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"Dear John" Letter: Difference between revisions
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{{trope|wppage=Dear John letter}}
[[Self-Demonstrating Article|Dear John,]]
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I cannot stand life in separation anymore. I simply can't love you anymore, and I have [[Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder|found someone else]].
Don't grieve—you are neither the first nor the last to get such a letter. Traditions of sending soldiers such letters date back to [[World War
Good bye, my former love. You will never see me again.
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P.S.: See also [[The Other Wiki]], they have an [[wikipedia:Dear John letter|article linked here]].
P.P.S: Don't confuse this letter with [[Dear John (British series)|a TV show]], [[Dear John (American series)|another TV show]], or [[Dear John (film)|a movie]]. Or a [[w:John Deere|John Deere]] letter.
{{examples}}
== Advertising ==
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD6S8DZHpG4 This] classic 1980's New Zealand ad for BASF cassette tapes features a soldier receiving a version of the country song "Dear John" sung by his fiance on a BASF tape, with some new lyrics turning it into a straight example, leading to the tagline:
{{quote|''BASF: Even the bad times sound good"}}
== Anime
* {{spoiler|Michel}} from [[Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team]] received such letter from his girlfriend {{spoiler|B.B.}}
* ''[[Kimi no Iru Machi]]'s'' Yuzuki writes one to Haruto and puts it in a present she gave him, however it was several months (and several attempts to stay with her regardless) later that he actually found and read the letter.
==
* In [[Robert A. Heinlein]]'s ''[["If This Goes On—"]]'', John Lyle gets a literal Dear John letter.▼
* Played with in the novel ''[[Starship Troopers (novel)|Starship Troopers]]''. When at OCS Johnny claims he and Carmen were dating, but she sent him a "Dear John". This is technically true, since he and Carmen went on a few dates, nothing serious, and she always begins her (occasional) letters with "Dear John". Essentially, Johnny is playing up the trope to gain some street cred.▼
* This trope appeared in a story written by the Polish writer Jarosław Grzędowicz, where a Pole who went work to England was completely devastated when his girlfriend sent him such a letter. A few years later, it appeared in a novel written by his wife, Maja Kossakowska, but American marine in the book has found it quite amusing. Having to endure weeks of torture, having his legs broken, and getting a bullet in the lungs could have something to do with it.▼
* In one short story in the ''[[Honor Harrington]]'' universe [[Commissar|Commissar Yuri Radamacher]] comments that he spends more time helping heartbroken naval personnel deal with "Dear John" or "Dear Jane" letters than he does actively trying to seek out disloyalty.▼
* In [[Bart the General]], "Omarn" gets one from Marge.
{{quote|''Dear Homer, you [[Squick|have a cold dick]]. I remember the last time I touched it.}}
== Film ==
* ''[[Starship Troopers (film)|Starship Troopers]]''. While in MI boot camp, Johnny Rico gets a literal Dear John video from his girlfriend Carmen Ibanez, who's in training to join the Fleet (space navy).
* What drove the villain insane in ''[[The Prowler]]''.
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* John in ''[[Goodbye Pork Pie]]'' finds one from Sue in his typewriter, which simply reads "Dear John".
==
▲* In [[Robert A. Heinlein]]'s ''[["If This Goes On—"]]'', John Lyle gets a literal Dear John letter.
▲* Played with in the novel ''[[Starship Troopers (novel)|Starship Troopers]]''. When at OCS Johnny claims he and Carmen were dating, but she sent him a "Dear John". This is technically true, since he and Carmen went on a few dates, nothing serious, and she always begins her (occasional) letters with "Dear John". Essentially, Johnny is playing up the trope to gain some street cred.
▲* This trope appeared in a story written by the Polish writer Jarosław Grzędowicz, where a Pole who went work to England was completely devastated when his girlfriend sent him such a letter. A few years later, it appeared in a novel written by his wife, Maja Kossakowska, but American marine in the book has found it quite amusing. Having to endure weeks of torture, having his legs broken, and getting a bullet in the lungs could have something to do with it.
▲* In one short story in the ''[[Honor Harrington]]'' universe [[Commissar|Commissar Yuri Radamacher]] comments that he spends more time helping heartbroken naval personnel deal with "Dear John" or "Dear Jane" letters than he does actively trying to seek out disloyalty.
== Live-Action TV ==
* The British show ''[[Dear John (British series)|Dear John]]'', and its [[Trans-Atlantic Equivalent]] with the same name starring Judd Hirsch in the late 80s. The [[Title Sequence]] had the main character coming home and discovering from a letter that his wife has left him. The [[Expository Theme Tune]] was sung from her point of view.
* Abby got one from Carter on ''[[ER]]'', after their relationship took a series of strange turns for the worse, climaxing in her bipolar brother falling into his grandmother's grave.
