Coping with Loss

File:Coping with loss.jpg  Coming to terms with the death of a loved one, a friend, or a pet is undoubtedly difficult. There are moments in a story where the hero/heroine copes with loss.

This happens after a friend of the hero, a member of his family, or a pet:

* Passes away from old age or other natural causes
* Is killed by a disease or an accident
* Is murdered, usually by the villain

When this happens, the hero/heroine feels sad, angry and confused. But he/she can cope with the loss in many ways:

* Sobbing
* Carrying his/her loved one in his/her heart
* Talking to a loved one, friend, or support group
* Allowing him/herself to express his/her feelings
* Expressing how he/she feels to others
* Talking to the loved one's grave, spirit, or a shrine
* Singing for his/her loved ones

The hero/heroine can also write an obituary and help others cope with loss by sharing stories and wisdoms with them (or the other way around). He/she can also be driven to carry on his/her loved one's legacy and/or avenge his/her death by defeating the villain.

Sometimes, someone can sing a comfort song to the hero/heroine to help him/her cope with losing someone.

## Noteworthy Examples

### Film

* Lilo copes with the loss of her parents by sharing her feelings with Stitch.
* After Leslie Burke is killed in an accident, Jess Aarons creates a boat to remember her by and passes on her legacy to Maybelle.
* Rooter helps Littlefoot cope with the loss of his mother by telling him that he'll always remember what she taught him.
* After Ellie passes away, Carl Fredricksen carries her love in his heart, protecting their home, fulfilling his promise to take their house to Paradise Falls, and even passing on the badge she gave him to Russell.
* After Garrett explains how his dream of becoming a knight died with Sir Lionel, Kayley shares her feelings with him, assuring him her late father wouldn't want him to give up.
* Nita shares her feelings of the loss of her mother with Koda because both lost their mothers. She shares her father's wisdom with him, telling him that his mother will always be in his heart.
* Snitter copes with the loss of his master and shares his memories of his kindness to Rowf.
* Clint Barton and Wanda Maximoff comfort each other over the loss of Natasha Romanoff and Vision.
* Happy Hogan helps Peter Parker cope with the death of Tony Stark by telling him that picking Parker as his protégé was the only decision Stark never regretted or second-guessed, and that he wouldn't have sacrificed his life if he didn't know that Parker would survive to continue his work.

### TV and Cartoons

* Chas copes with the loss of his wife by telling Chuckie about it. Later on, Chuckie tells the Rugrats gang that his mother is always with them.
* Iroh copes with the loss of his son by singing "Leaves From the Vine" to a shrine.
* Bruce Wayne copes with the loss of his parents by sharing his pain with James Gordon in the pilot episode of *Gotham*.
* Gosalyn Waddlemeyer copes with the loss of her grandfather by teaching his lullaby to Darkwing Duck and sharing their experiences together.
* Ned Flanders copes with the loss of his wife, Maude in the episode, "I'm Goin to Praiseland".
* Rian, Brea, Deet and Hup gather around a fire and sing to honor Ordon and All-Maudra Mayrin.
* Anne Shirley helps Sebastian "Bash" Lacroix write an obituary for his wife, Mary, after she succumbs to sepsis.

### Literature

* After noticing Lotty throwing a tantrum and crying for her late mother, Sara Crewe shares her loss with her, which helps the little girl calm down.
* Nico di Angelo talks to the spirit of his sister Bianca.
* Rowf and Snitter cope with the death of their lab friend, Kiff.

