The Meaning of an Epilogue.

Epilogues are an odd thing.

The story sometimes doesn’t seem complete without the addition of one, yet the author made a decision to have the tale ‘end’. Aside from the passage of time, what makes an epilogue different from any other chapter of the story?

Is an epilogue meant to give the reader closure? The mere presence of one implies that the story’s ‘end’ wasn’t truly a full-stop. Now the reader knows that there are more consequences, more points to the plot and to the character development, more words lined up into sentences they will never see.

The epilogue is a paradox. A conclusion, to pointedly display that there is no conclusion.

There is no end, and thus no peace of mind. Thus, no peace at all.