Obsession, Power and Madness
In this series, the themes of obsession, power and madness all tie together to control the storyline. Once Light Yagami gains control of the Death Note he becomes obsessed with writing names in it. Initially, his goal was to use the notebook solely for good. He’d watch the news every night to find new criminals to place in the book. As time progresses he realizes how much power this notebook really gives him, so he takes it and runs with it. What he thought were acts of good actually led him to become the most sought out undercover fugitive. Soon, the number of inexplicable deaths of reported criminals catches the attention of the police, and a mysterious detective known only as “L.” L quickly learns that the murderer, known by the public as Kira, is located in Japan. L also concludes that Kira can kill people without laying a finger on them. Light realizes that L will be his greatest nemesis, and a game of psychological “cat and mouse” between the two begins.Their back and forth along with Light’s power becomes too much for him, and it drives him mad. He has the abilities and control only “gods” possess. One can argue that everyone would be corrupted under this power, with godlike abilities and a sense of ultimate superiority.
These same themes are also present in Rebecca. The narrator is especially obsessed with Rebecca, because her memory is a mystery to her. She doesn’t know anything about her but at the same time is trying to be just like her. We also see obsession from Mrs. Danvers, who is obsessed with Rebecca’s memory in a different way. She does everything she can to maintain Rebecca’s memory alive, and makes it very clear to the narrator that she will never be like her. She uses this to her advantage and continuously sabotages the narrator, knowing that her knowledge of Rebecca is power that she has over her. At one point she even tries to convince the narrator to commit suicide, which is very similar to what Light does. While trying to get the police off his tail, Light writes someone’s name in the Death Note and lists their cause of death as suicide. Both Light and Mrs. Danvers would feel no remorse for causing someone to take their own life. Power is also a theme that is prominent in Rebecca from Maxim. Maxim realizes that the narrator will do anything to please him and he uses it to his advantage. He confesses to the narrator that he murdered Rebecca, and instead of this pushing her away it drew her closer to him. She then felt a need to protect him, but also felt a sense of power because she now knew something about him that no one else did. In Death Note, the same is true for Misa Amane. She is one of the few characters that know the truth about Light being Kira. Instead of being scared of him, she begins working with him to protect him. She knows that Light has killed hundreds of people and joins forces with him. Together, they possess their own Death Notes and work to get the police and the public from knowing the truth about Light and the notebook. The murder of Rebecca signifies a new life for Maxim. In some way, the same is true for Light. Light began a new life once he gained control of the notebook. Although his character was killed at the end, it was Kira who died, not Light. Light died as soon as he picked up the Death Note.
