
Two weeks ago I transferred to a university to work on getting my English degree. In my world literature class, we began the semester by reading “The Exaltation of Inanna” by Enheduanna, the world’s first known author. This poem was written during a very tumultuous time in the author’s life, leaving her feeling powerless. She wrote the poem calling on a higher being to offer her some power, even naming herself in the poem as a way of giving her own name power. The goddess, Innana, was not the most powerful deity before this poem was written, but by painting her as strong, Enheduanna was able to raise Inanna to power. Reading this poem led me to ponder about how people can use writing as a way to reclaim their own power. It reminded me of Umineko in some ways which I’d like to explore.
The idea of how to reclaim one’s power is something Umineko explores in many different ways. Characters find themselves at a loss of autonomy and sense of self with a need to reclaim themselves. For the visual novel’s three core characters, it is through writing that they can elevate themselves and find power.
The first character that uses writing as a way to reclaim their power is Ms. Culprit herself, Sayo Yasuda. From the very moment of her birth, Sayo was given little agency over any part of her life. Being raised as a servant, the early years of her life only existed to aid others, never giving her a real opportunity to see herself outside of the servant role. After learning the truth behind her birth, she is stripped of any bit of power she had left to hold on to. Her life was never in her hands, it was always being toyed with by the people she once trusted. She feels her dreams of being to escape her fate will never be met, she was never meant to live in the first place. She is left helpless. Learning the truth becomes the catalyst for Sayo planning out the Rokkenjima Massacre. She begins to write message bottles that detail different locked room mysteries that seem impossible for a human to create. It is through these message bottles that Sayo is able to reclaim her power.
First and foremost, through writing these message bottles, she is able to seek revenge on the people who hurt her. She is filled with anguish over them taking autonomy away from her, but in her writing, she is taking the power back. She is the one who is trampling over them. She is able to be in charge. Even though she still holds so much empathy for the people in her life, in writing she can exalt power against them without doing it directly. Not yet, at least.
The second way she uses the message bottles for power is by turning herself into The Witch Beatrice. If her human form is powerless then she will create a version of herself that is full of power. By turning the culprit of the story into a powerful witch who can use magic at will, Sayo can become something bigger than herself. She is able to reach ascension. However, just the idea of Beatrice is not enough to make Sayo gain power. She needs to write Beatrice and put her out into the world. Then, the world can see Beatrice as the culprit, therefore making her exist. Sayo can elevate herself through her writing and reclaim what has been taken from her. Her pen becomes her magic. She can free herself from her sad and lonely existence and become someone powerful and strong.
The next character I want to explore is Hachijo Tohya. While we as readers only meet Tohya at the very end of Umineko, his presence has been felt since he took over the writing in Episode 3. Tohya is plagued by the memories of a man he feels disconnected from, left to wonder where Battler ends and Tohya begins. These memories torment him, leaving him feeling like he has no agency over his identity. He is also living with immense guilt for inadvertently causing the tragedy on Rokkenjima along with guilt for not being able to save the other person he almost escaped with. He feels lost trying to piece together the mystery of the girl he watched drown, trying to understand her heart so she can rest in peace.
As with Sayo, writing becomes Tohya’s reclamation of power. Teaming up with Ikuko he creates forgeries of the tale of Rokkejima, with Battler as the main character. He is able to separate himself from Battler as Battler becomes the character, and Tohya becomes the author. He is able to make something of himself, turn Tohya into a human, by creating something in that name. He is able to cope with the death of not just the enigmatic girl who drowned, but the man who used to share his body. Through writing he is able to process his grief and understand the minds of the people that were lost.
The third and final character that uses writing for power is the final golden witch, Ange Ushiromiya. After the death of her family, Ange’s life becomes a media circus, with the world picking apart her and her family's lives. The outside world does not allow Ange to grieve. Having to live up to Eva’s high expectations and being taunted by her, Ange feels completely alone and powerless. All the people she loved are gone and she has no place to return home to. After Eva’s death, there is nothing left to tie Ange to her life of suffering. She stands on the ledge of a building wondering if she should rejoin her family in death, or walk down the stairs and reclaim herself. It is at this moment Ange makes her choice, “I’m going to become an author.”
It is this decision that Ange makes that helps her reclaim herself and her power. When readers meet Ange again as Yukari Kotobuki, we see her as she’s blossomed as an author. She has created a thriving children’s book series in which she imparts her wisdom and love through her words. She is able to make a name for herself outside of the final surviving Ushiromiya. She is able to create new worlds where she can process her trauma in new and creative ways. She makes what she has learned from her years of hardship take form, passing it on to others and giving them hope through her stories. Not only has she been able to reclaim her power, but she is able to pass her power on to others.
The three authors explored in Umineko all hold similarities to Enheduanna. They felt powerless and called out to their pen to bring themselves back up and reclaim their power. Authors hold great power, what they do is equivalent to magic. They are able to create new worlds and inspire others through their stories. They are also able to reclaim their own power by making something of themselves. They can write themselves into a story. They can also process the world through words, and come to forgive themselves. They can understand the world around them. After everything they learn, they can impart wisdom to others through their stories. Writing is power. Ange’s conclusion serves as Umineko's conclusion and imparts its own wisdom to the readers. If you feel lost and without agency, try out writing. Write a poem, short story, or blog post. If creative writing isn't your forte, try journaling. Reclaim your power, reclaim yourself.