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9!! Female Examples
10* The Goddess Media from ''Literature/AmericanGods'' by Creator/NeilGaiman was like this in her true form. As the humanoid manifestation of The Media, when she wasn't possessing characters on television, she was described as looking like the sickeningly sweet hostess in one of those morning shows filmed in a fake living room.
11* Kiina in the {{Novelization}} of ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}: The Legend Reborn''. In the animated movie, she's a GenkiGirl, even though the prequel book depicted her as a mean and argumentative person who got into {{bar brawl}}s, barely had any friends, and would have loved nothing more than to leave the planet. In ''TLR'', when the appearance of Mata Nui presents an opportunity to do so, she adopts a friendly and cheerful persona to get close to him, fearing that if Mata Nui knew what life on her planet was like, he'd give up all hope and never try to help them.
12* Erzebet Bizecka of Alisa Libby's ''Blood Confession'' is Unstable. She's a charming and beautiful young lady who's doing an excellent job at leading her country out of difficult times. Not to mention how kind she is to her servants. Of course, that's just a plot to get them into her dungeon where she kills them and [[BloodBath bathes in their blood]] to preserve her youth and beauty.
13* The Other Mother from ''Literature/{{Coraline}}'' at first appears to be a very sweet, friendly counterpart to Coraline's real mother. As it turns out she is the BigBad and it was all a facade to get Coraline to stay with her.
14* Kaitlyn Werhner from the short story "Literature/DarkRedMind". If you were to see her smile at you with those piercing blue eyes, ''run.'' Not that it would help you any.
15* It's possible to read Agnes Wickfield in ''Literature/DavidCopperfield'' as this, considering her life with an increasingly alcoholic, depressed father and an increasingly lecherous Uriah Heep, yet she never loses her smiling willingness to help others. As well, Miss Mowcher is classically Depressed (though she was originally written as TheGrotesque, Dickens switched gears and made her a tragic figure who shields herself behind laughs, even at her own expense.)
16* Lilith de Tempscire from ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' is a Transferred StepfordSmiler. In Lilith's mind, life should be just like a storybook. [[spoiler:As the witch in charge, politically, in the city of Genua,]] she likes things to be the way people expect them to be--i.e., cooks should be fat and jolly and bustle a great deal, innkeepers should have big red faces, toymakers should whistle and sing the whole day long and tell amusing stories to children, etc. And woe betide anyone who doesn't live up to Lilith's expectations; she makes certain that they suffer for it. To quote the book ''Literature/WitchesAbroad'', "Lilith held up a mirror to Life, and chopped off the bits of Life that didn't fit."
17** The first appearance of Ysabell, in ''Literature/TheLightFantastic'', is when with a fixed manic smile on her face, she explains what it is to be Death's adopted daughter -- stuck, never dying, in the house of Death forever, having been fifteen for nearly fifty years in a place where Time does not apply, with no mortal human beings to talk to -- well, not for very long, anyway -- and (with a long sharp blade in her hands) explaining how ''nice'' it would be if Rincewind stayed for a little while longer...[[note]]It is possible that this is another underlying reason why Death chooses to take Literature/{{Mort}} as an apprentice in a later novel -- to restore Ysabell to the world in a halfway sane state[[/note]].
18* Joplaya in ''Literature/EarthsChildren'' appears to be cheerful and carefree much of the time, but has a more melancholy side she keeps hidden. Her flirting with Jondalar is often laughed off as jokes with no deeper meaning and she goes along with this, but the narrative makes it clear that she's actually serious and [[LoveHurts feels despondent]] that Jondalar has [[ObliviousToLove never picked up on this]]. This worsens after Jondalar returns to his homeland with his fiancee Ayla; although Joplaya puts on a brave face in public and sincerely insists she's [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy happy for Jondalar]], she's secretly crushed (Ayla - who is skilled at reading body language - picks up on this and feels sorry for Joplaya).
19* ''Literature/FellowMan'' by Norwegian author ''Olav Duun'' has Tale, the wife of sociopathic and ManipulativeBastard Didrik. She copes with her nasty husband and keeps appearances up by smiling. She borders on StepfordSnarker as well. She lampshades it early on:
20--> I am glad I have my grin. In this house, you either grin, or weep.
21* Carrie, a classic case of Depressed, is actually a deconstruction in ''Literature/FindingSnowflakes'' as she smiles more to hide the pain from ''herself'' than others.
22* The narrator of the German novel "Für jede Lösung ein Problem" (eng. "A problem for every solution")suffers from clinical depression and plans to kill herself. Despite that, she happily attends family parties and meets her friends as if nothing was wrong, she even confirms her attendance at events set after her suicide. [[spoiler: Everyone is noticeably shocked when they read her farewell letters as they didn't see it coming at all.]]
