In the opening sequence of The Pillow Book, a little Japanese girl sits in front of her father on her birthday while he paints her face and neck with ink calligrapher. Writing about her, he sings in Japanese: “When God created the first clay model of a human being, he painted the eyes, the lips and the penis. Then he painted each person's name, so the owner would never forget it. This mantra serves as a refrain throughout The Pillow Book¸ as well as a warning. Nagiko, the protagonist of the film, becomes obsessed with the skin, the covering of the body. Sometimes she doesn't take the person into account. However, as her skin fetish grows, it begins to take over her own identity, and Nagiko ultimately finds herself lost in a world of distrust, jealousy, and skin. For Nagiko, using the body as paper becomes a sensual experience because it reminds her of her Father's person and humanity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Family is perhaps the best indicator of a person. Parents, in particular, shape their children genetically, by giving them their bodies, and socially, by developing and manipulating their children's personalities. Nagiko recognized and honored the bond she shared with her father and how he had shaped her. She even takes the habit of writing on the skin, a sort of homage to her father. He taught her how to write calligraphy, a skill that Nagiko would perfect later in life. Through her father's instruction, Nagiko learns to identify and revere beautiful writing. It was, in fact, her father's spectacular calligraphy, coupled with his unwavering love for his daughter, that sparked Nagiko's obsession with skin painting. Nagiko combines the art of writing on skin and her own personal “pillow book” with her father. due to the circumstances surrounding her fourth birthday, the first time she was "used as paper" by her father. As Nagiko's father wrote about him, he recited "When God created the first clay model of a human being, he painted the eyes, the lips, and the penis. » This aphorism equates the essence of a human being to their eyes, their lips and their penis. Perhaps these parts are identified for practical reasons; after all, we use our eyes to see, our lips to express ourselves, and our gender to distinguish and situate ourselves in society. However, references to eyes, lips, and sex could easily represent underlying sexual tension. We use our eyes to spot lovers, to arouse and confirm sexual chemistry. We use our lips to kiss, and our different sexes allow for conventional sex in the first place. Perhaps Nagiko, no matter how young she was, sensed this sexual innuendo and would forever associate her ritual skin painting with sexual experience. After that first line, Nagiko's father would say, "Then he painted in each person's name, lest the owner never do so." forget it. If God approved of his creation, he brought the painted clay model to life by signing his own name. Such a distinction implies not only that a person's name is essential to their person, but that there is some separation between creation and creator. As the saying goes, the honor of acquiring and maintaining a name is the result of physical approval. Additionally, the second part of the proverb connects the creator to his creation, but also creates a disconnect. Because the creator signs his own creation, we could deduce that, in abroader sense, no body is independent of a creation and, therefore, of a creator. However, the creator assigns a name to his creation, while retaining his own name. The creator does not sacrifice his own uniqueness, his own approval, but offers new approval to his creation. In other words, the creator maintains and exercises his power over the person of his creation by giving him a name. By taking up her father's practice and using it on her lovers, Nagiko attempts to bridge this gap. She does not use her lovers' bodies to connect with them as a person or human, but to satisfy her own obsession with skin. This trend, however, ends when Nagiko finds her "pillow book": a man whose body, person and humanity completely pleases her. For Nagiko, beautiful calligraphy and sexual prowess become equally important traits in her lovers. She says: “Older men may have great handwriting, but they fail to take advantage of all that my younger self has to offer. Younger men satisfy me in bed, but they get distracted easily. Throughout the narration, Nagiko searches for a lover who would not only be able to satisfy her sexual desires, but also write about her with beautifully crafted calligraphy. Jérôme is the first man that Nagiko can love for his body, his person and his human being. Himself an aspiring writer, Nagiko seduces Jérôme by telling him: “If you are a writer, you will surely write about anything. In an attempt to please her, Jerome perfects his writing skills and proves himself to be a lover who not only satisfies her sexually, but also emotionally. Nagiko and Jerome write about each other, treating each other like blank canvases, creating masterpieces on each other's bodies. In an attempt to rectify her father's objectification and mistreatment, Nagiko uses Jerome's body as paper. A struggling writer, Nagiko's father fell prey to a successful publisher, who used him for sexual pleasure. Coincidentally, Jerome's former lover was the same editor. When Nagiko first presents her work to the editor, she asks a reporter to take photos of her words on a nude subject and deliver them to her. The publisher is not impressed and rejects the work. Amidst the frustration, Nagiko's servant suggests, "Try to seduce him – offer yourself in paper form", suggesting that offering one's body in paper form, as something that can be marked and manipulated, is very provocative. However, needing to maintain control, Nagiko decides to seduce the publisher's lover, Jerome, and use him as paper. Nagiko writes the first part of her “pillow book” on Jérôme’s skin, using his entire body; words meticulously decorate his arms, torso, legs and buttocks. The editor is instantly excited and moved by Jérôme's naked body covered in beautiful calligraphy. Although the goals of both attempts are identical, the medium is radically different. That is, the editor found the view of a real body far more provocative and valuable than mere images of a body, illustrating the concept that the body is a powerful tool, not only with respect to mechanics, but also with regard to concepts. The interaction between body, human and person that ensues is thought provoking. As art, as a literary work, Jerome ceases to be a person. Although his body still functions as a living organism, he has lost his humanity and is no longer a person. He entered an illusory realm of quasi-humanity. Jérôme's body functions as a tool, a means of communication between Nagiko.