Life Will Kill You: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

{{quote|''"The long run is a misleading guide to current affairs. In the long run we are all dead."''|'''John Maynard Keynes'''}}

* In Mikhail Lermontov's ''[[A Hero of Our Time]]'', the final chapter concerns an army officer who shot himself in the head on a bet to prove [[Screw Destiny|there is no destiny]] (the pistol jammed), and then was killed by a drunk Cossack a few hours later.

* A character in one of Katherine Kurtz's ''Deryni'' novels survives numerous conflicts and then dies after slipping on a stone staircase. One of his disbelieving friends cries "death should be more difficult."

** Also, Death is stated to believe that ''everyone'' is dying, and ''everyone'' will die, because of this trope, which makes asking him whether or not your current prognosis is terminal a moot point.

** We see this happening to Auditors who start developing traits associated with being alive. This is justified in universe in that Auditors, not being alive, can exist for ever, but being alive implies that you will one day be dead and thus have a finite existence. Because any finite number is minute compared to infinity, any Auditor that appears to have begun to live will instantly die.

{{quote|'''Death''': {{smallcaps|it gets under your skin, life. metaphorically speaking of course. and the more you struggle for the next moment the more alive you become... which is where I come in, as a matter of fact.}}}}

* In [[Stephen King]]'s novel ''[[Duma Key]]'', protagonist Edgar defeats an evil force with the help of his best friend, Wireman. They both survive the encounter, but Wireman suddenly dies of a heart attack a few months after.

 

* Invoked in almost every episode of ''[[House (TV series)|House]]'', and ''far'' from always subverted by the doctor somehow managing to save the patient anyway.

* Common in ''[[Dead Like Me]]''. Since the main characters work in the External Influence department, old-age deaths are still rare, but their clients' causes of death include auto accidents, diving-board mishaps, aggravation of an existing spinal injury, and space-station shrapnel (more interesting, but still sudden and pointless).

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Death Tropes]]

[[Category:Drama Tropes]]

[[Category:Philosophy Tropes]]