: Re: Should I Kill My Main Character? I'm an aspiring writer who has been writing stories since Kindergarten (None released). Obviously I have a lot of experience, but I'm still unsure with extremely

@Samaraweera193

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Books often operate according to dream logic, under which death is a symbol of rebirth. A good technique for a morally damaged character is to have their death coincide with a moral transformation or redemption.

A great example is the movie American Beauty. The main character isn't as evil as yours, but he's self-centered, lecherous and (initially) passive. When a series of events push him towards taking active control of his life, he eventually evolves towards a moment of moral clarity, near the end of the movie, immediately before his own unexpected death. Another good example is Darth Vader's story arc in the original Star Wars trilogy.

This is doubly meaningful for your audience, because it satisfies the desire for moral justice, where your character pays the ultimate price for his sins, but simultaneously leaves the reader mourning the possibility of the better person he could have become.

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