History TearJerker / EthelAndErnest

* Ethel's (health) weakening after giving birth to Raymond; he remains their only child due to concerns for her health.

* Ethel's weakening after giving birth to Raymond; he remains their only child due to concerns for her health.

* Raymond Briggs' wife, Jean, suffered from Schizophrenia, which meant that her mental illness became the main obstacle for starting a family. Even worse since Jean herself died from leukemia two years after Ethel and Ernest's deaths. Relatedly, Ethel quickly acquiesces that she won't become a grandmother. Despite her somewhat innocent and sometimes narrow worldview, even she knows the gravity of suffering from a mental illness, so she immediately drops the subject. All her son could do is hold her hand and try to comfort her with a simple "never mind." It kinda becomes HarsherInHindsight, 'cause Jean passed away in 1973.

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* Raymond Briggs' wife, Jean, suffered from Schizophrenia, which meant that her mental illness became the main obstacle for starting a family. Even worse since Jean herself died from leukemia two years after Ethel and Ernest's deaths. Relatedly, Ethel quickly acquiesces that she won't become a grandmother. Despite her somewhat innocent and sometimes narrow worldview, even she knows the gravity of suffering from a mental illness, so she immediately drops the subject. All her son could do is hold her hand and try to comfort her with a simple "never mind."

* At the very beginning of the film, the real life Raymond Briggs supposes that his parents would be proud (and also a little embarrassed) about having their story be published for the world to read. By the time Briggs had finished the book, it had been 27 years since the passing of his parents. And when the film adaptation was released, it had been 41 years, the same amount of years his parents were married.

* Raymond Briggs' wife, Jean, suffered from Schizophrenia, which meant that her mental illness became the main obstacle for starting a family. Even worse since Jean herself died from leukemia two years after his parents' death. Relatedly, Ethel quickly acquiesces that she won't become a grandmother. Despite her somewhat innocent and sometimes narrow worldview, even she knows the gravity of suffering from a mental illness, so she immediately drops the subject. All her son could do is hold her hand and try to comfort her with a simple "never mind."

* As Ethel's senility worsens, she forgets her Christmas party, her husband, and even her entire marriage. After Ernest leaves at the end of a visit while Raymond stays behind, Ethel asks him who that was, and doesn't seem to process the answer, leaving Raymond despondent.

Both the book and the movie has somber moments.

* Ethel's weakening after giving birth to Raymond Briggs, which he remained the only child due to concerns for her health.
* Ernest and Ethel's struggle during World War II, where they had to send their son to the countryside for safety. Among other things are the couple's house ruined by the bombs, worrying over the fate of their son who is evacuated to the countryside, Ernest's trauma from seeing dead children when he was assigned as a rescue worker in the bombed-out area.
* Raymond Briggs' wife, Jean, suffered from Schizophrenia, which meant that her mental illness became the main obstacle for starting a family. Even worse since Jean herself died from leukemia two years after his parents' death.
** On a related note is how quickly Ethel acquiesces that she won't become a grandmother. Despite her somewhat innocent and sometimes narrow worldview, even she knows the gravity of suffering from a mental illness, so she immediately drops the subject. All her son could do is hold her hand and try to comfort her with a simple "never mind."
* [[spoiler: Ethel forgetting her Christmas party, her husband, and even her entire marriage. This wasn't helped by her death later on.]]
** [[spoiler: Ernest's miserable life as he still continues the daily routine as if Ethel was alive just to cope with her passing. It didn't last long as his heart attack proved to be fatal.]]
* At the very beginning of the film where the real life Raymond Briggs supposes that his parents would be proud (and also a little embarrassed) about having their story be published for the world to read. By the time Briggs had finished the book, it had been 27 years since the passing of his parents. And when the film adaptation was released, it had been 41 years, the same amount of years his parents were married.

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* Raymond Brigg's wife, Jean, suffered from Schizophrenia, which meant that her mental illness became the main obstacle for starting a family. Even worse since Jean herself died from leukemia two years after his parents' death.

** [[spoiler: Ernest's miserable life as he still continues the daily routine as if Ethel was alive just to cope with her passing. It didn't last long as his heart attack proved to be fatal.]]