23* Mrs. Coulter in ''Film/TheGoldenCompass''. She puts on a friendly, trustworthy front when in reality she's one of the leaders of an organization that kidnaps young children and surgically removes their souls.
24* Amy Elliot-Dunne in ''Literature/GoneGirl''; she projects a shiny-happy picture of domestic bliss and wifely perfection, but she's secretly [[spoiler: TheSociopath who's spent her life putting on false faces and personas in order to both get her way and interact easier with others, notably men who had an obvious "type" in women. This stems from an emotionally neglectful childhood in which her parents compared her both to the numerous miscarried fetuses who came before her and the flawless version of her they created for their best-selling children's book series; this led her to develop antisocial personality disorder along with a deep-seated desire to be loved for the person she truly is (which is, among other things, petty, manipulative, vindictive, and ruthless.) She thought she had found this love in her husband Nick Dunne until she realized that he had been putting up just as much of a front as her. He pretended to be a charming, lovable, "salt of the earth" version of himself while she pretended to be what she calls "Cool Girl" -- a woman who conforms to her man's personality and tastes so he'll think she's perfect and non-threatening. Her resentment of Nick's true personality, along with his adultery and forcing her to move to the Midwest, is what drives her to kick off the novel.]]
25* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
26** [[Characters/HarryPotterMuggles Petunia Dursley]] is a fine example of the sort who initially seems to ''be'' her mask. ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]'' suggests that [[spoiler: her mask developed as the means to deal with her jealousy over her younger, "perfect" sister Lily getting magic and not herself.]]
27** [[Characters/HarryPotterMinistryOfMagic Dolores Umbridge]]. Part of the reason this character is so effective is that she wraps her sadism and violence in an unnerving Stepford mask straight from her introduction in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix Order of the Phoenix]]''.
28** [[Characters/HarryPotterHogwartsStudents Luna Lovegood]] is Depressed played straight. She's an IronWoobie who is bullied viciously for her eccentric personality, and she didn't have any friends until she was a teenager. But despite this pain, she is still happy and cheerful...''[[BeneathTheMask on the outside]]''. She drops hints occasionally, in a purposefully serene, conversational manner, and this makes the other characters feel uncomfortable. There's a good glimpse of what's going on behind the scenes in the 7th book when [[spoiler: Harry discovers a mural that she painted in her room, depicting all her friends, Harry included]].
29* Ryoko Asakura from ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'' is the Unstable type. Being the most popular girl in her class due to her beauty and kindness, she keeps a cute, caring and friendly appearance, even when she is about to stab you with a combat knife, ''or'' when dying. Since she is an ArtificialHuman, unable to empathize with humans, it is very likely that it is just a fixed masquerade.
30* Miss America in ''Literature/{{Haunted 2005}}'' constantly behaves as though she is on camera, working ''so'' hard to maintain her flawless facade that naturally her breaking point is just as epic as those of the others.
31* Part of the reason Will Navidson moved his family into the titular [[color:blue:house]] in ''Literature/HouseOfLeaves'' was to get closer to his family, including his StepfordSmiler wife, Karen Green.
32* Akeno Himejima of ''Literature/HighSchoolDXD'' is rarely seen not smiling or giggling, most of the time maintaining a cheerful and flirtatious disposition. However, she probably has the worst DarkAndTroubledPast among the members of Rias' Peerage (which is saying ''a lot'') due to losing her mother and blaming her father for not protecting her, and Issei is pretty shocked when she breaks down crying as she tells him of it.
33* ''Literature/TheHungerGames'': Katniss eventually realizes that Effie Trinket's shallowness is a defense mechanism which is her way of coping with her role in the Games.
34* Felicity in ''Literature/TheIdeaOfPerfection'' by Kate Grenville is obsessed with appearance, to the point of avoiding frowning or smiling out of fear of developing wrinkles. More-or-less Empty, since there's nothing of substance underneath her immaculately groomed and beautiful appearance, and contrasting brilliantly with the much more [[{{Woobie}} flawed, but likable protagonists]], who, along with the flaws, also have goals, interests, and drives, and who actually get things done in the end.
35* ''Literature/InDeath'': Allika Straffo from ''Innocent In Death'' is either Depressed or Unstable. [[spoiler: That's because she knows her daughter Rayleen Straffo killed her baby brother Trevor. She tries to act like everything's fine and okay because she's afraid of Rayleen and what she might do]].
36* Annie Wilkes in Creator/StephenKing's ''{{Literature/Misery}}''. She is a cunning, brutal, and dangerously disturbed woman who hides her psychosis behind a cheery facade and kind smile, making her Unstable.
37* ''Literature/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'':
38** Most of the time, Geordo's princely smile only consists of this. This is because he's so much of TheAce that [[LonelyAtTheTop he has no drive in life since everything is too easy for him]].
