Thus says the great hero with his last breath.
The death of a good character in a story is very difficult to me, in both reading and writing. Indeed, one death poorly executed or highly unwanted is enough to ruin an otherwise decent book. But when it is done right, when the author writes it with complete purpose and beauty, then--ah!--then it might elevate the novel to one of my very favorites.
"That's all well and good for a story," a realist might say. "But that's not how it works in the real world. When people are killed it's not often in a heroic manner, and they very less often have the chance to something really punchy, especially in the presence of their loved ones or worst enemy." They'd be right. That doesn't happen in this world very often.
I once read a book, a very interesting and well-written book, in which there was a young man, handsome and kind, with a bright future ahead of him, even if he didn't know what he wanted to do yet. He was just a side character, but hey, he was fun, and I could envision a great friendship between him and the hero. He was wounded when they went off on their perilous mission, and I was anxious for him--but I did not expect the heroes to round a corner and find him on the floor, shot to death. I was kind of stunned. Angry. It ruined the book. I was in a grey cloud the rest of the day. It wasn't fair, he didn't even have a chance, it was just cut off, no warning, no nothing! His life was ended. That was it. Well, I thought grudgingly. Kudos to the author for writing reality. Cause that sort of thing is more real.
Or is it?
Could it be that epic, fantastical deaths might display a better understanding of death than our limited mortal knowledge? Is death really just a cut-off of life? Or is it a door into Beyond? According to my belief in the Bible, it is either an entrance into eternal life or eternal death. Death was a result of sin, and for the sinner it means the final sundering from God and everything good. But with the sacrifice of Christ, for the believer in Him it means a doorway to something more beautiful and perfect than we can ever imagine. It is interesting to note that Tolkien wrote death as a gift to mankind, whereas the elves had both the curse and blessing to linger until the End. For the believer, it is the release from the "reality" of this fallen world.
Even so, death remains a hard, difficult thing to understand. Someone is losing someone. That loss should be felt in a story as well, and deeply. But when one is writing literature, I think it is best to make death meaningful--the bittersweet beauty of it for the hero and the sorrowful hopelessness or justifiable satisfaction at the villain's. Granted, there are those poor red shirts who just die without a thought (unless of course, you're like Anne Elisabeth Stengl and like to make the reader ache for some random bad guy because you remind us he was once a child and such). ;)
Writing death with meaning and conviction is first and foremost important to the reader. Remind them of the severity and sorrow, but also hope of that which is beyond. Please, don't ever just kill a character cause you don't know what to do with them (like Diana Barry) . That's not how the Author of the world works, so we shouldn't either.
Personally, when it comes to the death of a hero, I prefer it to be a courageous act of self-sacrifice, a moment that reveals their greatest nature in a final celebration of their life. It is fitting, because the most pivotal and important death in our history was the Ultimate Sacrifice. There's something that swells our heart about the hero finding peace at the end, knowing that it isn't the end for him. And what really scores high for me as a reader is when we have a slight glimpse or hint of them afterwards--as shown by C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Anne Elisabeth Stengl.
For me, the best heroic deaths in literature can be found in these books.
"Can you forgive me?" --Dragonwitch by Anne Elisabeth Stengl
"I love you." The Warden and the Wolf King by Andrew Peterson
"I go now to my long rest in the timeless halls beyond the seas and the Mountains of Aman. It will be long ere I am seen among the Noldor again; and it may be that we shall not meet a second time in death or life, for the fates of our kindreds are apart. Farewell!" --The Silmarillion (Tolkien is notorious for final death speeches. They always have so much to say.)
"In death, my love, I loved you best." The Monster In the Hollows by Andrew Peterson.
And the all-famous--"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go than I have ever known." A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
You get a pat on the back if you know who says each of these! But don't say who actually says them--that would be spoiling. Except for the Simarillion one. If you know that, shout it out! And please share the books you think have the best heroic deaths in them...just don't say who dies, cause once again--spoilers! ;)
