Times where someone asks "Did You Think I Can't Feel?" in Literature.
- Jonas from Decomposing Angel is not a sociopath, like everybody he works with. He is quite angry and hateful, and expresses his frustrations though action, which nobody notices because they are highly active villainous sociopaths. The entire story is this.
- Sousuke winds up getting one of these from his own mecha, of all things, halfway through Full Metal Panic! when, once again expressing his frustration over the Lambda driver's finickiness, the Arbalest's operating AI replies, "Affirmative. And you are part of the reason for that." As it turns out, the Arbalest has started developing sentience from regularly reading Sousuke's mental state and, just as Sousuke has started entertaining the idea that Living Is More than Surviving, the Arbalest is no longer satisfied with being treated as a weapon (much less a "defective" one) and demands a more equal partnership. Unnerved, Sousuke immediately attempts to turn the machine off, only to discover that he no longer can.
- In the later Haruhi Suzumiya novels, Kyon realizes on his own that he's been taking advantage of Yuki's tendency to do whatever he asks of her (what brings it to his attention is some extremely subtle hints of anger from her). He apologizes and decides to make an effort not to rely on her so much.
- I Am Not a Serial Killer: John is normally a Deadpan Snarker whose emotional responses are fairly subdued, what with him being a sociopath and everything. However, when his mother pushes him a bit too far, he finally snaps, and almost crosses the Moral Event Horizon.John: How'd you like to live with a Mom who thinks you're a robot? Or a gargoyle? You think you can just say anything you want and it will bounce right off? John's a psycho! Stab him in the face—he can't feel anything! You think I can't feel? I feel everything, Mom, every stab, every shout, every whisper behind my back, and I am ready to stab you all right back, if that's what it takes to get through to you!
- In Jane Eyre, Rochester deliberately provokes Jane into this: constantly gushing about his upcoming marriage to this woman who is not suited to him, and he knows it and Jane knows it, but Jane has no power to speak up because she's a governess, and in no way equal to Rochester's apparent intended. Jane takes this to awesome levels.“I tell you I must go!” I retorted, roused to something like passion. “Do you think I can stay to become nothing to you? Do you think I am an automaton?—a machine without feelings? and can bear to have my morsel of bread snatched from my lips, and my drop of living water dashed from my cup? Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong!—I have as much soul as you,—and full as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you. I am not talking to you now through the medium of custom, conventionalities, nor even of mortal flesh;—it is my spirit that addresses your spirit; just as if both had passed through the grave, and we stood at God’s feet, equal,—as we are!”
- Oresuki: Joro, immediately after being accused of being an awful manipulator by Himawari and Cosmos, angrily points out that they were only using him to get closer to Sun-chan without any consideration about how he felt.
- Elinor Dashwood of Sense and Sensibility, the first of Jane Austen's Emotionless Girl brand of heroines, who all have this problem, although without getting such an awesome speech to summarize it; since their society doesn't typically care about women's emotions anyway, everyone is perfectly content to assume that not showing happiness, grief, or anger means you must not have any. Naturally, it's those who keep their emotions hidden who feel more strongly than anyone:Marianne: If the loss of what is most valued is so easily to be made up by something else, your resolution, your self-command, are, perhaps, a little less to be wondered at. — They are brought more within my comprehension.