39** While Maria is always been and always will be a genuinely kind and caring girl, [[BlessedWithSuck everything that happened since the reveal of her light magic drove her into deep loneliness]], which she kept hidden by masking it with her normal kind and caring attitude. Though that all changed after she met Catarina.
40** According to Catarina, Mary has two types of smiles. First is the genuine, affectionate smile reserved almost solely for Catarina herself. Second, there is the "social" smile that she uses as a mask. At one point, Catarina notices the change but does not put two-and-two together that it's because Mary noticed that Geordo was up to something with Catarina.
41--->''Mary, who had been smiling at me just a second ago, now suddenly had the smile she usually reserved for social affairs on her face.''
42** In the original ''Fortune Lover'' scenario, Keith's womanizing tendencies belie a lonely heart, broken by years of verbal and/or physical abuse from his half-siblings, and then [[AlphaBitch Catarina]]. Of course, in the work's timeline, Catarina has a major change in personality and makes everyone's lives better.
43* Elin from ''Literature/OfFearAndFaith'' is a genuinely happy person for the most part, but she hides severe and traumatizing personal scars behind her cheerful smile and refuses to show anyone else that she's in pain.
44* Creator/WilliamSleator's ''Literature/OthersSeeUs'' has Annelise, who is well loved by everyone, including her cousin Jared, until he gains telepathy and realizes she's a StepfordSmiler of the worst sort. At one point he visits her mental landscape, it's an infinite sun-parched desert with her face as the huge sun, and the only other feature is a gigantic mirror, reflecting her face.
45* Paddy's mother in ''Literature/PaddyClarkeHaHaHa'', especially around his abusive father:
46--> "My hair isn't falling out" she said
47--> "And mine is, is that what you mean?"
48--> She smiled
49* The original ''Literature/{{Pollyanna}}'' is Depressed. She maintains her sunny disposition in front of people but she is sad about losing her father and breaks down when [[spoiler: she becomes crippled]]. She gets better though.
50* Early on in ''Literature/RedeemingLove'', Angel acts like her [[GildedCage cushy life]] as the city’s highest-end prostitute is all she could ever want, flippantly [[DontYouDarePityMe laughing off]] the hero’s suggestions that she might want to escape it—when in fact she has no control over her own life, is deeply lonely, and loathes every minute of her work. As the novel progresses and she is taken out of her “comfort zone", it becomes obvious that she’s really a deeply bitter and cynical BrokenBird.
51* On the heroic side, Leitha from Creator/DavidEddings' ''Literature/TheRedemptionOfAlthalus''. She pretends to be cheerful and witty, but is secretly neurotic, insecure, and self-hating.
52* Creator/ETAHoffmann's Olimpia from ''Literature/TheSandman1816'' is very much a literary ancestress. Nathanael becomes besotted with her because she has a more "positive" attitude than his fiancee Clara, e. g. to his efforts at poetry. [[spoiler: She is an automaton, constructed to be pleasant and thus unable to talk back or criticize.]]
53* In ''Literature/TheSecretsOfDrearcliffGrangeSchool'', "Perky" Palgraive smiles all the time, no matter what the provocation (and several of the prefects consider it a challenge to wipe the smile off her face). This is because she's a MeatPuppet for a PuppeteerParasite that hasn't entirely got the hang of fine motor control or the nicer points of human interaction.
54* Creator/CSLewis' short story "The Shoddy Lands" (PDF link [[http://www.ele.uri.edu/faculty/vetter/Other-stuff/The-Shoddy-Lands.pdf here]]) also has its protagonist experience a telepathic vision of a StepfordSmiler's mental landscape.
55* The [[GenkiGirl over-enthusiastic]] [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething princess]] Amelia from ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'', if one looks deeper, is Depressed; as a daughter of a prestigious and powerful royal family, she is subjected to horrific violence and carnage as her family battles over the line of succession to the throne. Her MissingMom was murdered, in-series she sees one of her uncles and her cousin get killed attempting a coup, her sister has long since run away, and her father (the current heir apparent) is a go-to target for assassins. It's summed up well enough in the LightNovel she's introduced in:
56--> "''But you know," [Amelia] added, still sporting that strange smile, "I really don't like that you can't trust people in your own family around here." It could've been my (Lina's) imagination, but just then I sensed a great sadness in Amelia behind that bubbly facade. There was definitely more to that girl than met the eye''.
