When the exhausted straw hats are at the verge of death, cornered at the port of Ennis Lobby
by the countless enormous warships of the arriving buster call, threatening to obliterate
the entire island, at the last moment, they are saved by none other than their ship. Seeing
the pirate boat arrive is a heartwarming and tearjerking scene that brings the adventure
of Ennis Lobby to a worthy end. It just feels so cathartic that the ship has come to protect
her crew and sail with them all one last time. But… why? How is it that we have build a
relationship with not a character we love but…a ship? It’s an easy enough question,
but after sitting down to make this video, I had to find out the hard way that it actually
has a really difficult answer. And that answer is Anthropomorphism. So, once you will have
watched this video and figured out how to pronounce this word, you will not only be
able to use this technique to improve your own stories, but also have learned a great
new word you can annoy all your friends and family with. So let’s explore how the going
merry seamlessly unites a number of story telling devices to create the perfect adventure
story. To understand the entirety of how Oda turned a mere boat into an ingenious story
element, we have to look at it from two perspectives: The Going Merry as a ship and the Going Merry
as character. So what makes the Going merry special? And what are these devices and techniques
YOU can use to take an everyday object and enhance your entire story with it, to get
that emotional reaction from your audience?
I think, before we look at how to turn an object into a character, a great place to
start is to understand the true potential objects in themselves hold. You see, no matter
what type of story you write, chances are that they will not only consist of people.
Characters wear cloths, swing swords, drive cars and eat food. So while all these things
can simply be part of your story for the sake of illustration and realism, instead of seeing
them as necessary accessories to your writing, why not make use of these items and make them
part of the experience. To illustrate this point, let’s return to One Piece. Because
the Merry as a ship actually carries a lot of meaning and symbolism that functions as
a framework for the pirate story Oda is writing. First of all , the Going Merry is portraed
not as a mere vessel for transportation, but as a home for the entire straw hat crew. The
ship is drawn comfortable and inviting and thus creates a certain atmosphere in which
the crew can relax, socialise and live together. It is a space associated with positive experiences
and bonding moments for the main characters. Secondly , the design of the ship gives additional
characterisation to the story. Despite being a pirate ship, the bright and friendly appearance
of the Merry and most of its rooms immediately tells us what sort of people live here. This
is further enhanced by details like the smiling lamb figurehead or Nami´s Tangerine trees
that have been planted on deck. Even without knowing anything about the straw hats, simply
looking at their ship alone would already tell us that these are good and friendly people.
And of course having a Jolly Roger on its sail, we also keep being reminded that this
is a pirate crew traveling the seas. As a result, the ship and the crew are SO closely
connected, that when you see the Merry, you can’t help but think about the straw hats.
Thirdly , the ship determines the space of our story by carrying Luffy and co. from adventure
to adventure and closer to their overall goal. Spending time on the ship almost always tells
us that we are about to change location and start a new plot threat. In a way, it also
functions as a sort of intermezzo in between arcs, where the crew and also the audience
can relax and recover from the climax of the previous arc. And finally , the Merry as a
ship also carries a lot of symbolism in the story. Or maybe I should say, it is filled
to the brim with symbolism for both crew and reader alike. The pirate flag is a symbol
for the pirate story we are reading, the tangerine trees are a reminder of Nami´s past and home,
same as the Merry itself is a reminder for Usopp, just to name a few. On a larger scale
however, the ship symbolises the spirit of freedom and adventure that defines One Piece
as a story, and the increasing damage it takes serves as a reminder for all the adventures
the crew has been on and all the places they traveled to. So, as you see, even when looking
at it as nothing more than a ship, the Merry already adds quite a lot to the story. And
you can be sure that Oda has sunken a lot of time into its design. Using an object to
create atmosphere, characterisation, motion and symbolism is a very effective way of drawing
your audience deeper into the story and make them want to see more of it. And this can
be applied to any object you can think of, like a piece of wood, or a ring or even a
chair, to create an immense emotional response in your audience. But there is even more that
you can do with an object. You can actually make it into a character itself.
I’m definitely not the first one that calls the Going Merry a part of the straw hat crew.
