My Love Hate of Sad Endings

I find myself both hating and loving a good sad ending. Tragic endings are always rememberable that's for certain. I believe I knew the ending to Romeo and Juliet before I ever knew what it even was. I certainly remember the ending to Jodi Picoult's The Pact and Ninteen Minutes. Don't even get me started on R.A. Salvatore's The Ghost King.

But I hate them. I really really do. The world is already full of such sadness that I don't want this epic story to end in tragedy. I want the boy to get the girl and if I'm lucky the girl getting the girl. The evil is vanquished and everyone lives happily ever after until the sequel.

I mean... it's bad enough that Kevin Arnold and Winnie Cooper don't make it. Seriously I remember watching the Wonder Year's and for a long time after wards all I remembered about the show was that they didn't get together in the end. How depressing is that. My first experience in shipping and my ship is completely sunk.

Actually that's a discussion for an entirely different thread.

I remember someone saying that sad endings were far more rememorable. Which then had me thinking of all the happy endings I could remember on the spot. For awhile there I was completely stumped. All I could think of were sad endings.

But I did think of some and some great ones too. Chuck had a brilliant ending that was happy. Although you never do learn whether or not that kiss worked. Knowing Morgan. It probably was...

I also know that the big reason I loved the Lost finale was because it was happy. Everyone, even Ben, got a happy ending. Well the Man In Black... well he didn't have a happily ever after. You see for me Lost wasn't about the mysterious or why a Polar Bear was running around. It was about the characters and their journey. While many fans were more interested in the mysterious of the Island and that's what kept them coming back for more... it was about the characters.

But I do enjoy a good tragic ending. Not the Romeo and Juliet kind. Mostly because... well I never did really read the play or whatever. But I just thought they were two stupid teenagers. What they should have gone somewhere away from their two families and start out with nothing.

But there is nothing quite like a sad ending. It makes you think and I think that's why they are so memorable. They make you think about life and love and sometimes whether or not it's worth it. Realizing that something like that happens in real life. It can make you thankful that you are surrounded by people you love.

But the happy ending gives you hope. That at the end of the day you will conquer the troubles in your life, find the perfect someone and ride off into the sunset.

I think Chuck from Supernatural was spot on. Endings are a pain in the ass. No matter what you do you can't please everyone and the fans will rage and you can never fill in all those plot holes.

But still... sad endings suck. Seriously. I hate them... and yet even I write them. Is it snobbish for an unpublished noname "author" to bring up his own work? But it's true.

I never finished Becoming Dead but from the start I could see the ending clearly. John would have returned to his sister's grave contemplating everything that has happened. The Love Interest would come up to him and he would say "When I die just burn me. Do not burry me here." The title Becoming Dead was about another way of dying. In a book full of death it was about the one I loved the most. Losing ones humanity. Losing everything that makes us human. He goes from this hopeful youth who is somewhat of a slacker to this hardend man who will kill anyone or anything to survive and at that moment he wonders what the point was. Do you really survive if you lose that? Of course this was probably one of my more pretentious... is that the word? stories I have ever written. It was the only story I actually set out to try and have a deeper meaning to. The rest of the stuff I write if you can find a deeper meaning then hey. More power to you.

Come to think of it. A lot of my stories end up being sad. My Suicide Note, Becoming Dead, Do You Remember?, The First Time, The Notebook, The Stoop Kid and yeah. Side note. I can't believe there are no more copies of The Stoop Kid. My computer got a nasty virus and I lost everything and the only place I remember posting it was on the abcfamilyboards.

Which is why I am in a Love Hate relationship with the Sad Ending. Though in the case of My Suicide Note I actually plan to someday write the actual story and it has a happy ending. I just didn't want that story to be a sad ending.

I think the reason I love it is that I put alot of emotional investment into books, movies, tv series that I want desperately for the characters to have a happy ending. But at the same time when it doesn't work out and the hero walks into the sunset alone, beaten, I can feel his or her pain(to some extent) that no, he didn't win. And in some twisted way I do enjoy it.

I think that's the key to enjoying fiction. You have to be able to get emotionally attached. Sure watching a mindless action flick is fun. You get to turn off your brain and just watch the explosions and fighting. But for me. You can give me a complex story with twists and turns and oh look a polar bear... but if I can't get attached to the characters. If I can't connect like that then it's not nearly going to be as much fun(or stressing, or scary) then it should be.

But I guess that is somewhat of a different topic altogether.

I started this thread with a clear goal in mind. But it turns out I am just good for rambling. I both love and hate sad endings. Oddly enough. This thread was finally made after I did some spoiling of a new show I am watching. While I don't know the full details... but the forecast for a Happy Ending is probably nonexistant. Well ok. I guess it's going to be more of a Bittersweet ending... gotta love a good bittersweet ending. Desperate Housewives(I know what your thinking... but seriously that show is amazing) was a perfect example of one.

