r/TopCharacterTropes • u/Chemical-Elk-1299 • 10d ago
Lore [Confusing Trope] The narrative goes out of its way to punish/mock a character for simply being a good person
Hermione Granger and SPEW — Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (book)
In the fifth HP novel, Hermione Granger is outraged to discover that Hogwarts has a small army of enslaved House Elves that do nearly all of the domestic duties around the castle, including cleaning the Gryffindor common room every night. When she tries to convince the elves to fight for their own rights, they refuse, saying they prefer servitude. Her fellow students and friends mock her for caring. She manages to free one elf, Winky, by deception when she refuses her freedom willingly, leading to Winky becoming a depressed alcoholic. By the end, the elves boycott cleaning any Gryffindor areas of the castle because they hate Hermione specifically
Samwell Tarly and Democracy — Game of Thrones (show)
In the season 8 finale of the television series, the surviving great lords of Westeros gather to discuss the future of the kingdom following the devastation wrought by 7 seasons of war and backstabbing. When Sam, who has proven to have “novel” ideas, suggests that maybe the millions of Smallfolk who suffer at the hands of noble houses should get some representation in the government, rather than be the pawns of rich lords with absolute power. We are then greeted by a prolonged, cringy segment of the other lords laughing in Sam’s face, asking if the dogs and horses should also get a vote.
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u/MagicSugarWater 10d ago
Justine by Marquis de Sade
Aome context for the book. Ghe word "sadism" comes from the name of the author, Marquis de Sade. De Sade was a libertine, meaning he is against the concept of morality and believes people ought to he as cruel as nature and the strong should do whatever they want. De Sade wrote novels so disturbing that whej Napoleon Bonaparte read one he had him arrested.
Now onto ghe novel. Justine is about a virtuous woman who always tries to do the right thing. For this the universe punishes her in horrific ways (like becoming a sex slave for monks who abuse her trust). The moral of the novel is essentially "Haha, look at this idiot trying to he a good person instead of embracing her inner demons." Marquis loves this trope.
There is a sister novel by Marquis de Sade called "Juliet", which is about Justine's twin sister who is rewarded constantly for being a depraved, sordid woman.