By Emma Dreisner
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I’ve never been a fan of sad endings. I’m seventeen years old, an avid reader, and I can still only count the number of melancholy books I’ve willingly read on two hands. While I can’t pinpoint when it started, I honestly think it has a lot less to do with a specific event and more to do with my personality. I’ve always had a very happy disposition–I’m constantly smiling and I like to look on the bright side. However, I’m also very empathetic, often feeling other people’s emotions like they’re my own, and I generally understand people pretty well. While these traits have helped make me a better friend, they have also made sad endings difficult for me because I feel the character’s emotions along with them. Tragic books can put me in a sorrowful mood for hours after reading them, to the point where even hearing the name of the book a few days or months later can bring my mood down. Though it is a weird quirk, this dislike of tragedy has kept me from reading a lot of stories I would otherwise love because I don’t want to feel downtrodden after finishing the book.
Over the years there have been a few books which have majorly solidified my dislike of sad endings. The first I can remember was Bridge to Terebithia, which I read by the soft light of a pink flower lamp while I was about 8 and definitely supposed to be asleep. One of the main characters dies in a tragic accident at the end of the book, and I cried my tiny eyes out. When I was in fourth or fifth grade, I read Ember Falls, the sequel to a book called The Green Ember, which was about a society of anthropomorphic rabbits and their war against a colony of predator birds who aim to wipe them out. In stark contrast to the hopefulness of the first book, in Ember Falls tons of beloved characters die, one of the main characters is captured, and it feels that all hope for the future is lost. Ember Falls depressed me so much that for years afterwards I couldn’t look at it without a sinking feeling in my stomach, even after I finished the series years later and everything turned out happily. When I read Wandering Stars in seventh grade, I completely gaslit myself into thinking the main characters would get married by the end even though the book was definitely not headed in that direction. I kept thinking, “There’s still a lot of pages left-they could still reconcile!” In the end, though, they weren’t together-they’d been split apart by time and circumstances. I was heartbroken, confused, and even angry for a while, wondering why on earth I’d wasted my time on a book that didn’t have the Hollywood ending I’d hoped for. As the years passed I refused to read multiple books that I knew didn’t end happily. Every tragic book I read, whether accidentally or on purpose, just solidified my belief that I couldn’t abide sad endings and I didn’t want to read books that didn’t end well.
One notable conversation I had about this subject was about the book Heartless by Marissa Meyer. Heartless is an origin story for the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, and my little sister Sophie absolutely loves that book. One day while Sophie and I were looking over our game shelf, she was trying to convince me to read it, and I kept refusing. I knew that one of the main characters is put to death at the end, which is why the Queen of Hearts became a villain in the first place. Sophie was vehemently advocating for Heartless, saying that it was such a great story, it had well-written and engaging characters, it was a fantastic origin for the Queen of Hearts, and I just kept shaking my head.
“Soph, you know I don’t like sad endings! It’s going to depress me!” I insisted.
“But it’s so good, Em! Look, I know sad endings aren’t fun, but the point is the journey to get there, not just the ending, and the romance in Heartless is so cute! Jest is such a great love interest…and seriously, I really think you would like it a lot.” She looked at me over her shoulder. “Just because the ending is sad doesn’t mean the book isn’t good, or that it’s not worth reading.”
“I mean, I know that, but I also don’t always feel it, you know? Like I hated Ember Falls because it was so sad, and I don’t want to read White Bird because Julian dies and they don’t get to be together.”
Sophie looked at me, exasperation woven into her expression. “Em, the whole point is that even though characters died, there was good stuff that happened before and after! Doesn’t it make it more meaningful that there was something hard that happened, so when you overcome it you come out stronger? That’s real life–people die, they have hard times, but ultimately the point of the story is that even though there were high stakes, those people died for a cause that they believed in, and things didn’t stay bad forever! Eventually good triumphed, even if it took some time.”
I sighed and looked down. “You’re right, Soph. I still don’t like tragedies though, they make me sad for a really long time after I read them. I know they have value, but I just don’t want to read a book that makes me sad at the end when I could read something else. I will think about reading Heartless though, but only because you asked.” I never did end up reading Heartless, but what she said stuck with me.
In spring of sophomore year, my whole perspective on tragic endings changed. It was a cool April night, and although it was nine o’clock at night, I had the sudden urge to start cleaning my room. I was moving furniture, dusting, throwing things away, the whole nine yards. Around eleven o’clock, with my armchair nearly blocking my door and clutter scattered across my bed, I got tired of cleaning and decided to pick up a book. I had just purchased some books from a used bookstore, and one of them was The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. I’d been wanting to read it ever since one of my older sister’s friends recommended it to me years before, but had been hesitating because I was scared it would end tragically. However, for whatever reason I had a hankering to read that particular book, so I sat down in the flowery chair in front of my door and began to read.
The main character, Hazel, has an incurable kind of lung cancer and thus a very bleak outlook on life, not seeing a meaning in much of anything. However, she meets a boy named Augustus, a bone cancer survivor in remission, and he shows her a new perspective on life and inspires her to live it to the fullest. They start dating and fall in love, but then Augustus’ cancer comes back with full force. Before Augustus dies, Hazel confesses to him that she loves him and she would never trade their short time together for anything in the world. Even after Augustus passes a few days later, Hazel doesn’t regret loving, even though it meant losing.
When I finished that book, I was in shock, torn between stunned silence and crying my eyes out. It was about two in the morning, but I had to get out of the house and process. Tiptoeing down my front stairs to avoid waking my parents, I walked into our front yard and just stood on the driveway, drinking in the dark of the night and the cool of the air, gazing at the moon and stars and thanking God for all the blessings He’s given me. I thought of Augustus and Hazel and the beautiful love they’d shared, even if for just a little while, even if it meant losing each other, and for the first time I finally realized that maybe the ending isn’t the only point-maybe the point is the journey, the good times you have rather than the tragedy at the end. Just because the ending is sad doesn’t mean that it’s bad. In fact, it can mean just the opposite because those hard endings can teach you more about life. When I talked to my older sister Abby about this topic at one point, she reminded me that there are advantages to be gained from many types of stories, because good endings can help encourage us, but sad endings help teach us to cherish the good things we have. Seeing characters experience terrible things reminds us that life can be tragic and difficult, and our loved ones won’t be around forever, but it’s important to be thankful for the times we do have with them rather than bitter about the times that we don’t.
I have long thought that one of the most wonderful things about reading is how much you can learn about the world, life, and human nature from a good story. Reading isn’t just for pleasure-it can challenge you, teach you empathy, and help you grow. Now, despite my earlier aversion to tragedy, I’ve learned that few books will strike you as deeply or stay with you as long as the one which made you sad but taught you something at the same time. Although I’m still not always good at voluntarily picking up a book that I know ends tragically, I’d like to think I’m better at it, and at least now I can appreciate sad endings and really enjoy them for the lessons they teach.
About the Author
Emma Driesner is a senior in high school currently taking dual credit classes at ICC. She has a deep love for a good story, and can often be found reading, watching movies, or analyzing plots and characters with her sisters. She also loves singing, crocheting, and hanging out with friends and family. After high school, Emma plans to pursue a degree in metallurgical engineering at a four-year university.