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== Music ==
<!-- %% EXAMPLE REMOVED BECAUSE IT GIVES NO IDEA WHICH OF THE DOZENS OF SONGS WITH THIS TITLE IS THE "FAMOUS" ONE -->
<!-- %% Surprisingly, the famous country song "Dear John" is about a man receiving a letter from his wife begging him to come home. (The 1980's one, not the TaylorSwift one.) -->
* The Taylor Swift song "Dear John" is a subversion of this trope. Even though the narrator is ending the relationship, the song reveals that she was involved in an unhealthy relationship with an older man, who its implied took advantage of her and broke her heart. Thus the song is a six minute long [["The Reason You Suck" Speech]].
* A sarcastic reading of a Dear John letter by its recipient comprises the entire lyrics of
* The front cover of the final [[Led Zeppelin]] album, ''In Through the Out Door'', portrays several different perspectives of the same scene at a bar of a man burning a 'Dear John' letter in an ashtray. The last song on that album, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzGhK52itBY "I'm Gonna Crawl"], would seem to be written from this perspective.
* Probably the original "Dear John" song: "A Dear John Letter
== Newspaper Comics ==
* [[Gary Larson]] made a ''[[The Far Side]]'' cartoon of two male deer in a forest, one holding a letter. "My God! She left me a John Deer letter!"▼
▲* [[Gary Larson]] made a [[The Far Side]] cartoon of two male deer in a forest, one holding a letter. "My God! She left me a John Deer letter!"
* [http://www.snopes.com/military/videobye.asp Here's] an urban legend about them.▼
== Video Games ==
* At the end of ''[[StarCraft]]: [[Expansion Pack|Brood War]]'', {{spoiler|1=and Kerrigan's ascension, Admiral Gerard DuGalle}} sends a letter to {{spoiler|his wife}} in Earth about everything which happened in the game. {{spoiler|The cutscene ends with a [[Gory Discretion Shot]]. [[Driven to Suicide|Gerard has committed suicide]].}}
{{quote|{{spoiler|"Dearest Helena, By now the news of our defeat has reached the Earth. The creatures we were sent here to tame are un-tamable, and the colonies we were sent to reclaim have proven to be stronger than we anticipated. Whatever you may hear about what has happened out here, know this; Alexei did not die gloriously in battle. I killed him. My pride killed him. And now my pride has consumed me as well. You will never see me again, Helena. Tell our children that I love them, and that their father died in defense of their future. Au revoir."}}}}
* In ''[[Katawa Shoujo]]'', main character Hisao receives one from his old sort-of girlfriend Iwanako part way through the story. The way he reacts to it is different in each route depending on how he's changed through his current relationship, though in all of them it causes a barrel full of mixed feelings and introspection on his part.
==
* In ''[[General Protection Fault]]'', {{spoiler|Nick is abducted by Ki's [[Evil Counterpart]] from a parallel universe the night before he is to marry her, and his counterpart leaves behind a letter saying he can't marry her, but Ki refuses to believe it and eventually enters the dimension on a rescue mission}}. The letter is even called a "Dear John" Letter▼
* In ''[[Kevin and Kell]]'', getting one of these causes one prey species to be [[Driven to Suicide]].▼
▲* In [[General Protection Fault]], {{spoiler|Nick is abducted by Ki's [[Evil Counterpart]] from a parallel universe the night before he is to marry her, and his counterpart leaves behind a letter saying he can't marry her, but Ki refuses to believe it and eventually enters the dimension on a rescue mission}}. The letter is even called a "Dear John" Letter
▲* In [[Kevin and Kell]], getting one of these causes one prey species to be [[Driven to Suicide]].
== Web Original ==
* Referenced in ''[[The Onion]]'': ''[http://www.theonion.com/articles/us-quietly-slips-out-of-afghanistan-in-dead-of-nig,20957/ U.S. Quietly Slips Out Of Afghanistan In Dead Of Night]''▼
▲* Referenced in [[The Onion]]: [http://www.theonion.com/articles/us-quietly-slips-out-of-afghanistan-in-dead-of-nig,20957/ U.S. Quietly Slips Out Of Afghanistan In Dead Of Night]
== Western Animation ==
* Similar joke on ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]];'' at a meeting of [[Caustic Critic]]s, the Farm Supplies Critic (...go with it) mentions his favourite recent quip in a review of a tractor:▼
▲* Similar joke on ''[[The Simpsons]];'' at a meeting of [[Caustic Critic]]s, the Farm Supplies Critic (...go with it) mentions his favourite recent quip in a review of a tractor:
{{quote|"We see John Deere has a new line of roto-tillers. Surprise, surprise; they're green! I'd say it's about time someone sent John Deere a Dear John!"}}
** Homer recieves a videotaped Dear John from Marge in [[The Movie]].
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]▼
[[Category:Example as a Thesis]]
[[Category:Love Tropes]]
[[Category:Mail, Post and Parcel Tropes]]
[[Category:Military and Warfare Tropes]]
▲[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dear John Letter}}
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