Death in Fiction

    So I’ve got a bit of a weird one today, I had planned to do something else, but this is the one you’re getting because it’s the one I am thinking about. This time is going to be talking about death in fiction, character’s deaths, to be specific.

    It’s recently been in my head, the effect a character’s death might have on a story, the loose ends, the loved ones they leave behind, and the effect such a thing has on the reader. An example of a death with a dramatic impact would, of course, be the death of one Eddard Stark, in A Game of Thrones. It left many people upset, both fictional and real. The reaction videos that flooded Youtube shortly after the episode aired shows many people took it very personal that Eddard had died. He left behind his family, his widowed wife and his children. He also left behind the mystery of Jon’s parentage, which only recently has been confirmed. Eddard’s death warped A Game of Thrones, it took away a central character and no one really rose up to fill that vacuum. Which is probably why so many fans believe the second book, A Clash of Kings, is probably the worst of the lot as it is still reeling from the loss of Eddard.

    However, meaningful Eddard is nowhere near the worst character death I experienced. My reaction to Eddard's death was mild compared to some of the other I will address here. So let’s move on to Sherlock Holmes.

    Now I’m going to talk a bit about both the death at the end of the short story, The Final Problem, as well as the death in the Sherlock BBC television series. So let’s start with The Final Problem death.

    In The Final Problem, Sherlock and Moriarty plunge to their death down a waterfall. As with almost all of the Sherlock stories, it was told from the perspective of Watson, who didn’t witness the event but did his best to put it together after the fact. It is also probably important to note that Arthur Conan Doyle wanted the character to end here, I also knew that Sherlock did in fact not die, as the books were written over a hundred years ago and they continued past this point. I have to say I actually kind of enjoyed the idea that Sherlock ended here. It felt complete, like Sherlock came across a worthy adversary a man who he could not defeat, not without sacrificing himself for the greater good. It was a bit nihilistic, but I guess I had no real complaints had it ended there.

    So in the BBC’s Sherlock, there’s a bit of a similar thing, except that Watson must watch, must stand by and watch Sherlock make that choice. Watson who was powerless to do anything to save his friend, it was heart wrenching, but maybe I only feel that way because I experienced another fictional death far more tragic the same day I watched that episode, we’ll get to that one later. It left me feeling miserable and upset but ultimately I did get over it rather quickly.

So here’s a death that bothers me a bit, it’s from Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series. The books were great, don’t ever get me wrong I loved them and their ending, it’s just one of the deaths in it doesn’t sit right with me. After spending nearly the entire series talking about how perceptive and quick one of the characters was, near the end of the series he get’s shot, by someone who was well in the character’s view. It seemed his perception and quick wit, suddenly disappeared in that moment just to facilitate his death, and it never sat right with me.

    So on to a more recent entry, in the last Discworld novel, we say goodbye to one of the oldest and most well-respected characters in the series. Now Discworld is a bit unlike many other series while its novels do happen in a sense of chronological order, the different novels focus on different characters from around the Disc. One group, it focused on was the Witches of Lancre. Now I must say at the outset, with their first novel, Wyrd Sisters I didn’t really enjoy the witch novels, but once it moved on to their second novel Witches Abroad, I loved them as much as any other character on the Disc. Now when one of them was going to die, they would know, they’re Witches, and Witches know such things like when they’re going to die. But sadly one of them was getting on in years, and after choosing a successor and putting her affairs in order Death paid her a visit. And it still makes me a bit teary-eyed remembering it. This was probably made sadder given the fact that the Author, Terry Pratchett, passed on just before the novel came out.

    So now we’re going on to one that still gets me choked up when I talk about it. One that was so much in the new at the time that it’s almost hardly spoiler for anyone now. That’s the death of Peter Parker in Ultimate Spider-man. Ultimate Spider-man took place in an alternate reality to the Main Marvel Universe, 616, where all the main Marvel titles take place. Avengers, Amazing Spider-man, Thunderbolts, Etc.