Elinor: I understand you. — You do not suppose that I have ever felt much. — For four months, Marianne, I have had all this hanging on my mind, without being at liberty to speak of it to a single creature; knowing that it would make you and my mother most unhappy whenever it were explained to you, yet unable to prepare you for it in the least. — It was told me, — it was in a manner forced on me by the very person herself, whose prior engagement ruined all my prospects; and told me, as I thought, with triumph. — This person's suspicions, therefore, I have had to oppose, by endeavouring to appear indifferent where I have been most deeply interested; — and it has not been only once; — I have had her hopes and exultation to listen to again and again. — I have known myself to be divided from Edward for ever, without hearing one circumstance that could make me less desire the connection. — Nothing has proved him unworthy; nor has anything declared him indifferent to me. — I have had to contend against the unkindness of his sister, and the insolence of his mother; and have suffered the punishment of an attachment, without enjoying its advantages. — And all this has been going on at a time, when, as you know too well, it has not been my only unhappiness. — If you can think me capable of ever feeling — surely you may suppose that I have suffered NOW. The composure of mind with which I have brought myself at present to consider the matter, the consolation that I have been willing to admit, have been the effect of constant and painful exertion; — they did not spring up of themselves; — they did not occur to relieve my spirits at first. — No, Marianne. — THEN, if I had not been bound to silence, perhaps nothing could have kept me entirely — not even what I owed to my dearest friends — from openly shewing that I was VERY unhappy. - In PartnerShip, Nancia's first brawn Caleb is an Honor Before Reason type - not a bad person, but he's not very attentive to her and has a very rigid view of what's right. She spends five years trying to live up to Caleb's standards, carefully not even using slang. Then while he's recovering from an injury she has to take on a different, more flexible brawn who cares more about her and how she feels, and she finds herself choosing Good over Lawful and winning the day. Later Caleb assumes Nancia will take him back immediately and starts to take her to task for every bent rule and deception she took part in, then says he forgives her. Nancia realizes that he's quite self absorbed and she's had enough but also knows arguing won't help, so she just asks for a transfer and is a little disappointed when he doesn't make any effort to convince her to stay.
- The Testament of Sister New Devil: Basara doesn't show much reaction when his former comrades mock and insult him for taking sides with the demon lord's daughter and make no attempt to hide their animosity towards him for causing the death of many of their other friends. Takashi in particular comes to the conclusion that Basara even forgot what happened and is the most hostile towards him for that reason. Mio is fully aware that all the insults thrown at him does in fact hurt Basara, and makes sure that the heroes know it.
- Some time afterwards, Basara comes to his own realization of a blank spot in his empathic understanding, although not from the usual kind of provocation for this trope. Despite all the distracting elements of Maria's personality, he depends on her at least as much as any other member of his circle of family and friends, and she shows all the marks they do of having overcome pain and adversity... but it's never occurred to him to ask the apparently cheerful girl what exactly she's been through - or worse, still is going through. His apology for overlooking her feelings is still timely enough to help.
- Opal of The Ultra Violets is frequently bossed around by her friends, and keeps to herself. She eventually has a Rage Breaking Point and defects to the dark side when she sees Cheri kissing her crush, Albert Feinstein.
- In When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace, after politely taking Andou's "You wouldn't understand" remarks for a long time, Hatoko finally tears into him for refusing to (or being unable to) actually explain anything in a manner that she can understand.
- In Where Angels Fear to Tread by E.M. Forster, Lilia says this nearly word for word after her ex-brother-in-law, when trying to convince her to call off her marriage to her much-younger Italian fiance (who she's already married anyway), insinuates that her fiance is bullying her into staying. (Unfortunately for Lilia, they're right to try and stop her marriage, but she doesn't know this yet.)Lilia: For once in my life I'll thank you to leave me alone. I'll thank your mother too. For twelve years you've trained me and tortured me, and I'll stand it no more. Do you think I'm a fool? Do you think I never felt? Ah! When I came to your house a poor young bride, you all looked me other - never a kind word - and discussed me, and thought I might just do; and your mother corrected me, and your sister snubbed me, and you said funny things about me to show how clever you were! And when Charles died I was still to run in strings for the honour of your beastly family, and I was to be cooped up at Sawston and learn to keep house, and all my chances spoilet of marry again. No, thank you! No, thank you! "Bully"? "Insolent boy"? Who is that, pray, but you? But, thank goodness, I can stand up to the world now, for I've found Gino, and this time I marry for love!
- There's a form of this in Yoda: Dark Rendezvous. After the Padawans Master Yoda is traveling with lose their masters, he comforts them, and one gets angry at his advice, claiming that he wouldn't understand grief. Of course, he would, and he reminds them of this. In nine hundred years there have been many friends and students lost, and grief like they can't imagine."Teach me about pain, think you can?" Yoda said softly. "Think the old Master cannot care, mmm? Forgotten who I am, have you? Old, I am, yes. Mm. Loved more than you, have I, Padawan. Lost more. Hated more. Killed more." The green eyes narrowed to gleaming slits under heavy lids. Dragon eyes, old and terrible. "Think wisdom comes at no cost? The dark side, yes—it is easier for them. The pain grows too great, and they eat the darkness to flee from it. Not Yoda. Yoda loves and suffers for it, loves and suffers."
