Hope Is Scary: Difference between revisions

== Film ==

* In ''[[The Shawshank Redemption]]'', Red is characterized this way, (the result of being an aging, cynical con who seems likely to spend the rest of his life in prison) and at one point when his best friend Andy is talking about the importance of hope Red responds by essentially saying that hope is usually just a case of [[Yank the Dog's Chain]], especially in a [[Crapsack World]] like prison. {{spoiler|The last lines of the movie are about Red starting to hope again.}}

'''Andy:''' Like [[Driven to Suicide|Brooks did]]? }}

** This mentality is not helped by the fact that some cons who are let out after decades can't handle the lack of orders and regimentation and end up [[Driven to Suicide]] even when they're finally free.

== Literature ==

* In [[J. R. R. Tolkien|JRR Tolkien]]'s ''[[Lord of the Rings|The Return of the King]]'', when Éomer asks why Éowyn is not lying in state like Théoden, he's told she's alive -- and he feels both hope and fear.

* At one point in ''[[Labyrinths of Echo]]'', Sir Max remarks that the worst situation of all is not a complete hopelessness (because you have nothing to lose then, anyway) but one where there is only a tiny glimmer of hope, because you are paralyzed with fear of losing it, as well.

* In [[Jane Austen]]'s ''[[Persuasion]]'', after realizing that Anne might still love him, Wentworth writes to her of his being in hope and pain.

* In Angie Sage's ''[[Septimus Heap]]'' book ''Magyk'', Boy 412 tallies up Good things about his situation and Bad ones--and is surprised by the Good things outnumbering the Bad for the first time in his life. But the Bad thing feels much worse because now he has something to lose.

* In [[Poul Anderson]]'s ''After Doomsday'', the alien Ramri tries to calm Donnan as the plan to escape comes to fruition; he admits that he never understood why humans find hope more terrifying than despair.

* The characters in ''[[Chaos Walking]]'' can't help but be wary of hope.

* In ''[[The Dresden Files]]'' novel ''[[The Dresden Files/White Night|White Night]]'', Marcone tells Harry that {{spoiler|he cannot tell Demeter that her daughter is still alive}} because giving her hope again would essentially destroy her after what happened to her in the first place.

 

== Music ==

* [[Music/Showbread|Showbread]]'s "Precursor" ends with the stanza:

Believing in something is scarier still. }}