History Woobie / Literature

* Dominick Birdsey in ''I Know This Much Is True'' by Wally Lamb. The book deals primarily with his struggle with having a mentally ill twin brother but what else doesn't happen to the poor guy? Abusive childhood, losing a parent, a painful divorce after losing his only child, severely injured at his job, an AIDS scare...

* In ''Literature/TheTwilightSaga'', Bree Tanner. Turned into a vampire against her will, confused and terrified, then abruptly killed off after apparently finding someone who can help. Even people who aren't fans of the series may find themselves wanting to hug her.

** Flinx, the main protagonist of the ''Literature/HumanxCommonwealth'' series. He starts out the series as something of a CanonSue, but each novel since ''Flinx in Flux'' has left him more [[{{Wangst}} depressed]] and convinced of the futility of associating with the people that he's [[TheChosenOne supposed to be saving]] from absolute destruction. It doesn't help that he's pursued by nearly every authority in the Commonwealth (half want to imprison him, the others want to "fix" him), had his {{Love Interest|s}} PutOnABus, and suffers from headaches that make migraines seem trivial. Oh, and he most recently found out that [[spoiler:his years-long search for his father is futile because he [[DesignerBabies doesn't have one]]]].

->''[All four visiting [[Literature/XWingSeries New Republic pilots]] have been given nicknames by the natives. Tycho is "the doleful one".]''

'''Wes''': No, but you look sad. Makes the ladies of Cartann's court want to [[HurtComfortFic comfort you]]. They're so sad about wanting to comfort you that you could comfort them.\\
'''Hobbie''': And Tycho the only one of us with a [[HappilyMarried successful relationship]] with a woman. Missed opportunities, Tycho.

* In the ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' series, Bree Tanner. Turned into a vampire against her will, confused and terrified, then abruptly killed off after apparently finding someone who can help. Even people who aren't fans of the series may find themselves wanting to hug her.

* ''LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'': Catarina becomes one after regaining her PastLifeMemories. In her perspective, she suddenly found [[YourDaysAreNumbered Her Days Are Numbered]] seven years before the fact and has been living in the constant fear of having to die for a second time.

* Haywood from ''Literature/TalesOfTheFrogPrincess''. Let us count the ways. [[MissingMom Mother]] [[DeathByChildbirth died]], [[AbusiveParents horrible]] [[TheUnfavourite father]], siblings afraid of him because he's a wizard, can't do the type of magic he wants, his girlfriend's (the ''one'' good thing about his adolescence) mother turned him into an otter, he finally turns back but has trouble re-adapting, making him even more awkward and shy than before, and his girlfriend is cursed, turning her into an ugly nasty hag who hates him, and it's almost a year before the curse is broken and he finally gets to marry her. On top of all of that, he's probably in his forties when he finally has a son, and seeing as how this is the middle ages, he'll probably die when his son is in his twenties, or even still a teenager! In short, Haywood's life ''sucks''.

* ''Literature/TheBurntOrangeHeresy'': Berenice Hollis is a kind, decent woman who is emotionally abused and repeatedly insulted by her misogynistic and classist boyfriend James. She then proceeds to be dragged into his robbery of a kindly old man, and when she calls him out on both his immoral actions and how short-sighted his plan is [[spoiler:he murders her out of fear she'll go to the police.]]

* Literature/TheGreatGatsby himself. He falls in love with [[RichBitch Daisy]], fools around with her, is not able to marry her because of his financial status, is going to get rich enough for her liking [[YankTheDogsChain just to have that taken out from under him by a]] WomanScorned, earns his money in questionable fashion, and starts living the high life in order to get her attention...to find out that Daisy is married. You think that would be the end of that, but Daisy proceeds to encourage him to spend his money on beautiful dresses for her, sleeps with him more, manages to get him to take the blame for a murder just to cover her tracks, and finally is able to convince her to leave her husband. So, naturally, they live happily ever after, right? Wrong. [[spoiler: Daisy and her husband don't even show up to Gatsby's funeral]].

