Most Tragic Ending You've Ever Read (contains spoilers)

DwayneA · Apr 16, 2009

Lots of stories have tragic endings. I've only read a few of them. For me, two stand out: "The Pearl" and "Lord Jim".

At the end of The Pearl, Kino and his wife have lost their own child who was shot dead by those wishing to steal the pearl, and they return to their home where Kino finally throws the pearl back into the sea. I liked how the author described their shadows as two towers of darkness ahead of them, symbolizing their darkest times are ahead while their brightest days are behind them.

The final chapter of "Lord Jim" continues on from the death of Jim's friend Dain Warris who is killed by the pirate Brown and his men as a result of Cornelius' betrayal. Brown who had been promised a safe escape path by Jim breaks his word by slaughtering Dain and his party, sealing Jim's fate. Now knowing he can never truely escape his past moment of failure on the Patna earlier in the book, Jim decides not to defend himself or flee. Ignoring his own wife's pleas, he goes to Doramin, Dain's father and allows the grieving father to shoot and kill him.

What was the most tragic endings you ever read?

geardrops · Apr 16, 2009

I doubt anybody's read it, but The Shrine at Altamira had a really dark and tragic but ultimately beautiful ending.

Barring that, I still maintain the end of LotR was one of the sadder things I've experienced.

backslashbaby · Apr 16, 2009

Sophie's Choice. There are many, but that book just killed me.

nevada · Apr 16, 2009

Jude the Obscure.

maestrowork · Apr 16, 2009

Atonement -- not only was it tragic, but it tied back to everything before it and the unfortunate nature of everything and how a single lie could change everything.

Zipotes · Apr 17, 2009

maestrowork said:
Atonement -- not only was it tragic, but it tied back to everything before it and the unfortunate nature of everything and how a single lie could change everything.

Yah, that whole ending was pretty depressing and thought provoking for me.

scarletpeaches · Apr 17, 2009

Before I Die, by Jenny Downham. Inevitable, tragic and tearjerking.

selkn.asrai · Apr 17, 2009

Ethan Frome's pretty awful.

Cold Mountain is heartbreaking.

sheadakota · Apr 17, 2009

At the risk of sounding trite- The Story of Egdar Sawtelle- Taken on its own without any comparisons to Hamlet- The ending was very sad- not to mention frustrating-

Barb D · Apr 17, 2009

Most of Connie Willis' books have sad/tragic endings. Doomsday Book literally had me sobbing all night.

Manix · Apr 17, 2009

I thought the twist at the end of Angels and Demons was very tragic.

(And I liked that book so much better than The DaVinci Code, even though that was the one that got everyone talking.)

Shade53 · Apr 17, 2009

bridge to terebithia broke my heart the first time I read it. Still does and it's been 20 years or so.

wordmonkey · Apr 17, 2009

While not the end of the book, the trial and what follows in prison, in "To Kill A Mockingbird" hit me like a freight-train. It hung over the whole remainder of the book the first time I read it. Thoughts of, "This can't be right. There must have been a mistake here. This is just WRONG!" consumed me.

It had such an impact that I completely missed all the metaphorical elements that are layered in the book and didn't pick-up on until my second reading (though first time I was only 15).

CaroGirl · Apr 17, 2009

My answer's the same as the one I gave in the thread for most depressing novel I've ever read, over in the Book Club forum.

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134193

Oh, but I'll add Where the Red Fern Grows.

AnonymousWriter · Apr 17, 2009

maestrowork said:
Atonement -- not only was it tragic, but it tied back to everything before it and the unfortunate nature of everything and how a single lie could change everything.

I'll second this. Atonement was the first book that came to mind.

DamaNegra · Apr 17, 2009

Don Quixote. Dammit, I think I cried about 10 minutes straight with that one. Hell, I choke up every time I think about it.

Sirion · Apr 17, 2009

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.

KTC · Apr 17, 2009

Tragic is my favourite kind of ending. I will go with almost anything by Naguib Mahfouz. Excellent at the tragic.

Also...The House of Sand and Fog.

LLauren · Apr 18, 2009

Lolita. The entire book is sad, tragic and brilliant. It also contains what is, for me, the most frightening sentence I have ever read in a book. It comes about a quarter of the way in when Lolita returns to Humbert's bed. He notes: "She had nowhere else to go." Dear god, when I read that I had to put the book down. I didn't pick it up again for almost three weeks.

I have re-read it too. It is truly a masterpiece of literature, but a disturbing one.

triceretops · Apr 18, 2009

If The Mist was a short story, or in print, then I nominate that. I'm only going by what the movie portrayed.

Is that a King story?

Tri

dancingandflying · Apr 18, 2009

Even though it's a kid's book,Where the Red Fern Grows. That's basically the saddest ending I've ever read.

Also, To Kill A Mockingbird was pretty heartbreaking.

d&f.

Rarri · Apr 18, 2009

Mister God, This Is Anna.

I don't know quite what it is, but something about that ending really gets me. Also, Oliver Sacks: The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat. Ok, it's non-fiction, but his recollections were incredible.

JustDee · Apr 18, 2009

Ugh, I was already sniffling as I started reading everyone's picks. Mine were already mentioned so I won't bother except to say great picks everyone and please pass the tissue! *sniffle*

Small sidebar: Ever notice how Happy Endings seem to tick people off sometimes. You get a lot of comments like, "That was too easy" or "How cheesy" - human beings really are very cynical grumps by nature it seems. LOL!

K1P1 · Apr 18, 2009

nevada said:
Jude the Obscure.

This is the first one that comes to mind for me too. I didn't see the ending coming the first time I read it, and it just crushed me.

Most Tragic Ending You've Ever Read (contains spoilers)

DwayneA

geardrops

Good thing I like my day job

backslashbaby

*

nevada

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

Zipotes

scarletpeaches

selkn.asrai

Rawr.

sheadakota

part of the human equation

Barb D

Manix

Mutatis mutandis

Shade53

wordmonkey

ook

CaroGirl

Living the dream

AnonymousWriter

DamaNegra

Mexican on the loose!

Sirion

practical experience, FTW

KTC

Stand in the Place Where You Live

LLauren

A proud member of the Cat Staff

triceretops

dancingandflying

Is it tea time yet?

Rarri

JustDee

K1P1

Procrastination is its own reward

Most Tragic Ending You've Ever Read (contains spoilers)

Good thing I like my day job

~~~~*~~~~

Fear the Death Ray

Rawr.

part of the human equation

Mutatis mutandis

ook

Living the dream

Mexican on the loose!

practical experience, FTW

Stand in the Place Where You Live

A proud member of the Cat Staff

Is it tea time yet?

Procrastination is its own reward

*