Oh the things we argue about. Here’s an interesting one. Wouldn’t movies and books be better if more main characters died? Wouldn’t stories be less predictable, thus more engaging? Enter Boromir, Captain-General of Gondor, the heir to the Steward of Gondor, Denethor II. Is the death of Boromir an example of a main character dying? Some say yes, some say no.
We had this discussion at work the other day, and there was disagreement among the men. The two sides bascially split based on the character of Boromir in the book vs. in the movie. Is the character of Boromir played down in the movie vs. the book? Certainly. Peter Jackson has to cut huge parts of the books out of the movies. I read the books a long time ago, in the fourth grade, so I am not the best authority here. I do recall Boromir having, obviously, a lot more scenes in the books than in the movies. One could argue he was a main character in the book but not in the movies. So, his death could be an example of a main character dying in a book, but not an example of a main character dying in a movie.
I argue that, in the movies, Boromir was not a main character. Even in the books, I think of Boromir as a supporting character. He represented Man’s corruptibility and although his character was important in that role, it was a supporting role, not a main role. Hey, just because he was in the Fellowship does not mean he was a main character. That’s like saying the extra in Star Trek was a main character because he was in the away team. Nope, he was there to die because none of the main characters could die. And that’s the issue here. Same with Boromir. He served his purpose in the books and once his supporting role was over, he died. Period.
As another example, take the character of Wash from Firefly. He was definitely a main character and he died right at the end. You have seen Firefly, right? If not, you should. At the end of The Return of the King, Bilbo and Frodo die metaphorically, in my opinion, by setting sail with the Elves. But that’s not the same thing.
So, was Boromir a main character? What say you?
