Deathnote: L And The Lying Monsters
For all the Deathnote fans,
Here’s an apple for your thoughts, what defines a monster? In the Death Note film: Death Note: Relight: L's Successors, L is asked by a group of Wammy house orphans if there’s anything he’s scared of. Naturally, being the intellectually quirky anomaly that is L/Ryuzaki, he says “Well I suppose, monsters.” Hearing this for the first time, the natural response of the orphans is that of laughter and even opposition amongst themselves about how monsters don’t really scare L. Instead of allowing this display of childish banter, L says “There are many types of monsters that scare me: Monsters who cause trouble without showing themselves, monsters who abduct children, monsters who devour dreams, monsters who suck blood... and then, monsters who tell nothing but lies. Lying monsters are a real nuisance: They are much more cunning than others. They pose as humans even though they have no understanding of the human heart; they eat even though they've never experienced hunger; they study even though they have no interest in academics; they seek friendship even though they do not know how to love. If I were to encounter such monsters, I would likely be eaten by them... because in truth, I am that monster.”
After reading and absorbing this statement, the question of what defines a monster becomes far more terrifying than the surface-level aspect it constitutes. The fact that many types of monsters exist in our world is a terrifying reality to absorb. But the fact that the lying monsters are what disturbs a person like L is enough to garner enough meaningful introspection. What’s also most fascinating about this insightful analysis of the human condition is that L doesn’t exclude himself from this bunch. In fact, he compares himself to this breed of monster as a result of his own anti-social behavior.
There is no allusion to L’s intention of describing himself as the type of lying monster he describes. After all, he is a detective, and the world he inhabits involves a great deal of secrecy, deception, and emotional distance when it comes to trusting others. Not much of L’s past is known, and the only known memory goes back to an incident he had in his early childhood where he assaulted a fellow orphan and regarded the act as justice. This small incident undoubtedly reveals certain elements of L’s antisocial behavior as well as his own inability to understand people. It is truly bizarre to see a child perform such a violent act, whilst attributing it to something akin to virtue. But then again, the only might makes right saying isn’t always just a cliche to condemn for its rather prejudicial leanings.
One of the more significant topics within Death Note was that of power and dominance. A few years ago, a Youtuber by the name of Aleczandxr (Hyperlink in the name) made a video titled “Power and Dominance in Death Note (Also hyperlinked), which is a fitting name when attributed to the central conflict between that of L and Light, who both declare themselves “Justice.” As a fan and an avid re-watcher of the series, it’s impossible not to look at the two sides and not choose one. It’s doubtful to say that a majority of viewers didn’t feel this way when first watching the series. It’s understandable how anyone could either side with Light or L. Both were compelling and intellectually engaging men who carried very idealistic views. I myself rooted for Light in the beginning, only to then shift towards L following the murder of Ray Penber. I have no doubt that there were the rare neutral watchers of the series who observed the conflict between Light and L very much in the same role that the Shinigami Ryuk played as merely that of a spectator.
As the years have gone by, I’ve come to observe the moral conflict of the series from a purely neutral gaze. Even though I tend to think that out of the two, L is the more morally mature in the context that he still recognizes his monstrous nature, I simply watch Light’s battle with him and his successors Near and Mello from a distance. That is the only way to watch Death Note without falling into the main trap set for its viewers. To believe that there is an objective definition of the word “justice” alone is missing the point of how biased it can make anyone who most certainly feels a rush of power from asserting such a view.
But it’s that sensation of power that Death Note deeply explores, and much to an extent that it is willing to illustrate what is a scathing critique of humanity in a nutshell. It can be argued that human intelligence is a gift or a curse, and it all goes back to the concept of self-consciousness, and sadly, as much as we like to think that is the best thing about being a human being, in addition to knowing we can fuck and enjoy all sorts of shit, knowing we are going to be either dust or worm chow someday is enough to look and I mean carefully look at our actions.
A lot of people don’t look at their actions or even their beliefs, which can be a dangerous and monstrous territory to inhabit. Characters like L and Light Yagami very much live in such a territory. They lie, deceive, and use people in what is a mental battle of whits and ideals laced with moral absolutism as the justification for the inherently undeniable intellectual stimulation both characters receive with every new challenge they thrust against one another, despite the rage it equally triggers in both characters.
When L Talks about lying monsters, he doesn’t shy away from being one, and more importantly, he doesn’t deny his fear of encountering one much like himself. In this case, it was Light, and for those who have already seen the anime, the false God of the unrealized world was very much devoured by that monster. L’s speech is more than simply an even deeper gaze into the mind of a very complex and intriguing man. It’s a warning for anyone who fears the monster within themselves. The clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson spoke about this in a Joe Rogan podcast episode where they were both discussing the nature of how every human being has their inner darkness within them. This is not a new concept, but all too often, it’s been approached in all the wrong ways, because most people stop at fearing their monster and run away from it. Peterson disagrees with such an approach when making a statement like, "You should be a monster. An absolute monster. And then you should learn how to control it." In many ways, L was able to keep his monster at bay, and at times he wasn’t. The same cannot be said about Light, and although we should never keep our monsters completely in the dark, we should always prevent them from basking out in the light.
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Disclaimer:
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