There are so many heroes in our stories. They are brave and courageous. They can become superhuman in their feats and abilities. They are the people we tell stories of to inspire ourselves and others.
Ultimately, though, heroes die. Not all of them die in the midst of their adventures; many good stories have them returning home triumphant. They may live their lives out as simple people, never having any more adventures. And one day, they will go to sleep and not wake up.
Death is a rough subject. In stories, it tends to be either insignificant by happening to unimportant people, or it is vindicated by happening to villains or happening to heroes after they've saved the day. But one way that we don't often see is the nonchalant death of a hero, decades after their adventure, not for any reason but growing old.
If you have created a bond between your audience and your character, even a humble death like that will be cause for shock. Even for fictional characters, when they die, it feels like a piece of us dies along with them.
About Me
- Kevin Bahler
- I am a writer. A writer is one who writes. By the same logic, I am also a thinker, an observer, and a puzzle solver. I am a graduate from the State University of New York at Cortland with a degree in Professional Writing. The idea of the program is that one studies all three aspects of writing as a whole: Creative Writing, Technical Writing, and Rhetoric. The knowledge I have gained in those subjects is put to use in every aspect of my life. The worst thing a person can be is boring. I am most interested in people who can pique my interests. An example is people who can correctly use the word 'pique'.
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