And I strongly believe that the Merry as a crew member does a wonderful job at enhancing
the characters and the plot of the story. But how exactly can you give characterisation
to a ship, or any object at that? This is where the wonderful term from the beginning
of this video comes into play: Anthropomorphism. So what exactly is that? Anthropomorphism
is a literary device that assigns human characteristics to nonhuman entities like animals or inanimate
objects. So how is this different from personification? I’m glad you asked! The difference between
anthropomorphism and personification is that Personification, is the use of figurative
language to give inanimate objects or natural phenomena humanlike characteristics in a
metaphorical and representative way, for instance the howling wind or the biting cold. Anthropomorphism,
on the other hand, involves non-human things displaying literal human traits and being
capable of human behaviour. So, now you might think, well great, but why would you want
to do this? Because, if done right, it introduces something unusual and thus captures the readers
interest and empathy. Anthropomorphism is actually quite popular these days and anime
and manga are no exception for this. In the case of the Going Merry, I’m of course talking
about the ships spirit that takes on human appearance in the form of the Klabautermann.
(German approved stamp) As Franky explains to Usopp, this is a rare manifestation of
a ship's soul made possible by the love and care given to a ship by its crew. Thus, the
small figure Usopp witnesses repairing the broken Ship on Skypea is actually Marry herself.
In other words, the Merry being alive is not a metaphor. She can actually communicate with
people. And this is also not exclusive to the straw hats. When Merry wants to save her
crew from Ennis Lobby she asks Iceberg to repair her for one last journey. This, I think,
is important. Because while Merry gains human-like characteristics, she still shows mostly traits
and interests associated with a ship and thus, focuses on being a great pirate ship, repairing
itself and carrying its crew through any hardship. What then, is the consequence of this technique.
Well, the first thing you will notice, is that when humanising an object it can start
forming relationships with your characters, or heck, it can even become a main character
itself. The Merry has formed a bond with all of the straw hats, but Luffy and Usopp in
particular actually communicate with her. Usopp promising to repair her and Luffy apologising
for not taking better care of her. Secondly, the Going Merry offers a completely new direction
for the plot line. She is the cause for stopping at Water 7 in the first place, to look for
a shipwright that might be able to repair her, and thus triggering the entire Water
7 and Ennis Lobby saga, which I shamelessly admit is my favourite in the entire story.
But even more creatively, Oda actually uses Merry to safe the crew from Ennis Lobby. This,
I believe, is an especially strong moment, because the straw hats just declared war against
the world government to save Robin. Despite being fought over and ultimately abandoned,
she had such a strong connection to the drew that she was compelled to ask iceberg to fix
her so she could save her crew one last time and against all odds. Having that love and
loyalty rewarded by their ship, that came alive through these emotions, is just a very
powerful moment. And so lastly, the merry functions as a link between all of the straw
hats. She was the place they all forged their relationships on and got to travel together.
And thus, we really feel it in the end, when Merry gets her Viking funeral and has to say
goodbye to her crew. It’s not just feeling sad for a ship. It’s feeling sad for a character.
And in the end, we even get some catharsis with the spirit of the Merry being able to
keep accompanying the crew on the rest of their journey.
Now, if you want to replicate this in your story, I have three simple steps for you,
that you can follow. Oh and by the way, I’m curious, is writing a story something you’ve
ever considered? Let me know in the comments. So, going back, these three steps to use Anthropomorphism
in your story are: One, think about animals or objects that interest you. Consider whether
there are certain animals or inanimate objects that seem compelling to you that could be
anthropomorphised for the purpose of your story. Two, Reflect on visual traits or behaviour.
If you’ve chosen an animal for instance, what emotional qualities does this animal
seem to possess? If you’ve chosen an object, does its shape or structure evoke any human
characteristics? And three, Combine both human and inhuman elements. Some of the most imaginative
and successful examples of anthropomorphism involve combining real traits of an animal
or object with more human-like characteristics. Think about ways that you can utilise behaviours
that this new character might have whenever it is in its natural state.
That’s it for today guys. If you enjoy One Piece and want to learn more about story-telling,
world-building or my thoughts on the latest One Piece chapter, make sure to like and subscribe
to become part of the channel right now. I hope to see you around next time. And. Until
then. Stay safe and have a wonderful week.