I just finished up the main 75 chapters of Neil Gaiman's Sandman. Suffice to say I was impressed. It goes on my remarkably short list of fictions that end right. So, so very right. It's one of those works that leaves you feeling empty shortly after you've finished because it felt so fulfilling as it ended.
So I wanted to ask, what makes a good ending for you?
Sandman, In Bruges, American Beauty, Shawshank Redemption, Seven Psychopaths, Bill Watterson's last Calvin & Hobbes strip. These are some favorite endings that come to mind. They are melancholic yet life-affirming. They are full-circle. Delightfully full-circle. The endings are microcosms of everything that makes the whole a whole. Characters come together. Seemingly inconsequential details are pulled into a grand scheme. Beauty. They make me sad, on the verge of tears. But I can't cry, because deep-down, the characters are satisfied. They've found... something. Maybe not what they sought, but there is a peace.
What do you guys like? Boisterous, happy conclusions to a fun roller-coaster ride? Something dark, a "bad end"? Complete ambiguity? Hopefully without too many spoilers.
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