Next thread I make I think I will finally gush about how awesome Desperate Housewives turned out to be. No seriously. I loved it.

...

Wait am I still rambling?

First of all, *memorable. Sorry.

Second, you had a story called The Stoop Kid? Did it have anything to do with the dude from Hey Arnold? Because that sounds awesome.

Lastly, on topic now.. I fucking hate happy endings. I HATE them. People always say that it "gives hope" or some bullshit. No. I hate it. When a book/movie/song/whatever is happy, it never ceases to make me feel bad about myself. Without fail. I end up feeling like, "Well, her life turned out great... Why can't mine be like that?" Then I mope around about unrequited love, family problems, unpopularity, general teenage angst. It's even worse when the rest of the story is sad, and just the ending is happy. Death, dispair, pain, OH YAY IT'S ALL BETTER! It seems like I should think, "Awh, I can rise above this, too," but no. More like, "WHY IN THE HELL AM I STILL MISERABLE?" The main character always goes through tribulations and such, but it's all resolved in the end. The thing is.. that just doesn't always happen in real life. Honestly, it rarely does. Sure there are happy endings. But they're not always happy. Far from it. People go through stuff and sometimes never get out. They die miserable and lonely.

I'm just always one to compare myself to others. Situations, personality, intellect. I've come to the conclusion that I'm superior to most people, but their lives are generally better. I, the awesomesaucesexybeastwithaheartofgoldkillersenseofhumorandanalmostgeniusIQ, have no love, few friends I can actually depend on, family that are either too far away or just don't really care, and I just generally have random bouts of uncontrollable depression, but ugly skankbag stupid bitches have perfect little lives. Why is this allowed?! And I compare myself to fictional characters, too. Why wouldn't I? It's what I do. Low self esteem, maybe? I don't know. Meh.

Anyway, I just love sad endings. Somehow, THEY give me hope. It's like, "Well, at least my entire family didn't die, and I don't have AIDS. I feel better now."

Like, you know how when you go to a rich friend's house, and you just feel like shit? You just start to see your surroundings as normal, I guess. Then when you go back to your average home, it's like you think you're dirt poor. When you're far from it. There are people who are dying because they can't get enough food or clean water. Do you have that problem? Probably not. When you think about all the [actual] poor people in the world, yeah, it's sad. Not only can you not really do anything about it yourself, but nothing is going to change. Nothing significant anyway. And not for a hellofa long time, at that. You feel bad for them, but at the same time, does it not make you appreciate what you have? When you compare yourself to someone who's far worse off, you feel better, no? Like, "Wow, God has blessed me with shelter, food, family..." It's just the way it works.

At least that's how I feel. I'll take ugly snotty-faced sob sessions over tears of joy anyday (not that I cry over movies... What am I, a woman? Hahahaha!!).

Wow... I'm almost as bad as you are, Poopy Pants. In my defense, I made an entire pot of coffee about an hour before close at work and didn't want it to go to waste, so I drank 6 cups. Aaaaand I have nothing better to do at 2am (sleep? What's that?).

FIN

Fair enough. Although you could try and think more positive. I mean when it is a happy ending it's never given to them. They work for it and go through hell. Your problem seems to be that you somehow expect it to fall into your lap and then questioning why it doesn't. At least from what you have said. Gotta break out of the whole cycle of depression after a happy ending.

Also losing some of the uh... ego might help.

Wow I don't think you have called me poopy pants in ages.

Well, I guess that does make sense... I just can't decide if I'm not willing to work for it, or if I'm not working hard enough.

I get that a lot, but it's hard to do when you're this wonderful.

Would you rather me use... YOUR REAL NAME?! Dun dun dunnnnn.

I'd just like to add that movies are fictional, and you only see the good in others lives much of the time. Maybe it isn't just a problem of working hard enough, maybe it's a problem of how you see things. You should work on picturing yourself happy in the life you have now, or close enough to it. I only say this because I have realized lately that my life, even if I do somehow get more friends and a boyfriend and a nice place to live etc..., isn't ever gonna be ALL good. It will never live up to my fantasies. Like in that movie Bridesmaids. Which I am not ashamed to say made me cry.


I fucking love sad ending, not because they make me feel good or whatever, but because it makes the rest of the movie more meaningful. Then the happy stuff that happend before really mattered. It isn't all about the sweet, tidy resolution. It makes a story more realistic and therefore, enjoyable. For me anyway.
That doesn't mean I don't protest while watching, haha. I will demand to know if anyone dies in the movie, and if they do, I will resist watching it. Even though I know I will enjoy the movie better that way. I am such a baby, I cry at almost everything I read, watch or hear.