## Quotes

> "*After his mother dies from her wounds, Littlefoot sadly climbs down a huge rock. Then, he slips, tumbling down a hill and landing right onto the back of a sleeping dinosaur.) Hey. (The dinosaur, Rooter, climbs up, sending Littlefoot tumbling off his back.) What's going on here? (Littlefoot begins to sob.) What's your problem? You're not hurt. (Littlefoot: It's not fair. She should have known better. There was Sharptooth. It's all HER fault.) All whose fault? (Littlefoot: Mother.) Oh...I see. I see. (Littlefoot: Why did I wander so far from home?) Oh, it's not your fault. It's not your mother's fault. Now, you pay attention to old Rooter. (Littlefoot: But...) It is NOBODY'S fault. The great circle of life has begun. But you see, not all of us arrive together at the end. (Littlefoot: What'll I do? I miss her so much.) And you'll always miss her. But she'll always be with you, as long as you remember the things she taught you. In a way, you'll never be apart, for you are still a part of each other. (Littlefoot: My tummy hurts.) Well, that too will go in time, little fella. Only in time.*"
> ― Rooter helping Littlefoot cope with the loss of his mother.
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> "*Happy birthday, my son. If only I could have helped you.*"
> ― Iroh coping with the loss of his son.
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> "*My mom is up there. (Koda: My mom, too. Do...do you miss yours?) Yes. But you don't need to wait for the lights to help you find her, Koda. She's always with you. (places her hand on Koda's heart) In here. Once you love someone, they stay in your heart forever.*"
> ― Nita sharing her loss with Koda while helping him cope with his, sharing her father's wisdom.
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> "*(Clint and Wanda are standing by the riverside shortly after Tony's funeral.) (Clint: You know, I wish there was a way– that I could let her know. That we won. [Looks over to Wanda.] We did it.) (Wanda: She knows. They both do.) (Clint gives her a side hug and Wanda reciprocates.)*"
> ― Clint Barton and Wanda Maximoff comforting each other over the loss of Natasha Romanoff and Vision.
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> "*(Happy is stitching up wounds in Peter's back, clearly causing pain.) Okay... hold still. Here we go. (Peter Parker: [flinching] Ouch.) I thought you had super strength. (Peter Parker: It still hurts. Happy.) Alright, relax. Just a few more, there we go.) (Peter yells in pain and slams his fist on the table.) Relax! (At his boiling point, Peter jumps up from his chair.) (Peter Parker: DON'T TELL ME TO RELAX, HAPPY! How can I relax when I messed up so bad?! I trusted Beck, right? I thought he was my friend, so I gave him the only thing that Mr. Stark left behind for me and now he's going to kill my friends and half of Europe, so PLEASE, do NOT tell me to relax! [He sits down, silent for a few moments.] I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I shouldn't shout. I just really miss him.) Yeah, I miss him too. (Peter Parker: Everywhere I go, I see his face. And the whole world is asking who is going to be the next Iron Man and... I don't know if that's me, Happy. I'm not Iron Man.) You're not Iron Man. You're never gonna be Iron Man. Nobody could live up to Tony. Not even Tony. Tony was my best friend. And he was a mess. He second-guessed everything he did. He was all over the place. The one thing that he did that he didn't second-guess was picking you. I don't think Tony would have done what he did if he didn't know that you were gonna be here after he was gone.*"
> ― Happy Hogan helping Peter Parker cope with Tony Stark's death.
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> "*This isn't the world I left when I was sold to the whitecoats. Must've changed when I killed my master. Everything I do turns out wrong. You would kill me, wouldn't you? Rowf? I mean, if they try to take us back. (Rowf: What're you talking about? You're getting crazier all the time. We would've been fed by now, wouldn't we? We couldn't even find our way back to the whitecoats. I mean, supposing we wanted to.) Do you want to go back? (Rowf: I don't know. There's nothing up here. I don't think anyone's been up here since it was made.) Well, the whitecoats won't come up here, anyway. (Rowf: No. They won't come up here. But neither will your master.) My master can't anymore.*"
> ― Snitter sharing the loss of his master to Rowf.
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## Gallery

Kayley tending to Garrett.pngKayley coping with the loss of her father by letting Garrett know he wouldn't want him to give up.Iroh coping with his loss.pngIroh coping with the loss of his son.Lilo sharing her loss with Stitch.pngLilo sharing the loss of her parents with Stitch.Rooter helping Littlefoot.pngRooter helping Littlefoot cope with the loss of his mother by letting him know she'll always be with him, as long as he remembers what she taught him.Bumblebee hug.pngCharlie Watson coping with the loss of her father by sharing her pain with Bumblebee.Nita sharing with Koda.pngNita sharing her father's wisdom with Koda as they help each other cope with losing their mothers.Bruce talking to Detective Gordon about his parent's murder.pngBruce Wayne coping with the loss of his parents by sharing his pain with James Gordon in the pilot episode of *Gotham*.Ned coping with the loss of Maude.pngNed Flanders coping with the loss of his wife, Maude.Wanda & Clint.pngClint Barton and Wanda Maximoff comfort each other over the loss of Natasha Romanoff and Vision.Brea loss.pngBrea singing with Rian, Deet, Hup, Naia, and Kylan to honor All-Maudra Mayrin and Ordon.