57* ''Literature/SoICantPlayH'': Initially, it seems Ilia has it all: she's a popular {{teen idol}} and [[HeadTurningBeauty a babe]], who doubles as a spokesperson for the Merlot Life Insurance company. That is, until Ilia's manager reveals that people used to make fun of her, because [[spoiler: Ilia's [[ACupAngst semi-flat-chested.]] Plus, her lisp and her natural accent slurred her speech so badly, hardly anyone could understand her]]. It's left her with an extremely poor self-image. So as long as the spell holds, Ilia brims with confidence, but if it anyone sees, ''or hears'', what she's really like, [[DontLookAtMe she runs away in tears.]]
58* The titular character of ''Literature/{{Stargirl}}'', of all people has a tendency to become depressed when she's sad. She is normally an upbeat BlitheSpirit.
59* Ira Levin's book ''Literature/TheStepfordWives'', the TropeNamer.
60* Stoner's wife, Edith, in "Stoner" by John Williams, goes through a phase of embodying this trope perfectly.
61* ''Literature/TheStormAravDagli'': Throughout the years she's been married to him, the wife puts on a facade of happiness and lies to herself that she's content with her distant husband. As a result, her smile feels fake; she plasters it on herself every morning and never finds it to look quite right.
62* Shallan Davar of ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'' is revealed in ''Literature/WordsOfRadiance'' as a combination of Depressed and Unstable. Due to her DarkAndTroubledPast, she must use Lightweaving to repress her true feelings in order to function. Arguably a {{Deconstruction}}, as Shallan's feigned chirpiness is not portrayed entirely as a bad thing; in one defining moment, [[KnightInSourArmor Kaladin]] is humbled and awed by the fact that even though she has been through as much crap as he has, she can still bring herself to smile instead of becoming a PerpetualFrowner like him.
63* Blanche Dubois of ''Theatre/AStreetcarNamedDesire'' is a mixture of Depressed and Unstable.
64** Stella too, especially in the movie.
65* Yoko Nakajima, the main character of ''Literature/TheTwelveKingdoms'', starts out the series as a junior version of this in regards to her home and social life; she reveals later the fear that there was truly nothing inside.
66* Jennifer North in ''Literature/ValleyOfTheDolls'' tends to be this. Harry Bellamy says of her "That smile is glued on." She's unfailingly warm and friendly to everyone and sincerely cares about others' problems while hiding a life full of shame, lies, bitter disappointments, and, finally, breast cancer. Most of the truth is not revealed until long after her suicide.
67* Countess Rostov from ''Literature/WarAndPeace'' is very much like this except when she's talking with her daughters. Pierre Bezukhov's wife Helene would be a subversion in that she goes from having no role in society except being beautiful (and smiling a lot) to one of the eminent hostesses on the Moscow and St. Petersburg scene after getting married.
68* ''Literature/TheWestingGame'' has two female examples:
69** [[spoiler:Angela Wexler has given up her dreams and ambitions to fulfill her social-climbing mother's wishes, making her]] Depressed with a bit of Unstability, [[spoiler:as she vents her frustration by setting bombs, including one aimed at ''herself''.]]
70** [[spoiler:Flora Baumbach is]] purely Depressed [[spoiler:who smiles constantly to hide the pain from her husband leaving her and her daughter dying]].
71* Glinda from ''Literature/{{Wicked}}'' is essentially this. As such a high and mighty political figure she must keep a happy facade. Made even worse when her best friend, who happens to be the person she loves, is killed. She must act as if she ''hates'' her and tell pitiful lies about her. It's debatable if the [[Theatre/{{Wicked}} musical]] or book version has it worse.
72* The Irish short story "An Beann Og" (The Young Woman) follows a mother of two who politely smiles at anyone she sees and greets them kindly. She seems perfectly happy as she gets herself tidied up for her husband coming home for dinner but the last line of the story says she feels a small tremble of despair at the thought of her husband.
73
74!! Male Examples
75* Todd Bowden from Creator/StephenKing's [[Literature/DifferentSeasons "Apt Pupil"]] maintains the image of a cheery all-American golden boy even while he's blackmailing the neighborhood [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi-in-hiding]] into telling gruesome concentration camp stories. It's all downhill from there.
76* ''Literature/TheBelgariad''/''The Malloreon'': Silk, AKA Prince Kheldar, is asked why he's always laughing at life. His answer: "I've taken a good, long look at the world, and I concluded that if I didn't laugh, I'd probably have to cry."
77* Telemachon from ''Literature/BlackLegion'' is mostly the Depressed kind. To the outsiders, including emotion-reading Khayon, he's your typical Emperor's Child -- indulgent, full of contempt, and with no standards. Inside, however, he's DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife and has a soul of a poet. When Abaddon proposes him to join the Legion, he promptly [[HeelFaceTurn jumps ship]].
