*The following consists of my opinions with the exception of the cited articles*
Most authors and movie directors constantly strive for the production of unfamiliar yet intriguing works–something their audiences will still ponder even decades after–something to forever contemplate. In more recent years, I have noticed the increase in books killing off their main characters–sometimes as shock factors, other times as plot twists–in comparison to the "happily-ever-after” endings more commonly associated with movies and books of the past. Back then, the majority of audiences were content with seeing the main characters obtain their relatively perfect ending after their author-imposed tribulations. For example, think of the classic “Scream” movies. They follow a (now) arguably stereotypical plotline and currently face a decrease in positive reviews. However, when the first movie premiered, audiences enjoyed it so much they, “turned it into the industry’s first massive horror box office win in years.”^1 But as these scrip-writers and books kept following similar, almost ‘cliche’ endings, shelves and streaming services became continuously filled with the same storyline, resulting in the likelihood of their success gradually decreasing. (Though, I don’t mean to say cliches should never be used, as when done ‘right’ they can add, rather than take, from the plot.)^2
Therefore, I believe it is reasonable to think those behind these productions have jumped towards something few would expect; after all, death is an arguably heavy subject, and more unlikely to appear in every work. So to include such a detail within a plot, regardless of its form, whether it be a script, novel, poetry, or anything else similar, a great amount of forethought should happen if the person wishes the scene to cohesively fit within their writing. Such dramatic moments substantially alter the course of a story, however when often repeated, this main provider of substance to the scene is removed. What would have once been of great shock to an audience would have now been reduced to a mundane, common, almost expected moment, therefore removing the need for that specific ordeal in the beginning.
Throughout the past couple years, I have come across many great novels, most of which do make ‘proper’ use of main character death scenes, such as: Six of Crows, All of us Villains, Three Dark Crowns, and more. The mentioned literature mainly consists of Young Adult fiction, all of which were written in the last decade or so, and manage keeping ‘important’ deaths to a minimum, while ensuring the writer’s wanted impact remains the scene’s premise.
Though, for every story I have read or watched which have arguably mastered writing heavier topics in a relatively well manner, I have seen just as many that do the opposite. For example, the ACOTAR series (A Court of Thorns and Roses), written by Sarah J. Maas contains quite a few moments where deaths felt unnecessary, rushed, or both. Her books are purely meant for entertainment, but why should that equate to poor structure? I was a huge fan of her books during ages twelve to thirteen, however as I recall certain scenes, I realize their faults. In the third book within that series (A Court of Wings and Ruin), the main character's father tragically dies whilst fighting against an enemy in defense of his three daughters, specifically for the one who held great disdain towards him. In this scene, readers can see the turmoil caused in that daughter as his death is then ever so slightly attributed to her changing in character (alongside other events, though for the purposes of this post they shall be disregarded due to their irrelevance). I find this death to be one the most troublesome, as it no longer affects the character after that moment, (with the exception of having created a fear of fire roughly mentioned every 100 pages), showing the scene was used purely to add emotion to that one specific scene and then be simply disregarded. Furthermore, in the chapters surrounding this moment (and in the book’s sequel) readers can observe characters arguably more important to the plot die, only to be revived within seconds, therefore reducing any significance.
When killing a character, especially one which affects the course of other characters' lives or mentality, it is vital to show a change within characters (regardless of whether through grieving, personality, etc.) plot, or both, as otherwise, the writer risks boring readers with what I would consider to be filler scenes. Though, I will mention that this logic applies to more than just character deaths–I just happen to see more examples regarding death. ((Though I guess that also says something about what I typically read… WAIT IS THIS A CONFOUNDING VARIABLE-?! Mr. Smyser better be proud I still remember that word)).
Including more somber moments into books must be carefully done to ensure continuity within the story and cohesiveness within scenes; this applies to all book scenes, though extra attention should be paid towards those more ‘complex’ such as death scenes. And regardless of everything previously said, the death of a character can be a wonderful component of a book or movie as it brings forth endless opportunities and likely enacts some sort of emotion within readers, and after all, what good is a fiction book if it doesn't make you sob at the end? But in all seriousness ((maybe–I don't even know at this point. I've been yapping too long)), WRITE GOOD SCENES AND STOP OVERUSING DEATH. FIND SOME OTHER WAY TO TRAUMATIZE YOUR CHARACTERS.
Bye bye now!
Access date: 23 Sept. 2024.
This is a very interesting article. I agree that if a main character death happens, it should serve more of a purpose than to just to add interest to a single scene, and should have a lasting impact on the surviving characters. However, what other ways of making a scene more interesting would you recommend?
ReplyDeleteIt's often advised to use few or no cliches within writing, and for the most part I agree with that. However, despite this statement, my favorite way of bringing interest to a scene is taking cliches and altering key components while mainly leaving its premise intact. Right now, I can't think of any specific examples of that being done, but I definitely find the idea of taking more traditional / 'already done' ideas and transforming them into something entirely new. I also think it's interesting to lead a reader into believing they wholly understand the happenings inside the book, and then brining some sort of plot twist that then makes it painfully obvious what the book had been hinting towards. Though I will say that for the latter, a lot more attention to detail is required and it is arguably harder to play with subtlety and foreshadowing in that manner since much depends on how the reader interprets the book as well, so for some it might have no effect, while others may be shocked.
DeleteOh my gosh, I totally agree with all your points involving ACOTAR. Sometimes the deaths felt so pointless and irrelevant. The big thing I really hated is how especially in the third book characters would die and then be revived three seconds later. It felt so unnecessary and by having everyone get revived it made it seem like there was nothing really at stake. Also, your point about the fire thing is so true! It was so random and would sometimes pop up out of nowhere in the middle of the scene.
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree with a bunch of the stuff you've mentioned, especially about Sarah J. Mass. A lot of her death scenes are rushed/unnecessary. I liked your blog post, it was very interesting to hear your opinions!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you, I haven't read the ACOTAR series but it sounds like there were deaths that weren't relevant. I enjoyed reading your personal thoughts and looking back there have been some books that I have read that had random deaths.
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