I like happy endings, I know it is not realistic and most of the things in real life don't happen that way, but then I think to myself if we can't all have happy endings in life, then we should at least have that in movies/books and what not.

with that said, its very hard for me to relate, and to find something sad. It is not that I don't have a conscious I do its just that I don't really see the point quite often. I saw the Notebook and I didn't cry, I didn't even think it was sad. I also finally saw the lion King, and while I think it was a bit sad, and I don't see the big people make it out of.

I find a lot of things sad, I mean if I see a mom yelling at her kid very harshly at the mall, it makes me want to cry, yet I don't find the death of a very realistic movie character sad.

I'm like that too, Ayan. I cry at the drop of a hat, but I almost never cry because of movies. Even if it's "based on a true story," to me, it's just a movie. I can literally count the movies that have made me cry on one hand: Bridge to Terebithia, Charlotte's Web (don't judge me), Soul Surfer, and To Save a Life. That is all.

I guess it depends on the movie. There's nothing I hate more than cheesy happy endings, but if the rest of the movie was cheesy in general, why not add another layer?

But for some it's just...stupid. What adult believes in "happily ever after"? Sure it happens, but it's quite rare. See the divorce rate lately? Maybe if it was a kids movie, but movies about relationships where the guy ALWAYS gets the girl. Movies that send false hope to the masses making people think that when they find the right person, everything is going to be absolutely perfect like a fairytale. Preaching the worst advice ever, "follow your heart", among other things. Those endings are dumb.

I mean, I love the Notebook(mostly because Ryan Gosling is sexy :p, never read the book), but really? She seemed to be in decent health other than the Alzheimer's and he seemed to be doing okay after getting out of the hospital. So they just randomly drop dead at the same time all holding hands in bed? Stupid. Not to mention I still say Ally is a bitch for just dropping the other guy like he wasn't anything special. "Noah's back. That wedding thing? Oh, nevermind. Later tater." Bitchhhhh

Hannah_Banana222 wrote:I'm like that too, Ayan. I cry at the drop of a hat, but I almost never cry because of movies. Even if it's "based on a true story," to me, it's just a movie. I can literally count the movies that have made me cry on one hand: Bridge to Terebithia, Charlotte's Web (don't judge me), Soul Surfer, and To Save a Life. That is all.

Sometimes I think to myself what is wrong with you when I am at the movies with my friends and they all have tissues. I just don't get emotionally attached to movies often, although I did cry watching the diary of Ann Frank. Hitler was an evil son of a bitch. I didn't cry reading the novel, but the movie was too sad.

xChorusOfAngelsx wrote:
But for some it's just...stupid. What adult believes in "happily ever after"? Sure it happens, but it's quite rare. See the divorce rate lately? Maybe if it was a kids movie, but movies about relationships where the guy ALWAYS gets the girl. Movies that send false hope to the masses making people think that when they find the right person, everything is going to be absolutely perfect like a fairytale. Preaching the worst advice ever, "follow your heart", among other things. Those endings are dumb.

See I make a huge distinction between the Happy Ending and Happily Ever After. They are two completely different endings. But the truth is. If the divorce rate is high, that just proves that the guy does get the girl in the Happy Ending scenario. Unless of course there was no point in their relationship where they were happy. Then that's a sad ending.

The difference between a Happy Ending and a Happily Ever After ending is quite simple. A Happy Ending is where the story ends during a point in a characters life that is happy. Happily Ever After is when the story reveals that everything from that point on was smooth sailing.

People don't seem to make this distinction at all. People lump all Happy Endings into the same thing. They then go on to say how unrealistic it is.

It also doesn't help that it seems like a lot of people who don't like happy endings are also really cynical.

Tell me. Have you ever gotten into a bad fight with your boyfriend and then did you two make up afterwards? Well that would be a Happy Ending. If you or I were to turn that fight into a short story. It would most likely end with you getting the guy in the end. Why? Because that's exactly what happened. Unless of course you are never happy in which case.

This kind of thing? Happens every day. Happy Endings happen all the time. At least if you consider my way way of seeing things. Happy Endings at it's core is just a happy moment where the writer decided to end the story. more or less. I guess it may be a tad complicated.

Happily Ever After on the other hand is well it almost never happens. It is unrealistic. But for me to classify a Happy Ending as a Happily Ever After I would have to have a glimpse of the future or someone out right saying that they all lived happily ever after. Like in some fairytales.

In most stories whether it's a book, a movie, tv show, or a play we only get a glimpse of a character's life. We see only what the writer wants us to see. It's like dividing your own life into a collection of short stories. Some stories will end with a happy ending while others wont.

I think I had more to say but I had to go do something and forgot what else I wanted to write.

So yeah. I think that covers it. lol