Death+In+Fiction

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**Why does death in fiction affect people so much? ** Fiction, an imaginative form of narrative that most people become familiar with early in life. From the tales children are told before bed to the fabricated stories often spread by the media, people have a way of integrating fiction into everyday life. With fiction comes worlds full of new people and places that become important to fans. They grow to love these characters so much that they become a permanent part of their lives. Some even use them as an escape from “real life”, but what happens when these characters die? When fans who grew so attached to theses fictitious people can no longer see, hear or experience life through their favorite characters’ eyes, the phenomena of grief and longing that so many consumers of fiction around the world experience, sets in.

In books and television series viewers have to deal with the fact that the lives of their beloved characters are in the hands of their creators. Every week fans prepare themselves for what could be the last time they see their favorite characters especially in shows like The Walking Dead, Pretty Little Liars, and Supernatural where fan favorites are killed off all the time. This constant fear leads fans to take measures in order to protect their favorite characters whether it is by talking to the creators directly or simply advocating for the characters safety on social networks. This has been shown a lot with female characters in modern television like Sleepy’s Hollow’s Abbie Mills and Arrows Laurel Lance. Both characters were constantly put in near death situations that viewers were uncomfortable with and as a result they spoke out. Although both Abbie and Laurel were killed off anyways taking part in standing up for the characters made them more real for most fans which in turn makes it harder to let them go. media type="youtube" key="1IFNpj5M994" width="448" height="253" align="center"

**More on Death! ** Death is a concept many people are uncomfortable with for many different reasons. Whether it is because they have lost someone close to them or they are scared of losing someone in the future, death has the profound effect of making a majority of people uncomfortable. Professors Joseph Hayes, Cindy L.P. Ward, and Ian McGregor conducted a study on the correlation between death and goal directed activity. They discovered that in most cases people who contemplate death are more likely to withdrawal from their goals. “Consistent with the idea that withdrawal from life precipitates a general state of reduced goal motivation, parallel effects were observed on the willingness to delay gratification for future outcomes”, (Haynes, Ward, McGregor). This quote further supports the idea that these three professors proposed. This idea is also considered as one of the reasons people “fear” death or even the idea of it. media type="youtube" key="AQOzopG1x9A" width="560" height="315" Often times when people are asked how they feel about death their responses reflect their fear of dying. Physiology researchers Milad Nazarzadeh and Kourosh Sarokhani along with student research committee member Mandana Sarokhani conducted a study on this at Ilan University. They interviewed approximately 350 students and noticed “a fear of self dying with 0.88 (95 % CI 0.81–0.96)” of students there. According to Nazarzadeh, Sarokhani, and Sarokhani’s research most people's’ fear of death comes from their fear of being away from the ones they love. Even students who considered themselves religious and believe in some kind of afterlife expressed a fear of death. This same fear is shared by fans of fiction as well and often reflected in the way they defend their favorite characters. With fictional characters being so relatable there is no wonder why people grow so attached to them. One example of this is in the U.K. television series Skins. The series revolves around a group of friends that attend Round View College, a fictional school in Bristol, Southwest England. The group of teens often find themselves in precarious situations mostly due to drugs or alcohol. Though most of the predicaments the teens find themselves in are somewhat dramatized it paints this glorious picture of how one's teenage years will be. This paired with the fact that the cast is filled with relatable characters of all different backgrounds while also dealing with some real issues teens face causes fans to grow attached. This relatability factor and people's fear of the death of themselves and loved ones causes people to react strongly to the death of fictional characters as well. media type="youtube" key="f29NPkZ1Lkk" width="560" height="315"

**Conclusion ** In fictional works, authors or creators often create characters that people can relate to. Whether it is in a book, movie, or television show, the people who create these stories have a way of making audiences fall in love with their characters. Fans become so attached to these characters that when they are gone, due to death or otherwise, they mourn them. Some would say it is because the characters become real to fans, while others would argue that although the characters are not real, fans can still live through the characters’ experiences. Either way, it is clear that the death of fictional characters has a major effect on people. With these characters being so relatable to viewers along with fans’ tendencies to live vicariously through these characters, it is easy to understand why people react so strongly to the death of fictional characters.

Sources: SpongeBob. Digital image. Fanvim. Fanvim, 8 Apr. 2012. Web. 27 Apr. 2016. Aldridge, Lance. "Teen Wolf - S3 Ep23 - Allison's Death - Meltdown."YouTube. YouTube, 24 Mar. 2014. Web. 27 Apr. 2016. //Hayes, Joseph, Cindy L. P. Ward, and Ian McGregor. "Why Bother? Death, Failure, And Fatalistic Withdrawal From Life." Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology 110.1 (2016): 96-115. PsycARTICLES. Web. 25 Mar. 2016.// Nazarzadeh, Milad, Mandana Sarokhani, and Kourosh Sayehmiri. "The Relationship Between Religious Attitudes, Fear Of Death And Dying With General Health Condition: A Survey In College Students." Journal Of Religion And Health 54.5 (2015): 1672-1680. PsycINFO. Web. 12 Apr. 2016Ketchup, Fancy Nancy. "On "Relatable Characters"" YouTube. YouTube, 18 Jan. 2015. Web. 27 Apr. 2016. Music, Rusty Cage. "Why Do We Fear Death?" YouTube. YouTube, 04 Apr. 2014. Web. 27 Apr. 2016. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri Light',sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">The-perks-of-being-fictional. Digital image. Tumblr. The-perks-of-being-fictional, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2016. Why One VR Game Is Letting Players Shoot Themselves In The Head. Digital image. Steamed. Nathan Grayson, 29 Jan. 2016. Web. 27 Apr. 2016.

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