It is said when a wizard is about to die Death himself turns up to claim him (instead of delegating the task to a subordinate, such as Disease or Famine, as is usually the case).
The novel presents Death as an actual, active character. Death is personified as a male entity dressed in a cloak and carrying a scythe. It is not an unseen-of representation of death, but the novel gives it a more personal and comedic aspect. He, the Death, is literally following Rincewind’s every step, in hopes of claiming him.
“And if every man on the shores of the Circle Sea had a mountain of gold of his own? Would that be a good thing? What would happen? Think carefully.”
It is an interesting perspective posed in the novel on the question of money and wealth. The novel portrays many elements of universal thought, open for contemplation and discussion. Rincewind’s answer is that everyone would be happy if everyone was equally wealthy, but, it is up to the reader to decide their own answer.
No, what he didn’t like about heroes was that they were usually suicidally gloomy when sober and homicidally insane when drunk.
The novel has an aspect of portraying clichés from literature and showing them in a new light. Death is one example, with the cliché portrayal as a cloaked figure, or, in this case, a twist on classic fairy-tale heroes. Hrun is the example of a representation of a classic hero with a comedic twist. To be a hero is his job description and lifestyle. He is self-absorbed and the way Rincewind convinces him to protect them is by promising to take a lot of photos for his heroic legacy.
