Basic Trope: Someone is aware that they will die soon and worries about it.
- Straight:
- Bob is diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease while his mind is still intact, and he knows that within five years he won't even recognize his own family, and within ten years he will be dead. The thought of it terrifies him.
- Bob is 85 years old and is aware that he most likely has less than a decade left to live.
- Exaggerated:
- ...On top of that, Bob is also diagnosed with ALS. So in five years, not only will he not remember his family, he will also be almost unable to move.
- Bob is 105 and is aware that he could die any second. He ends up dying from the stress of it all within the first second of hearing this.
- Downplayed:
- Bob is diagnosed with cancer, and he didn't catch it immediately. He is worried that he may not survive.
- Bob has a midlife crisis, but he's otherwise perfectly healthy, so he won't have to worry about his mortality any time soon.
- Bob is diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. He knows he may still live for at least another decade or two if he takes care of himself, but still worries because it's a sign that he will not live much longer.
- Justified:
- Bob has thanatophobia - the fear of death.
- Truth in Television - It's not uncommon for people to become worried when their time grows near.
- Inverted: Bob has just found out that he no longer has cancer and is relieved.
- Subverted:
- The doctor misdiagnosed Bob.
- The doctor diagnoses Bob with cancer. However, he thought he was suffering from much worse.
- Double Subverted:
- He then (correctly) diagnoses Bob with Huntington's Disease.
- The cancer metastasizes. Bob's doctor estimates that he has less than a year to live.
- Parodied: Bob develops a minor cough and thinks he's about to die a miserable death.
- Zig-Zagged: Bob knows that he's going to die, but he also knows that his suffering will soon end.
- Averted:
- Bob is perfectly healthy and thus does not need to worry about his mortality.
- Bob dies peacefully in his sleep.
- Enforced: To show that the fear of death is very real.
- Lampshaded: "Alzheimer's disease? Oh no...I'm gonna die soon!"
- Invoked:
- Exploited:
- Defied: "I knew from the very beginning that I would eventually die. I need to accept it instead of worrying about it."
- Discussed:
- Conversed:
- Deconstructed: Bob is worried about dying because he is a single father and his children are not grown up yet.
- Bob is worried about dying because his parents are still alive, and he knows it must be even harder for them than it is for him.
- Reconstructed: Bob's brother adopts Bob's children and promises to raise them well.
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