A sense of the spirit of O-Tei literally murdering his loved ones, including his parents, wife and children, is created as she seeks to be the sole possessor of Nagao's heart and soul. Only after his flame for the "new" O-Tei is rekindled does Nagao finally find happiness.
Obsession has been known to drive humanity to extremes. Akutagawa, in his works "Jigokuhen," "The Nose," as well as "The Tangerines," draws out obsession as a major theme. These obsessions, varying from story to story, essentially lead to the demise of a loved one, happiness, or sensibility. Parable-like in nature, Akutagawa's stories portray obsession as a powerful force, capable of becoming an all-pervasive influence. From Yoshihide's compulsive desire to complete the hell screen, to the priest's neurotic craving to shorten his floppy nose, to the narrator's (in "The Tangerines") obsession with the "dull-looking country girl," Akutagawa makes obsession a primary theme in his works.
Yoshihide, in "Jigokuhen," is so driven to complete the hell screen that "when he became absorbed in his painting, he did not even want to see his daughter" (Akutagawa, 30). His compulsion to complete his paintings is so powerful that he loses a sense of humanity through it. The inhumane manner in which Yoshihide chained a stark naked man during which "the pain was intolerable, for he pulled the end of the chain brutally," clearly shows Yoshihide's obsession driving him to inhumanity. The obsessions grows so strong while he is painting the hell screen that, essentially when his own daughter was engulfed in flames, after overcoming the initial shock, he was driven to absorb the atmosphere to recreate in his painting. Ultimately, his obsession led to his death.
In "The Nose," Zenchi Naigu is driven by an urge to shorten his sagging nose. Everywhere he looks, anyone he looks at, he is constantly comparing their noses or any overgrown parts to his nose, in order to alleviate himself.