    Now this death was tragic in a number of ways, first Spider-man was shot by the punisher while pushing Captain America out of the way. Second Peter was left wounded on the bridge while the other superheroes got distracted by more important goings on. Thirdly Parker wakes up and sees the Green Goblin heading to his home. It breaks your heart slowly because you know He can’t get up and fight, you know he needs to get care immediately, you know he will die, but he does it anyway. He goes after Goblin because he has to save his Aunt May, he has to Save Mary Jane and Gwen Stacey. Reading about him getting up even though he’ll die, even though he knows it, watching him fight the Goblin even after being shot. Watching him lift a truck over his head to smash it into the Norman Osbourne time and again, a Man Peter had been told multiple times was dead. Had been told multiple times was handled by Nick Fury, only for him to be there terrorizing Parker’s family. Peter saved his family, he slammed that truck into the Goblin until he stopped moving, and then fell to the ground, never to get up again.

While that was heartbreaking there was also his funeral, as all over New York people came to pay their respects. Tony Stark paid for the funeral costs, he felt he owed Parker that much. Aunt May showed up and met a little girl with a burnt face, who asked her if she was Spider-man’s mommy. Remembering that panel still brings tears to my eyes. That little girl Spider-man had saved from a fire and Aunt May about to break down into tears.

    Honorable mention goes to Douglas Adams, while he wasn’t a fictional character, his death did mean that many of my favorite characters were essentially dead, their lives never to continue.

    Now we move onto the death that even now makes it hard for me to discuss a death in fiction so powerful I get teary eyed just seeing the character reimagined. Recently I had been watching the BBC America show, The Musketeers and it brought back the grief. At this point you only know who I mean if you’ve read the novels from start to finish, only one death was so Tragic, while D’Artagnan dies at the end in Maastricht having just been awarded the title of Grand Marshal by Louis XIV, and Athos dies after his son Tragically loses his life in battle, and of course Athos’ son Raoul dies tragically in battle after having his heart broken by the love of his life. None of these deaths compare, not a single one of any of the deaths on this list cause me such grief. only one death causes such anguish you might think a real friend of mine had died when I speak it. That my dear audience is the death of Porthos Du Vallon.

    Never in my years of readership have I ever read a death so tragic, so heartbreaking so grieving that even now I am having trouble with the words to express my feelings. Porthos was a friend to D’Artagnan, Aramis, and Athos. He was a Musketeer through and through. Pothos was a bit simple but nonetheless clever. He was a joyful and affable character, he once had an unintentional eating contest between himself and Louis XIV. He had once tragically discovered that he had no clothes to wear because his servant had gained too much weight. He threatened doctors well being for not being adequately able to explain to him why puncture wounds would leave welts and not dents. Both tasks D’Artagnan was able to help him with. Through D’Artagnan’s adventures, we get to meet Porthos and we love him as the lovable oaf he is. It only makes his death all the more tragic.

    Now you may be familiar with, The Man in The Iron Mask, the story about replacing King Louis with his twin brother Philippe. Well, you see Porthos was directly involved in this story. Aramis had convinced Porthos that Louis was an imposter, that Philippe, who was in prison, was the true King and that only Porthos and Aramis could set it right. So Porthos helps his friend Aramis in this, and they swap the king for his twin. Aramis informs Fouquet about this, expecting him to be pleased, instead, he immediately goes to release Louis and bring him back to the palace. Aramis and Porthos flee, D’Artagnan immediately recognizes Louis as his true king and Philippe is once again imprisoned, only this time with an iron mask so no one should try such a thing again.

    D’Artagnan is ordered to bring his friend in, D’Artagnan does his best to delay Louis' forces so his friend had time to flee the country beyond Louis’ wrath. Louis had counted on this, however, and none of D’Artagnan’s ploys worked. While in hiding Aramis told Pothos the truth of what they had done, how he had betrayed Porthos’ trust, and Porthos forgave him. Porthos told Aramis about how his ancestors always died after getting a weak feeling in their legs. As they were fleeing the cave they were hiding in, Porthos legs go weak at the exit, there at the mouth of the cave, explosive going off behind him, and he cannot bring himself up, he cannot keep running. The cave collapses on him, and he catches it, he holds it up with his Herculean strength. Aramis almost has hope for his friend’s survival, but then the weight shifts and just like that Pothos disappears in a mound of rubble. Aramis digs out his friend and speaks to him, and finally, Porthos give up the ghost and dies. The rubble lowers, having been released from Porthos’ incredible strength.

    No death in any work of fiction has hurt me as much as that of Porthos, no death feels as tragic, I can only hope that one day I can create a character so loved that if they should die, they will affect one as much as Porthos effects me.

    Rest in peace Porthos Du Vallon, you were a hero among heroes.