Papa Wolf/Literature: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

* This is the entire premise behind [[John Grisham|John Grisham's]] ''A Time To Kill.'' After a brutal first chapter detailing the rape of his 10-year-old daughter by a couple of rednecks, Carl Lee Hailey (played by none other than [[Samuel L. Jackson]] in [[The Movie of the Book]]) goes berserk on the two and opens fire on them with an assault rifle (even though they were already on trial), catching a court deputy in the process. {{spoiler|The deputy forgives him, as does the jury when they acquit him of murder charges by reason of "temporary insanity."}}

* Woe betide whoever dares to abduct [[Stephen King|Popsy's]] grandson.

* ''[[War of the Dreaming|Mists of Everness]]'' by [[John C. Wright]]: [[Badass Normal|Peter Waylock]]. Don't harm his son. Don't harm his son and pretend innocence. And don't beg for mercy, because Peter Waylock is a [[Person of Mass Destruction]] and [[Tranquil Fury|you won't get any.]]

* The father in Cormac McCarthy's ''[[The Road]]'' is exclusively defined as his role as this.

* An [[Older Than Radio]] example comes from Hector Malot's ''Sans Famille''. The travelling musician Vitalis practically purchased lead character Remi Barberin as his apprentice, but he genuinely cared for the boy and became his [[Old Master|mentor and example]]. His "Papa Wolf" side shows more strongly when {{spoiler|he discovers that the old man whom he was going to ask to look out for Remi in the winter actually abuses his protegees and forces them to steal for him}}, and later when {{spoiler|he protects Remi from dying in a snowstorm... in a [[Heroic Sacrifice]]}}. And he was also hinted to be one in his first apparition, when he "buys" Remi... after witnessing how horribly his abusive stepfather Jerome treats him, therefore choosing to "purchase" Remi half to have an apprentice and half to protect him.

* Individual names are not given but in [[Harry Turtledove]]'s ''Worldwar Tetralogy'', the Alien Fleetlord is amazed at reports of suicidal Tosevite (read: Human) attacks by both genders on his forces. Its stated that the few humans that actually survive indicate their actions are because of harm done to a Mate or Hatchling by his forces

* [[Raptor Red]]'s consort pulls a Papa Wolf to save one of Raptor Red's nieces from an acrocanthosaur. He has mixed feelings about doing so: he gets several cracked ribs, the chick isn't related to him, and Raptor Red didn't even see his heroic actions. It does, at least, mend his relations with Raptor Red's sister for a time.

* Most [[David Eddings]] characters fall into this at some point: if you go after their wives, kids, fiancees, or friends, they begin throwing around phrases like "boiling oil," "wring him out until his hair bleeds," and "kill him just a little bit." Then they catch you. Then you discover this was them ''being nice''.

{{quote|'''Khonar (about Asharak)''': ''{{spoiler|Our agent reported that he seemed a little nervous about something}}.''

'''Belgarath''':''{{spoiler|I can imagine. He's done something that offended me. I want to talk with him about it, and he'd rather avoid that conversation -- since it's very likely to involve my hanging his entrails on a fence someplace}}.'' }}

{{quote|'''Kalten''': {{spoiler|Zalasta}} hurt {{spoiler|Sephrenia}}, your Majesty. There are twenty-five thousand Pandion Knights -- and quite a few knights from the other orders as well -- who are going to take that very personally. {{spoiler|Zalasta}} can pull mountain ranges over his head to try to hide, but we'll still find him. The Church Knights aren't really very civilised, and when somebody hurts those we love, it brings out the worst in us.

'''Sparhawk''': Well said. }}

** Papa Wolves are fairly prevalent in this series: Sirius Black does ''not'' like seeing Harry hurt, and neither does Remus Lupin.

** Mess with [[Jerkass|Draco Malfoy]] when he's at school, and the next person you'll have to deal with is his favourite teacher and godfather-of-sorts Severus Snape, or worse still, Lucius Malfoy, his actual dad, with the power of the school governors, as well as the Ministry of Magic behind him (and not to mention, Lucius's love for his family is pretty much [[Even Evil Has Loved Ones|his]] ''[[Even Evil Has Loved Ones|only]]'' [[Even Evil Has Loved Ones|good trait]]).

** Xenophilius Lovegood was ready to [[Despair Event Horizon|hand Harry to the Death Eaters]] if it meant having Luna back.

** And Harry's Uncle Vernon who- though he often falls into the categories of [[Abusive Parents]] (toward Harry, of course), [[Muggles|Muggle]] ''and'' [[Bumbling Dad]] - is very protective of his own wife and son and is even willing to shield them from Hagrid.

** Aral does this less subtly in ''Barrayar'' by ordering his private [[Heroic Sociopath]], Bothari to protect Miles against Aral's ''own father''. This caused an estrangement between them that lasted several years.

* Lieutenant Panga in ''[[Someone Else's War|Someone Elses War]]'' will do anything, absolutely anything, to keep the children around him safe.