Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about endings, in particular the denouement. The denouement is that “sigh of relief” that happens after the climax, that extra scene or two (or many) that allows the story to wrap up and come to a satisfying conclusion. It got me wondering why we even need a denouement. After all, why not just have the story end right at the climax?
Here’s what I realized: If we chop the story and cut off the narrative at the moment of the climax, we leave the reader with one very unsatisfying ending. The purpose of the climax is to answer the major dramatic question (MDQ) of the story, the question that drives the story forward and gives it momentum. The denouement, on the other hand, provides follow-through that gives context to the MDQ’s answer, in addition to giving the story closure. In other words, while the climax answers the MDQ, the denouement answers the question: “So what? What was the whole point of this story anyway?”
Consider the moment of the climax in The Hunger Games. This is the moment when we discover whether Katniss Everdeen manages to survive those horrific Games. Now imagine the story cut off right at that climactic moment when Katniss and Peeta are about to eat the poison berries. Think about how frustrating it would feel for the reader if the story ended at that moment and we didn’t get those few key scenes that follow. Sure, we would know that Katniss survives, but that survival doesn’t really mean anything if we don’t have the denouement.
The denouement provides follow-through. Different stories have different lengths of denouement. In cozy mysteries, for example, the denouement might only be one short scene after the sleuth reveals whodunnit. In some romance, the denouement may not even happen in the story proper, but may be included as an epilogue where the story flashes forward and we see the couple after they have been in the relationship for some time.
Consider our example of The Hunger Games above. In this book, we get one additional chapter after the scene with the berries. In this chapter, Katniss and Peeta are interviewed by the talk show host, Caesar Flickerman, in the Capitol and Katniss has to try her best not to anger President Snow more than she already has. This chapter gives us a sense of much-needed closure and raises the stakes for the ending, making us realize the potential consequences of Katniss and Peeta standing up to the Capitol. That chapter also ties up some—though not all—of the loose ends in the story.
Notice that though the book is the first in a trilogy, it still has a denouement. The denouement does not have to tie together every last detail and there are many questions still left unanswered, questions which get addressed in subsequent books of the series. The purpose of the denouement is to tie the story up enough so that we have a sense of closure. It also needs to make us feel as though the story and the characters extend beyond the pages of that one book. In other words, the purpose of the denouement is seemingly contradictory: while it provides closure, it also creates a feeling of expansiveness, as though the story could keep going on, even after we’ve put the book down.
The Meaning of the Denouement
If we look at the etymology of the word “denouement” we’ll find that it originates from the French verb “denouer” which means to untie or unknot. This is interesting because a lot of times when we think of endings, we think of tying up loose ends, but the truth is almost exactly the opposite. A true denouement is about release and expansion. It’s about untying the knots we’ve created in our story.
If you’ve ever watched Murder, She Wrote, you know exactly what I’m talking about when it comes to the denouement. At the very end of every episode, after Jessica Fletcher has revealed whodunnit and the case has been closed, there’s always one last quick scene where Jessica and her friends sit around and talk. Most of the time they’re not even talking about the case, but simply discussing other life-related things. And the scene always ends with a freeze-frame of Jessica throwing her head back and laughing. This short scene is what makes it clear that Jessica and her friends are regular people, who have lives beyond solving murders. It’s what makes the story feel like it expands beyond the scope of the show.
If denouement is about unknotting, then the reveal about whodunnit would be that first pull when you’re trying to undo a particularly tight knot. That first pull puts the resolution into motion, but it doesn’t untie the knot entirely. The purpose of the denouement is to finish slackening that knot, to give us that feeling of freedom, such that the story isn’t all tied up but, rather, has a sense of relaxation at the end.
This concept of a denouement may seem to be something of a contradiction. After all, how can you “tie up loose ends” and also “unknot” a story at the same time. To me, this all comes down to that feeling of expansiveness, that idea that the world and the characters extend beyond the edges of the page and continue on long after we have stopped reading. The denouement provides that feeling of loosening. It’s that “sigh of relief” that gives the story closure while also making it feel as though the world and characters can live on in our imaginations.
Denouement in Marketing
The denouement is not just something we see in storytelling; it happens in marketing as well. In any marketing campaign, the climax is that moment when the customer finally makes the purchase. In terms of book sales, this might be the point where a customer brings your book to the cash register and takes their credit card from their wallet. Or maybe it’s the moment when they pull your book from a library shelf, or click the “place order” button via an online retailer.
You would think the story ends there, but it doesn’t. Sure, the customer has made their purchase, so we may wonder why we need to worry about what comes next. The truth is that the story isn’t over at the climax or point of sale. In fact, that’s only the beginning. Just as your customer goes on a journey from when they first discover you to that moment when they buy your book, they also start a whole new journey once they’ve made that purchase. In other words, they go from being a prospective customer on their journey to the point of sale, to starting a new journey where they go from being a recent customer to potentially becoming a superfan of your work.
That start of the new journey is the denouement of the previous journey, meaning that the two journeys overlap slightly. Just as the denouement in storytelling gives us a sense of expansiveness and makes us feel like the story extends beyond the page, so too does the denouement in marketing create a similar feeling. In the latter case, we know the story keeps going because the customer is beginning a whole new journey.
Denouement in Life
In life, we often experience moments when one chapter ends and a new chapter begins. In early May, I shared that my beloved Office Cat had gone to what we in the DIY MFA household dub the “giant tuna buffet in the sky.” She was with me for almost twenty-one years (which is about 100 in “cat years”) and saw me through many life transitions, from the birth of both of my two kids to the start of DIY MFA. While I felt tremendous grief that the chapter with Office Cat had ended, I also held out hope that her story didn’t end then and that there would be some continuation “beyond the page” where I might see her again.
And although no other creature could ever take Office Cat’s place in my heart, I looked ahead with anticipation and hope to give another cat a forever home. To that end, we brought home a new member of our family.
This new kitty is super-sweet and affectionate. She clearly picked us, because when we came to her cage at the shelter, she practically jumped into my arms. We could tell right away that she was meant to be part of our family. She loves sitting on the windowsill, soaking up sunshine and watching the world go by. She also purrs constantly and has the cutest little high-pitched mew. As with all members of our family, this cat has an online nickname and we’ve dubbed her Office Cat 2.0. We’re still adjusting to our new family dynamic, and I’ll keep you posted on how that process develops.
Just as the denouement creates a sense of expansiveness and makes it feel as though the story extends beyond the page, so too does this new kitty open up new possibilities in our lives and make it feel as though a new chapter is beginning.
Until next time, keep writing and keep being awesome!
P.S. For more info on Gabriela Pereira, the founder and instigator of DIY MFA, check out her profile page.
