History DrivenToSuicide / Literature

* ''Literature/TheStorm'': The wife has held the kitchen knife to her neck many times before in the ideation of escaping her husband's abuse that way. She considers it beautifully befitting that the knife she attempted to take her own life with would be used to take her life back (by killing her husband).

** ''Literature/TheWayOfKings'': After a long succession of absolutely everything in Kaladin's life going wrong, from his brother dying, to his squad being slaughtered, to being made a slave and tossed into the worst job imaginable, Kaladin finally decides to go to "Honor Chasm" and jump. Syl manages to stop him at the last second by [[ItMakesSenseInContext bringing him poison]].

* Clamence in Camus's ''Literature/TheFall'' begins his descent in earnest when he witnesses a woman's suicide and does nothing to stop it.

** In ''The Warlord of Mars'', [[DarkChick Phaidor]] [[DisneyVillainDeath throws herself overboard]] [[RedemptionEqualsDeath to repent]] for [[MurderTheHypotenuse her attempt on Dejah Thoris' life.]]

* ''Literature/TheSilerianTrilogy'': Borall, after hearing that Elelar's appeal is going to be heard in Valda, kills himself knowing it will be revealed how much information Elalar got from him unwittingly. [[spoiler: Alcinar]] drowned herself after Zarien was born, due to apparent trauma from being raped.

* ''Literature/ItsTimeToChangeTheGenre'': Count Royton Greenhalten kills himself, explaining in his suicide note he did it out of fear of facing Ruediger in the duel. He could technically refuse Ruediger's challenge, but it would meant losing his honor. However, Judith speculates said suicide might have been orchestrated by Franz wanting to clean up his loose ends, since Count Greenhalten was acting on his orders, and Judith planned to interrogate the count in exchange for Ruediger calling off the duel.

* In the ''Literature/RedMarsTrilogy'', Ann Clayborne, already of a depressive disposition, becomes suicidal after accidentally getting Frank Chalmers killed when she lost concentration while driving a rover. Once everyone's out of danger, she leaves the rover and turns off her suit's life support, but Simon catches her before she dies and turns it back on. She doesn't actively attempt suicide again in the series although it could be argued that her refusal to take the longevity treatment is a drawn-out form of suicide. Regardless, she spends most of the rest of the trilogy as a DeathSeeker.

-->''Sarah Brown wondered whether she could cut her throat with a hoe.\\
\\

* In ''Literature/ShadowsOfTheApt'', the Bee-Queen is driven to this by YourWorstNightmare.

* ''Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde'' ends with Hyde committing suicide by poison after he's cornered by the protagonist and knowing he will be tried and executed for murder, and having no way of transforming back into Dr Jekyll due to running out of a vital ingredient for his potion (which had begun to lose it's effect to the point where Jekyll had transformed into Hyde without taking it at all). This of course also effectively kills Dr Jekyll as well.

** In ''Literature/AndThenThereWereNone'', Emily Brent had caused Elizabeth Taylor to be driven to suicide. Additionally, [[spoiler:Vera Claythorne is Driven To Suicide.]]

** In ''Literature/AndThenThereWereNone'', [[spoiler:Vera Claythorne is Driven To Suicide.]]

** In Lee Lightner's Literature/SpaceWolf novel ''Wolf's Honour'', when [[spoiler:Ragnar and Torin]]] speculate about the causes of the slow turn to ''wulfen'' [[TheCorruption encroaching on their minds]], [[spoiler:Ragnar]] thinks it may be his influence. [[spoiler:Torin]] dissuades him, and is not amused when [[spoiler:Ragnar]] says that it would be much better if he could end it by shooting himself.

* In Creator/GrahamMcNeill's ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' Literature/{{Ultramarines}} novel ''Dead Sky Black Sun'', when they go through certain tunnels in [[{{Mordor}} the Eye of Terror]], their thoughts are filled with murder and suicide; Pasanius starts to kill himself before Uriel realizes the attack and encourages them to break free.
** ''The Killing Ground'' opens with a former soldier trying to [[DrowningMySorrows drown his sorrows]]. He ends up blowing his brains out as more effective.

* In Lee Lightner's ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' Literature/SpaceWolf novel ''Wolf's Honour'', when [[spoiler:Ragnar and Torin]]] speculate about the causes of the slow turn to ''wulfen'' [[TheCorruption encroaching on their minds]], [[spoiler:Ragnar]] thinks it may be his influence. [[spoiler:Torin]] dissuades him, and is not amused when [[spoiler:Ragnar]] says that it would be much better if he could end it by shooting himself.
* In Creator/JamesSwallow's ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' Literature/BloodAngels novel ''Deus Encarmine'', when the second LastStand looks even more devasted than the apparent first, Turcio speaks of their defeat. Only when Arkio offers him a knife to cut his throat with does Turcio rouse himself to fight again.
** In ''Deus Sanguinius'', Inquisitor Stele plays on Rafen's fears--that he [[YoungestChildWins overshadows his younger brother]] and [[GreenEyedMonster is jealous of him]]--to convince him that he has to free Arkio by killing himself. [[spoiler:Only a literal vision allows him to throw off the mind-witchery.]]
* In Gav Thorpe's ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' novel ''Angels of Darkness'', the Dark Angels are trapped in a fortress because if they leave it, they will release a horrific virus on the planet and its population, but their suits can not last as long as the virus. They fear what desperation will make them do and think it better to die together, quickly, so they each hold a bomb and have Boreas push the denotator to kill them all.

* [[RightWingMilitiaFanatic Randy Morrison]] in ''Literature/StarTrekTheEugenicsWars'', who was already paranoid and a little unhinged, goes completely insane when [[ActionGirl Roberta]] foils his terrorist plot. Convinced that (imaginary) black NWO helicopters are coming to claim him for a show trial, he vaporizes himself with Roberta's [[SwissArmyWeapon servo]].

* This trope applies to the story of [[spoiler:The Bloody Baron]] from ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'', who did precisely this after killing his lover, [[spoiler:The Gray Lady]], in a fit of rage. Both of them return as ghosts afterward.

DrivenToSuicide in {{Literature}}.

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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/les_misrables___franois_flameng___javert_draill_suicide_de_javert_3.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[Literature/LesMiserables Javert's suicide]] by François Flameng]]
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** When hopelessly outmatched the heroes actually drive their enemy [[spoiler: OmnicidalManiac Scion]] to this by [[spoiler: bombarding him with images of his dead partner.]]
* In Emily Bronte's ''Literature/WutheringHeights'' [[spoiler: Catherine]] purposefully makes herself sick (and later dies) just to spite the two men who love her.