Akane Senri’s Sorrow, Part Two: The Mythic Woman and Society w.r.t Gender

Originally, this piece was going to be very different but then I realized I was committing the heinous sin of narrative over analysis, which will not fly in something like this. Nope, no way. I read over part one and realized that what I had in mind was truly a part two. For this reason, I have added Figure 1 to assert this piece as the sequel. Below, further analysis on the points raised in Part 1. 

Figure 1. Akane Senri walking in a black dress surrounded by an entourage.

As already explained, Akane Senri is the mythical holy woman, head of a mysterious group that seems outdated. In this prestigious but sorrowful role, Akane is crushed under expectations and obligations. This role is very archetypal and thus rooted in the past, where matriarchal societies were more prevalent. It can be found in other works, such as Ursula Le Guin’s Tombs of Atuan, where the main character is a girl named Arha, which means the ‘eaten one’[1], who has the destiny to become the Arch-Priestess of her society. For this role, she is subjected to rules upon rules while being raised in the darkness[2]. Though Akane lives as a more modern being, she became set on this path because she was, as an orphan, selected to be the next holy woman.[3]

Both are forced into lonely roles of great power; despite differences in goals, both play almost identical roles as holy women. However, they are cast out as figureheads by prominent members in their respective societies, creating doubt about the very role of the holy woman. This archetype casts two seemingly opposite implications about gender: 1) woman as the matriarch, the powerful leader in the eyes of those she leads and 2) woman as leader through fake power that is for show. Akane and Arha experience special privileges befitting only the noblest beings in their respective societies while also being cast out as figureheads. They are held to exceptional standards but are also secretly doubted. In that sense, this archetype reveals how society views woman: not trusted even when given power. Perhaps the existence of this archetype can be explained in terms of matriarchal societies: the holy woman recalls these societies, which are now considered outdated and cultish if not outright wrong. Many of the claims against Arha and Akane stem from an implication that they, as holy women, are out of step with the modern world. They simply are called figureheads without an explanation; there is no discussion of why the idea of a holy woman is wrong. Rather, they want to remove leaders they see as unfit for the role, hence why the term figurehead is emphasized here. The emphasis in both works is on deposing the holy women, who are symbolic of the power of women.

However, Akane, through particular events in Rewrite[4] is also labeled a fake for her role in healing other people in addition to being a figurehead. Though this criticism comes from outside of her organization, presumably people within the group also felt that way – ultimately, an intra-group split occurs as a result of these feelings of animosity towards Akane. Her authority is questioned in more obvious ways too: the person calling her a fake goes to great lengths to prove that all of her miracles were concocted. However, Akane can use magic for this purpose, so this accusation is itself wrong. Therefore, this accusation operates in a different manner: the harsh criticism is based upon the high standards of being a woman[5]. As a woman, her word is doubted, as evidenced by her status as a “fake” and a “figurehead.”

The role of holy woman is quite stressful, as evidenced by both Akane and Arha leaving their roles. In the original post, I discussed how the archetype was disrupted, allowing Akane to seem sad and not composed. Rather, the disruption reveals the powerful strain placed upon the person assigned the role. As a result, the archetype of the holy woman is fascinating when disrupted because it provides an interesting perspective on gender and its political power - such a person is polarizing, forcing such issues of gender to the surface. Arha and Akane are both given strength but begin to feel crushed as they do not receive much (substantial) respect. Ultimately, the archetype of the holy woman provides a powerful look at how the idea of a woman leader is treated. That is why the mythic woman archetype is still relevant but beyond that important because matriarchal societies are now far removed from modern societies.

---

[1] Essentially, she’s a person of the shadows who serves the Nameless Ones – the Gods of the society in which Arha lives.

[2] Arha was abandoned as a child so that she could be raised by this secretive society – in this respect she can be viewed as an orphan.

[3] Rewrite isn’t as precise in this regard as Tombs of Atuan, so it is difficult to draw a more precise parallel.

[4] From the Akane route in said VN.

[5] Characters outside of Akane’s group do not necessarily see her as the holy woman. The character behind this criticism does not, so he just views her as a woman.