78* In the ''Literature/DarkestPowers'' novel ''The Summoning'' has Simon Bae, who for his introduction in the first book seems like a totally normal, cheerful kid who just so happens to be locked up with his older brother in a group home for mentally unstable kids. No matter how gloomy and angry his brother Derek is, Simon always remains upbeat and positive, until Derek snaps at him for doing nothing to help find their [[ParentalAbandonment missing father]]. This is the first thing that breaks Simon’s happy mask, and he admits that having to pretend to be content all the time when he really wants nothing more than to run away and find his dad is killing him inside.
79** And again in ''The Reckoning'', when [[spoiler: he takes Chloe on a date, only to discover that his suspicions about her actually having feelings for Derek and not for him are true. He admits to having ignored it so he could just keep trying, but upon finding it out for real, his smile once again breaks and he actually leaves Chloe behind in the forest to go be alone for a while.]]
80** Could Derek count as well? He wasn’t exactly ''smiling'', per se, but it’s implied that he tried to hide his own feelings about [[spoiler: Simon and Chloe’s going on a date]] and act like nothing was wrong...
81* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' serial killer Carcer is deceptively cheerful and innocent-looking, with his smile putting people off guard...until they look in his eyes and see the monster behind the mask. But of course then you've taken your eyes off his hands, and at least one of them is holding a knife by now. He's the kind of guy who would murder a man for a loaf of bread and then stand over the corpse saying 'Who, me, guvnor?' and almost ''convincing'' you.
82* ''Literature/{{Durarara}}'': [[spoiler:Kida]] is not naturally that cheerful; it's a front he puts up for Mikado's sake.
83* In ''Literature/EndoAndKobayashiLive The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte'', Lieselotte noticed this of her fiance Crown Prince Siegwald before she entered the academy. Not that Siegwald has any mental issues, [[TheChainsOfCommanding but his station demands it]].
84-->''In contrast to his grinning mouth, Siegwald’s eyes had an unreadable blankness to them. They conveyed neither good nor bad. Who could say how much emotion he’d suppressed to achieve such tranquility? When Lieselotte had first asked herself this, she’d wept.''
85* Guy Montag from ''Literature/{{Fahrenheit 451}}'' has a forced smile gripping his face at all times, even when he goes to sleep. It takes him some time to realize that his "happiness" is not real and actually masks deep unhappiness.
86* Bryce from ''Film/{{Flipped}}'' comes off as Empty to [[LoveInterest Juli's]] family, but is really Depressed and hides how ''repressed'' he is exceedingly well.
87* Creator/DavidFosterWallace's short story "Girl with Curious Hair" is narrated by a mixture of Empty and Unstable. One of the narrator's "punkrocker friends" tries to emotionally engage with him while high on acid and is deeply disturbed upon realizing that there is nothing behind the mask.
88* Skylar St. Clair of ''Literature/GivesLight'' is Depressed. He has plenty to angst over (a dead mother, vocal cords that don't work, a father who seems to have walked out on him, a social worker who might take him from the only family he's got left, and [[StraightGay his sexuality]]), but never dwells on it for long. Though he would have you think he's ThePollyanna, [[UnreliableNarrator it becomes increasingly obvious that he's faking it]].
89* ''Literature/GoToSleepAJeffTheKillerRewrite'': Played with. When Jeff reveals his outstretched bloody smile to Liu, he says he carved it himself in a playful, yet sad voice. His words and pained behaviour as he proceeds to stab Liu [[ReluctantPsycho suggest that he feels forced to kill his family]].
90* ''Literature/HarryPotter''
91** Xenophilius Lovegood tries to conceal Depression in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'' when Harry, Ron, and Hermione come to his house. He pretends that everything is well and good and that Luna herself is only out getting ingredients for soup when he's actually been afraid because the Death Eaters have Luna and have threatened to kill her unless he captures Harry Potter for them, which is just the thing he's attempting to do.
92** Albus Dumbledore, best shown in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'' when he lies about seeing himself holding a pair of socks in the Mirror of Erised (an artifact which reveals a person's deepest desire).
93* Itsuki Koizumi from ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'' [[PerpetualSmiler always keeps a constant smile]] and a cheerful attitude. Granted, he's still mostly sane and calm, but his Stepfordness always creeps Kyon out to no end. [[BrokenSmile But when his smile disappears... you better start fearing the worst!]] He actually expresses an open jealousy towards Mikuru and all the other members of the SOS brigade, because he has to keep a facade of his true personality to fit Haruhi's expectations of his, while the rest do not (aside of Mikuru's Obfuscating Helplessness). At points in the novels it's made pretty clear that Itsuki's finding it difficult to keep smiling, such as in volume 9 [[spoiler:he's been unable to sleep well for a lengthy period of time due to constant closed space activity, appearing exhausted and using a rather forced version of the usual grin, which falls off if he isn't concentrating]]. What is he really thinking? Who knows, [[MrExposition it's the one thing he doesn't really talk about. Probably]].
94** [[spoiler:To add fire to the fuel, in the eleventh novel, he cheerfully prepares to fight (and probably kill, it wasn't made clear afterwards) the novel's BigBad. Note the word ''cheerfully''.]]
95* Grey in ''Literature/KnightsOfTheBorrowedDark'' is a cheerful, friendly joker who takes Denizen under his wing, but it's soon revealed that BeneathTheMask he's a ShellShockedVeteran struggling with PTSD. [[TraumaCongaLine Various]] [[BrainwashedAndCrazy traumatic]] [[MindRape events]] make it difficult for him to keep the mask up later in the series.
96* "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by Creator/TSEliot: J. Alfred Prufrock attends parties and formal events to try to be accepted by his peer group but ultimately feels dead inside, and that he has never done anything significant with his life.
97* In ''Literature/LukeSkywalkerAndTheShadowsOfMindor'', Luke is subjected to a terrible vision of what it's like to [[AndIMustScream live through the heat death of the universe]]; when he comes out of it he's... different. He becomes nihilistic and depressed, believing that love and friendship are just tools people use to manipulate each other, and that it's pointless to save anyone. However, he's still Luke Skywalker, and he makes the conscious decision to act ''exactly'' like he did back when he still thought life had value and meaning, in the hopes of BecomingTheMask, longing to believe the happy lies again. Eventually he does get out of that mindset.
98* The narrator of Langston Hughes' poem "Minstrel Man" is Depressed.
99* Kelsier from ''Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy'' smiles all the time, despite living in a CrapsackWorld and having recently had his wife murdered by the BigBad. In his case, it's a form of rebellion against said BigBad.
100--> The Lord Ruler thinks he has claimed laughter and joy for himself. I'm disinclined to let him.
101* Count Leedway in ''Literature/TheMugAndSpoon'' is so cheerful and fond of practical jokes that his army friends nickname him Jolly Joe and think he takes nothing seriously. It turns out that thanks to his parents driving the family into debt, he is destitute and constantly fears that some new tax might ruin him completely.
102* Shion of ''Literature/No6'' is hinted at being this. He smiles constantly and is generally very cheerful and sweet but he's also hinted to have a suppressed {{Yandere}} side to him. BewareTheNiceOnes indeed.
103* Frank Chalmers in ''Literature/{{Red Mars|Trilogy}}'' is somewhere between Depressed and Empty. Coming from a poor family, he's almost entirely consumed by his ambition to succeed. At one point he looks at his life and realizes that all of it is a facade created to impress his superiors, and that he doesn't really have a self.
104* A Spanish-language poetry, ''Reír llorando'' (To laugh crying, in case you needed more hints), is about a man who has everything he could want, but still feels empty and depressed, visit a doctor, who tells him to go see a famous comic named Garrick to cheer up. [[spoiler: Then the man reveals he '''is''' Garrick and asks for another remedy.]]
105* Natsuki Subaru from ''Literature/ReZero'' starts to become one of these as the series goes on. [[spoiler:Possibly even started out as one from the beginning.]] As the series goes on it becomes clear that his happy-go-lucky attitude is covering up severe self-doubt and depression [[spoiler:from trying to save his friends only to see them die over and over again and regret with how he spent his old life on Earth]].
106* The title character in Creator/EdwardArlingtonRobinson's poem "Richard Cory" is a male Stepford Smiler, a rich, elegant, successful man who is envied by everyone around him. His secret unhappiness isn't revealed until the last lines: "And Richard Cory, one calm summer's night / Went home and put a bullet through his head."
107* As a child, ''Literature/{{Safehold}}'' Prince Daivyn Daykyn of Corsiande experienced the loss of his father and older brother and spent just over a year as a hostage in a GildedCage alongside his older sister, aware that his life hung on a thread. Once he's rescued he doesn't seem overly affected by it, as scenes of him show a CheerfulChild. This continues into adulthood, where Daivyn is almost infectiously upbeat, but those closest to him note the little moments of melancholy he hides from the world at large. One character wonders if it's simply the scars of that old trauma, however faded, while his fiancee concludes it's actually Daivyn trying to reduce how much he's associated with his father, Prince Hektor, who was known as a crafty, conniving power-monger. The only thing his fiancee can't work out is whether or not Daivyn is doing this consciously.
108* Harold Lauder from ''Literature/TheStand'' becomes Unstable after he finds Fran's diary and goes crazy. He then starts smiling to hide the fact that he hates pretty much everyone, including himself. Another character later notes that when Harold is not smiling, he looks insane.
109* Certain chapters and episodes of ''Literature/StudentCouncilsDiscretion'' imply that Ken's happy-go-lucky persona is a defence mechanism to keep him from a severe emotional trauma from back in junior high, and not his actual personality.
110* Many of the characters in ''Literature/{{Tangerine}}'' fit this trope. The three most glaring examples are Joey, Erik, and Paul. Erik is probably the king of this trope.
111** The genuine people in this book are found by exiting suburbia (achieved by the middle school getting sucked into [[strike:hell]] a sinkhole and the kids being spread out) and rubbing elbows with tangerine farmers like Luis Cruz, and other "real" people.
112* Aaron Armstrong being this is the whole point of "Three Tools of Death" by [[Creator/GKChesterton G.K.Chesterton]]. Discussed InUniverse by [[Literature/FatherBrown Father Brown]]: "Why couldn’t they let him weep a little, like his fathers before him? His plans stiffened, his views grew cold; behind that merry mask was the empty mind of the atheist." [[spoiler: He committed suicide.]]
113* In Evgeny Zamyatin's dystopian tale ''Literature/{{We}}'', the totalitarian government works towards making its subjects as machine-like as possible: perfectly scheduled and mapped lives, synchronized movements of multiple people, and lack of names in favor of numbers. This agenda is ultimately crowned by "The Great Operation" in which the human brain is irradiated by rays, that ''[[MindRape completely and irreparably strip a person of his imagination]]''. One of the effects (aside from turning a human being into an obedient and ever-happy shell of a man) is a perpetual grin on the subject's face, as he now thinks "smiling is a natural expression of human face". [[spoiler:In the end, D-503, the protagonist, is subjected to the Operation.]]
114* ''Literature/XWingSeries'': Ton Phanan, though you don't really get to see it until late. He's a DeadlyDoctor, a DeadpanSnarker, caustic and funny and able to put aside the sarcasm in the right moments. He also feels that the cybernetics he started to get after [[EmergencyTransformation almost being killed]] couldn't replace his future, [[CyberneticsEatYourSoul which died.]]
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116!!Mixed Gender Examples
117* In ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'''s BadFuture sequence, both Cratchit parents are shown trying to be cheerful following Tiny Tim's death, with Mrs. Cratchit [[SandInMyEyes claiming that her eyes are only watering because it hurts them to sew by candlelight]], and Bob warmly describing the green gravesite he's chosen for Tim. But finally Bob can't contain his grief and breaks down in tears, crying "My little, little child! My little child!" They reach a moment of genuine, if bittersweet happiness by the end of the scene, as the whole family promises to always remember Tim and to emulate his patience and kindness.
118* Literature/CiaphasCain is supposed to be a fearless [[BadassLongcoat Imperial commissar]] who is willing to lay down his life to destroy the enemies of the [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 God-Emperor of Mankind]]. [[DirtyCoward He]] [[FakeUltimateHero isn't]], although that doesn't stop him from being an AccidentalHero time and again.
119** Meanwhile, [[BadassBookworm Inquisitor]] [[ActionGirl Amberley Vail]] typically wears the smile of a whimsical young woman, but being an [[IDidWhatIHadToDo Inquisitor]] means that she's hiding a [[TheChainsOfCommanding motherload of burdens]] [[DirtyBusiness that comes with the job]]. She's good enough at hiding her Depression that only those closest to her see [[BeneathTheMask the mask come down]].
120* ''Literature/TheElderEmpire'': Nearly everyone at Candle Bay Imperial Prison, from prisoners to staff. At first, the smiling receptionist is kind of funny, as she is always perfectly professional and Calder always frustrated. Then he sees what's been going on in the prison, and realizes she literally has no choice but to smile.
121* Arguably the entire tree-dwelling Kindar culture in Zilpha Keatley Snyder's ''Literature/GreenSkyTrilogy''. The descendants of a group who decided that humanity's past misdeeds were best forgotten, they consider negative emotions (lumped under the heading of "[[NewSpeak unjoyfulness]]") inappropriate and best kept suppressed.
122* Dee and James from ''Literature/TheHeartsWeSold'' both qualify. Dee is the more obvious example, putting on a happy face whenever she visits home to avoid inciting further abuse from her father, but we later find out that [[spoiler:a lot of James' silliness and adventurousness stems from the fact that he has a brain tumor]].
123* Anyone not named [[EnfantTerrible Anthony]] in "Literature/ItsAGoodLife". Anthony is the local RealityWarper, and he gets ticked if anyone has any negative thoughts.
124* Vincent and Carrie Raymond in Geoph Essex's ''Lovely Assistant'' are astonishingly warm and cheerful [[TheBeautifulElite Beautiful People]], [[spoiler: though their plans to summon a galaxy-sized monster and destroy the world places them squarely as Unstable]]. Jenny even thinks about the Stepford effect by name. Jenny's friend [[TheLancer Keith Heckler]] is also described with a constant smile and a completely amoral personality, even though he ''is'' one of the good guys, and when [[LetsGetDangerous things get ''really'' serious]], he does occasionally drop the smile.
125-->Heckler didn't seem too bothered, though it seemed likely that Heckler had hunted down and killed his conscience in some tribal rite of passage when he'd smoked his first cigarette at thirteen. If any moral core remained, it was huddled in a dark corner of the attic in his mind, running a near-toothless comb through tangled thinning hair, rocking back and forth and mumbling eerie sing-song lyrics to forgotten nursery rhymes. That thought alone made Heckler's perpetually cheerful grin seem downright petrifying.
126* Lots of characters in Creator/BretEastonEllis works, particularly ''Literature/LunarPark''.
127* ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'' It is advisable to wear a look of quiet optimism when facing a telescreen, among fellow party members, anyone who might be a snitch or agent of the Thought Police, or just everywhere really. Indeed, an inappropriate expression at the wrong moment could constitute Facecrime, and facial tics and full-blown tourettes are apparently fatal.
128* The main cast of Jodi Picoult's ''Literature/NineteenMinutes'' (Barring Peter, Jordan, and possibly Patrick)
129** [[TheWoobie Josie]] is Depressed, pretending to be the perfect Golden girl whilst simultaneously having to put up with an abusive boyfriend, neglectful mother, and niggling suspicion that if she stops smiling for even a second, everyone will realise she's nothing special.
130** Matt is Unstable, pretending at first to be the perfect boyfriend until he turns out to be an abusive jerk.
131** Alex has to act perfect 24/7 for the sake of her job whilst the strain tears her apart.
132** Lacy has to deal with the fact that one of her children turned out to be a druggie whilst the other (Peter) went on a killing spree.
133** Lewis (Lacy's husband) has to deal with the above whilst being a happiness economist (Meaning it's his job to work out the mathematical value of happiness)
134** Selena gets off relatively easy, only having to deal with racist idiots.
135* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'':
136** Sansa Stark becomes this in order to survive being trapped in a DecadentCourt ruled by [[RoyalBrat a depraved and psychopathic boy king]].
137** Then there is Cersei Lannister, who tries to run said court. Becomes especially evident in ''Literature/AFeastForCrows'', when she becomes a point-of-view character.
138** In a somewhat unusual example there's [[ActionGirl Asha Greyjoy]]. Asha has managed to become a leader in a culture that ''completely'' believes in an extremely manly approach as being the right way to do things while thinking that all women should StayInTheKitchen. As a result of this she is secretly afraid that any slip-up, mistake or failure will lead to her being forcibly removed from the position of authority she has fought to achieve, and she overcompensates and practices a tough girl catchphrase in an attempt to prevent anyone from even trying to do that.
139** Theon Greyjoy. ''Everyone'' comments on how he is always smiling or [[StepfordSnarker snarking]], as if he hadn't a care in the world or [[SmugSmiler knows something nobody else does]]. And, almost everyone is to some extent creeped out by it because he keeps it up even when it's grossly inappropriate and often downright morbid. Sure enough, he's got issues even ''he'' didn't knew he had, as a result of spending half his life in a situation where everyone maintained a polite fiction of him being a "guest" and ward when he was really a hostage to keep his father in line. In other words, all through his childhood and teenage years his life was ''constantly'' being implicitly threatened, and could be forfeit at any time if his notoriously stubborn and ambitious father attempted another rebellion against the crown, ''and'' he was supposed to pretend he didn't know all that. All things considered, it's probably not too surprising he turned out to be a complete [[InferioritySuperiorityComplex basketcase]].
140** Littlefinger seemingly has a particularly empty one. Sansa Stark, who has a pretty bad judge of character at the start of the series, notices that his eyes don't smile when his mouth does. It's not clear exactly what he is under it, but having the blood of thousands on his hands hasn't chipped his mask.
141** Varys too has a case of this. Like Littlefinger, it's implied to be more than just a mask to wear in public...
142** Daenerys Targaryen, during her wedding to Drogo. Despite her discomfort at the situation she's in, Viserys forces her to smile so her husband will notice her. She ends up smiling so hard her mouth aches, while shedding TearsOfFear.
143* In ''Literature/SoonIWillBeInvincible'', the Champions are a cracking facade of glossy superheroism [[spoiler: concealing bulimia, pain killer addiction, and the usual shenanigans. Twisted later when the apparent Bulimia and pain killer addictions turn out to be [[BizarreAlienBiology food allergies]] and [[DelicateAndSickly life-sustaining medications]] in keeping with the "mundane lives of superheroes" theme.]]
144* Audrey Armat and her father Emilio in the mystery novel ''The Total Zone.''
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