** Prince Ahren Elessedil of the Elves, in ''Literature/TheVoyageOfTheJerleShannara''. He's sent on the Voyage because his brother wants to get him away from the line of succession. He [[JumpedAtTheCall Jumps At The Call]] because he sees it as the chance to be a part of a big adventure. He spends the next couple of books running for his life in the company of [[TheMole Ryer Ord Star]], who he may be crushing on, despite being aware of her Mole status. He arrives at [[DiscOneFinalBoss Antrax's]] headquarters too late to help save [[HeroicSacrifice Walker]], then gets captured by [[TheDragon Cree]] [[SmugSnake Bega]] and The [[BigBad Morgawr]]. He spends the last book being interrogated for information and watching Ryer change sides again to help The Morgawr, escapes because she creates a distraction for him, and is then confronted by Cree Bega who mocks him about Ryer's torture, possible rape, and suicide, before engaging him in a KnifeFight; this is after, in a previous scene, forcing Ahren to watch The Morgawr drain a ship's crew of their minds. By the end of the series, Ahren has no self-respect and no sense of his own worth left; he never goes home, and dies at the start of the next series with very little effort. From start to finish, his entire story is one big tragedy, and in [[ShootTheShaggyDogStory Voyage]], he is the standout Woobie. At least he managed to [[TheDogBitesBack kill Cree Bega]].
** Then in ''Literature/TheDarkLegacyOfShannara'' there is Aphenglow Elessedil. In the first book, she [[spoiler: loses her lover, Bombax.]] Then [[spoiler: she finds out her beloved sister, Arlingfant, is doomed to become the next Ellcrys, basically giving her life to save the Four Lands. In order to do this the sisters have to travel together to find the Bloodfire, the very thing that will break them apart]], which is nothing short of torture. And finally [[spoiler: when it seems like she has moved on from Bombax's death and found another love in Cymrian, he tragically dies as well.]] In ''Literature/TheDefendersOfShannara'' she seems to have gotten better, but she has never forgotten what she lost.

* Holo from ''Literature/SpiceAndWolf'' is this, to such a degree that it very much defines the plot. In public, she acts either calm and composed or [[{{moe}} cutely innocent]], depending on the situation, but because she's {{really 700 years old}}, she has a fair amount of angst and loneliness, and she was heartbroken when the village she had been caring for no longer needed or desired her. She's become very attached to Lawrence, who they both know [[{{Mayfly December Romance}} she will outlive by far]]. Then she finds out that [[spoiler:her homeland might not exist anymore]], completing her woobie transformation.

** As if to rub it in, {{the film|OfTheBook}} [[spoiler: gives Blackavar one of the most gruesome deaths in the movie.]]

* [[Literature/{{Shannara}} Wisp]]. Oh God, Wisp. In ''Elfstones'', Brooks tells us so little about this poor fellow, but it's more than enough to draw TearsFromAStone. He claims to have once been an Elf, but [[WickedWitch Mallenroh]] [[ForTheEvulz changed him to make him "cute"]] so he can "roll around and play with the stick men". The process also, incidentally, turned him into [[PersonalMook a docile, ever-obedient, fawning slave]] to the Witch Sister, with his [[CatchPhrase favorite remark]] being an indication of just how devoted he is: "Wisp serves the Lady." Coerced to help Wil and his party escape the dungeons (in a rather upsettingly rough hostage-taking, until [[FemmeFatale Eretria]] is able to persuade him [[DistractedByTheSexy with her beauty and soft voice]]), he is then [[DespairEventHorizon forced to witness]] as his Lady and her [[FearfulSymmetry twin sister Morag]] destroy each other in a huge conflagration. As if that isn't bad enough, [[HelpfulMook when he finally leads the party to Safehold]], the light of the Bloodfire so reminds him of what happened to Mallenroh that [[BreakTheCutie his mind]] [[DrivenToMadness snaps]] and he runs shrieking from the cave--right into [[TheDragon The Reaper]].

* Nicci from ''Literature/SwordOfTruth''. Her mother, a WellIntentionedExtremist, continually hammered the teachings of the [[MarySuetopia strawman communists]] into her head: that beauty is useful only to a whore, and that her life is worthless without self-sacrifice. Her father was a successful businessman who genuinely loved her, but her mother convinced her that he was evil due to his capitalist ways. This sense of worthlessness, combined with her magical training, led her to become a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds.