The Tattooer

When stumbling upon "The Tattooer", my first instinct that pulled me into this story was the title, as I myself am a big fan of tattoo's and was curious as to how they would add a horror aspect to them. I was not disappointed. I found the female character and Seikichi's interest in her most compelling. The fact she was portrayed to have a dark side that she did not want to uncover very much piqued my interest and makes me want to know more about her backstory. If I had to hypothesize, I would venture that she made a mistake in the past, or hurt someone, and after discovering this side and its capabilities, wanted to keep them hidden away, so no one may suffer the same fate. This hidden side of her reaches it's fullest potential once she gets the black widow tattooed on her back, without her consent. Despite this, she seems to be pleased with the tattoo and what it represents. Luring men into her trap only to take their lives. The only part of this short story that left me puzzled was the very end, when Seikichi asks to see the tattoo in all its glory, but when the tattoo is shown, it "caught a ray of sunlight and the spider was wreathed in flames." I don't fully understand what is trying to be portrayed here, (though that might be the point), but if I had to guess, it seems the thing that overtook this woman has now fully consumed her, causing her to suffer from a fate that would have been that of her victims. Though she may have come off villainous to some in the end, I find her character quite compelling and favor her overall, rather than Seikichi.