Who died in the hotel fire?

[Seymour Glass]

Justice Strauss obviously died in the fire. She was at the top of the building. It also stated that the Baudelaires never saw her again.

It is unknown if Esme and Carmelita survived the fire. If they did, then they never met the Baudelaires again.

Nero probably died in the fire. It did say in TAA that Prufrock Prep closed down. Maybe it was because of Nero's death.

Frank and Ernest might have died. But if they didn't, they never saw the Baudelaires again.

[Dante]

Frank and Ernest were in the lobby, and they must've known the hotel layout by heart. If they didn't survive, they are stupid. Ditto the sinister duo, for that matter; they've really got no excuse for failing to survive, unless they got really carried away. Jerome - iffy. He's improved, but he's still probably vulnerable to being tricked into burning to death.

Justice Strauss's chances I agree are pretty bad, but not impossible. I don't recall there being a line stating that the Baudelaires never saw her again, though?

Mrs. Bass I think probably escaped. I don't think she'd have any qualms about defying a legal order to wear a blindfold, and she probably considers her escape paramount. Since the other teachers appear to be assisting her, maybe she brought them along too. Or maybe not. The timing of TAA's closure is disputed, incidentally.

[Very Funky Disco]

I personally believe that Justice Strauss did survive, along with Jerome Squalor. I'm pretty sure Mrs. Bass did. I'd like to think all or most of the Snow Scouts and other captive children escaped the fire. It would be horrible, if they all died.

The bottom line is, we probably all have our own theories on who survived and who didn't.

[Seymour Glass]

Mrs. Bass probably left the hotel before the fire even happened. Mr. Remora probably left with her. I like to think the Snow Scouts survived too. Bruce probably died.

[Dante]

May 27, 2010 14:25:07 GMT -5 Seymour Glass said:

Mrs. Bass probably left the hotel before the fire even happened.

The Baudelaires see her while heading for the roof, so she was definitely there while the fire was in progress. Although, strangely, it says that she was on the third floor, but Snicket narrates the elevator's arrival on the third floor and the Baudelaires only spoke to Mr. Poe.

[Seymour Glass]

Mr. Poe came to the hotel to investigate Mrs. Bass's robbery.

[Christmas Chief]

I like to think they all died, as the entire scene had a ring of finality to it and everyone dead just seems a conclusive (even if slightly pessimistic) ending. Realistically, though, I think Frank and Ernest survived because the only way they could have died would be through panic, and the sinister duo seems to have, by reputation, survived worse and there would be little reason for them to have been destroyed.

Mrs. Bass, I think, would have gotten out safely with possibly Mr. Romora, but Nero would likely not believe any warning about a fire until he saw the smoke himself (and of course, by then it would be too late). Esmé might be more believing, because she's more familiar with the signs of fire and know the Baudelaires in the sense that they're all for saving lives. But then again, she's also rather attached to her in things and might be reluctant about leaving them behind, should she have any stashed away somewhere in the hotel.

One possibility for Justice Strauss's survival could be that she was whisked away by a volunteer in the confusion, and thus safely transported elsewhere- because the Baudelaires don't see her again doesn't have to mean she died, and certainly, this is true for all the characters. (And she does seem to be prone to letting others decide what she should do; if it's legal, she doesn't argue.) For Jerome, I think he might have tried to save the other volunteers and died in the process, or otherwise was shocked by the Baudelaires behavior and didn't recover until it was too late.

[MyKindEditor]

Nero could have lived up to his name sake and played his violin while he watched innocent people burn to death.

[Hermes]

I don't think the Snow Scouts were in the hotel. the last we saw of them they were on the Carmelita. I would take it that, when Fiona and Fernald took control of the Carmelita, they were freed.

I think it's been suggested that the bellboy and girl the Baudelaires meet were Snow Scouts, but I have another idea about who they are.

There's some evidence that Frank and Ernest survived, since Lemony refers at one point to the survviing members of rthe family changing their names and working in lesser hotels.

[Very Funky Disco]

May 27, 2010 16:17:49 GMT -5 Hermes said:

I don't think the Snow Scouts were in the hotel. the last we saw of them they were on the Carmelita. I would take it that, when Fiona and Fernald took control of the Carmelita, they were freed.

Oh, I think I like this idea even better. I'll go with that one, then.

Yes, I get that ASOUE is based on the premise of dark humour - and, thus, a lot of bad things happen. I am so totally against the pessimistic "everyone died" ending idea, though. Personally, I would to like to think that everything worked out for the Baudelaires and most of our other heroes, at the end.

[Seymour Glass]

Of course, not everyone died. I think Frank and Ernest survived, as well as the sinister duo.

[Christmas Chief]

Well, there isn't much proof either way in the sense that they truely, without question, died. Some had better chances than others, and it would certainly be nice if some characters at the event survived for later books, but as there aren't any after The End it's pretty much a moot point. Characters can return, and if they don't we know why- thus the genius of the situation.

[Very Funky Disco]

May 28, 2010 14:37:46 GMT -5 Christmas Chief said:

Well, there isn't much proof either way in the sense that they truely, without question, died. Some had better chances than others, and it would certainly be nice if some characters at the event survived for later books, but as there aren't any after The End it's pretty much a moot point. Characters can return, and if they don't we know why- thus the genius of the situation.

Well, no, it doesn't look like there will be new books - but I still like to imagine that most of them survived.

[Seymour Glass]

May 28, 2010 22:15:00 GMT -5 Very Funky Disco said:

May 28, 2010 14:37:46 GMT -5 Christmas Chief said:

Well, there isn't much proof either way in the sense that they truely, without question, died. Some had better chances than others, and it would certainly be nice if some characters at the event survived for later books, but as there aren't any after The End it's pretty much a moot point. Characters can return, and if they don't we know why- thus the genius of the situation.

Well, no, it doesn't look like there will be new books - but I still like to imagine that most of them survived.

Most of the people in the hotel? Or most of the characters we actually knew the names of?

[Very Funky Disco]

Well, most of the characters that we know the names of. I guess I haven't really thought much of the others, to be honest.