Tragic Goodbye Tropes

People can never literally be together forever. It's presumably the same in media. Even in stories where two may be physically bound (such as by chains) or metaphysically bound (such as with "voices in your head" or imaginary friends), there will usually be one moment where there is a dramatic goodbye. It could be for a death scene or otherwise, but saying goodbye to someone you care about holds an innate element of tragedy to the point where, even when you know you'll see them again, it still feels bittersweet.

There are a few ways you can create an appropriately tragic setting for any goodbye scene, the first and foremost being giving it a sense of permanence. With no hope for ever seeing another person again or for any form of resurrection or afterlife if it's death, it greatly heightens the sense of significance of a goodbye scene. Another common method is to alter traditional patterns of speech for one or both characters via extra stuttering, labored breathing, or differences in diction or syntax (i.e. a verbose character reduced to few or no words). Time of day or season often works to add an extra element to goodbye scenes, as twilight and autumn are ideal to signify good things ending and fading into the cold and dark. Rain is also an appropriate weather condition to use, particularly when the media of the story is visual. In fact, any of these setting suggestions would work amazingly with creative and appropriate mood lighting and perspective.

Part of what kicks us in the gut most about goodbyes is the prior knowledge of the relationship the characters held. Typically, the amount of time you spend learning and caring for the characters' bond with one another is directly proportional to the emotional punch of a goodbye. After all, it's a lot harder on a person (or character) to permanently leave a best friend or loved one than it is to permanently leave a waiter who served them for all of twenty minutes at Denny's. Because everyone has to say goodbye to people they love eventually, the amount of empathy generally rises astronomically when the audience is fully aware of the relationship these characters held.

There are multiple ways to add layers to death or goodbye scenes -- even ways to turn them into comedy -- but I won't cover them at this time. The tragic cover of rainy twilight skies in autumn still veil me.

~ Dream