One of the best parts of writing is having the fun power to choose endings—including our protagonists’ final words. Some achieve greatness, but there’s also the possibility of underwhelming outcomes. Who can forget Scarlet O’Hara’s strong words at the end of Gone with the Wind, “Tara! Home. I’ll go home…. After all, tomorrow is another day!” (We can easily imagine her victorious future because she’s an unstoppable woman). But what if instead of being Scarlet O’Hara, she was named Scarlet Fever? Could we relate as well? Then we might believe her if she said, “That’s it, I’m done. I’ll petition the fallen South’s new welfare program and be its first recipient.”
And maybe instead of being Rhett Butler, her leading was less impressive named Rhett Shoeshiner or Fieldman, without the gravitas to carry a starring role?
Consider George Orwell’s powerful recurring slogan in Animal Farm, “Four legs good two legs bad…” What if instead he said, “the more legs the merrier, let us dance on.”
Or heroic Sydney Carton’s selfless words ending A Tale of Two Cities, “It is a far, far better thing I do than I have ever done before.” What if instead he got cold feet at the last-minute, confessed true identity, and fled quickly with no memorable final words.
What if after the Titanic was ruptured by a massive iceberg, the hole was found to be smaller than originally thought? What if the first ship to answer her distress call arrived in time to rescue all onboard and tow the luxury liner to the nearest port where we see and hear not one but MANY songs, dances, and shipboard romances?
What if all fairy tales avoided any prince being turned into a frog or any princess turned comatose as they all lived long and “happily ever after”?
Yet, the life tests and trials we grapple with and conquer produce the heroic strengths and memorable words to help us climb mountains and complete journeys.
Who is your favorite hero or heroine in literature? What single quality do you believe makes them most stand out? Please share his or her most inspiring quote?
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