I Think I Understand Why Authors Kills Their MCs in the End

[Macha]

Consider the authors who toil for months, if not years, to craft a good novel.
And when they make the character die in the end, a slew of various emotions wash over them.

They experience sadness, nostalgia, regret, acceptance, happiness, and finally pride... in the character they created... in the character they developed.

It hurts them more than the audience reading the novel but it also creates an almost addictive feeling of... I don't know serenity, acceptance in the end..... like the thought that their character would slowly fade away from the memories of this world.


They would be forgotten from the minds of all the people whose lives they has changed, for whom they sacrificed everything. This thought itself gives this weird, indescribable and sad feeling.

So, I think the reason why Authors kill the character they created is so that they can hear their character say, in the end...

"Wow... what a wonderful life."

 

[TheEldritchGod]

If the character dies at the end, I planned it from the beginning. But I rarely do that. I mean, did that with Delta-228, but Delta-228 lived for four thousand years guarding a door from evil and when he finally died it was a mercy killing because all that was left of Delta-228 was his rusty shovel, his skeleton, and DUTY TO THE GOD-EMPEROR.

 

[lnv]

Isn't it so people stop asking for more chapters?

 

[Anon2024]

Isn't it so people stop asking for more chapters?

That’s what I’m thinking too.

 

[georgelee5786]

I assumed it was something along the lines of the MC's journey ends alongside the reader's journey.

 

[RyreGruel]

One additional factor to consider is the phrase, you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. By killing of their MCs at the end of the story they figuratively die a hero’s death and at the same time ending their part in the stories world.

The funny thing is that that in essence is the same thing as when the hero’s disappear from society to live a hermits life, just more conclusive and morbid.

 

[lambenttyto]

So, I think the reason why Authors kill the character they created is so that they can hear their character say, in the end...

"Wow... what a wonderful life."

I like your thoughts. I've never thought this though. In fact, I don't want my characters to die at the end. It's never happened before. But... with Oni Rokura, it might just happen. I haven't finished the series, and in fact, I've just left it hanging on a cliffhanger, no real ending, I just stopped writing. But I've been thinking that maybe she needs to die. I have a path for her to get out alive, but... I don't know. There's something about the main character dying which gives the story more memorability as well.

 

[CarburetorThompson]

I love stories that ends with the main character dying through heroic sacrific.

 

[Amok]

kill them all. what is a book but gateway to genocide? ah but the page tyrants doth not exist? why, ever story is a death, for once read the end is known and mystery suffers a silent demise

 

[Minx]

Isn't it so people stop asking for more chapters?

You knew too much

 

[SakeVision]

If the story is about to end forever, might as well kill everyone and blow up the planet. Who cares? It will end anyway.

 

[yurinium]

Character death riles people up. There are a lot of characters who are famous because the writer kills them. They won't be that famous if they're still alive, ironically.