If the Protagonist Dies, Does That Make Him/Her a Loser?

Daphne from Marin County, CA, recently asked a great question that other writers have asked:

For the climax, does the protagonist have to face and overcome her greatest fear?

The simple answer is yes, which leads to the follow-up question: What if the protagonist dies? As Daphne points out:

Doesn't that make the protagonist a loser?

Not if the protagonist — the character who takes readers on a journey — confronts and overcomes his/her greatest fear, resulting in a life-altering epiphany, before he/she perishes. That climactic moment is what readers wait for. If the protagonist gives in to his/her fear, readers are inevitably saddened and frustrated, the feeling that of, Why did I bother reading this story anyway?

A great example of a protagonist who confronts his greatest fear and then dies is Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. A novel that takes place during the French Revolution, Sydney Carton sacrifices himself for his unrequited love, Lucie Manette Before he dies, however, he experiences the epiphany that transforms him from a self-involved, greedy man into a person of integrity, leading to one of the most famous sentences in all of literature:

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 to, than I have ever known.

But what if your protagonist does not experience that transformation?

That's what a writer asked me a few months ago. She said her protagonist's greatest fear is of losing her husband's love, which she does. Rather than overcome that fear, however, she succumbs to it and kills herself. The story then continues to the point where the husband experiences the epiphany that leads him to understand the error of his ways.

The writer began to see that either the husband is the true protagonist, or if the writer wants the female character to be the protagonist, she's the one who needs to overcome her greatest fear. She can still die, but not before undergoing that transformation.

I'm always up for a good conversation, though, so if you know of books where the protagonist does not experience a fundamental change, let me know.

Happy writing!

Great Thanksgiving Request: Buy a Book for $1.95

My fellow writer, Cynthia Hepner, author of two romances (Jack and Love's Journey Home), recently sent the following request:

As most of you know, my son Bobby has been recently diagnosed with Autism. He is twenty-seven years old and a blessing to his dad and me. A few months ago, Bobby wanted to go to work with his dad and be on his Security team at the hospital. We had to let him down...ever so gently. But, after much thought, Bobby decided if he couldn't take after his dad, then he would just have to take after his momma and be a writer and publish a book! He has been working very hard on his story and with some spelling and punctuation help, it is now ready to be published as an E-book. What makes this so incredible is that when he was 6 years old, we were told that he would never read or write...that our main concern should be that he is "socially acceptable". Thank God for homeschooling! What I want from my family and friends, is for you all to support him in this if you can and purchase his book (via Smashwords.com). It is only $1.95 and would really make him feel as though he has succeeded in his goal.

I thought others might enjoy Cynthia's email, both because many of us have friends and family members who are autistic, and because her story provides a great look at one family's ability to encourage writing as a great outlet for creativity and source of confidence-building and coping.

Happy writing!