History NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished / Literature

* In ''Literature/ElevenTwentyTwoSixtyThree'', the time-traveling protagonist goes through a great deal of trouble to [[spoiler: stop the Kennedy assassination]], in the belief that doing so will make the world a better place. Instead, it causes major damage to the fabric of time, and leads to an even bleaker future.

** Happens ''constantly'' to Jon Snow. Actually happens to just about everyone in his family for that matter. And most people in [[CrapsackWorld Westeros]] (particularly those who like Snow's family are [[BlackAndGrayMorality well-intended, or just not much morally questionable]]; it's often joked among the fandom that while AnyoneCanDie, the author prefers to target [[GutPunch those the audience might sympathize with]]).
** And of course Jaime Lannister, who, despite being a member of the Kingsguard and sworn to protect the king, killed the Mad King Aerys to prevent him from murdering every person in King's Landing. Unfortunately, no one understood why he did it ([[LawfulStupid or cared]]), and he was forever branded with the title "[[TheOathbreaker Kingslayer]]".

* ''Literature/BootCamp'': [[spoiler:Garrett, Sarah, and Pauly, three teens who have escaped from an abusive boot camp, steal a boat to cross the Saint Lawrence River into Canada, first pulling out all the stoppers in the other boats at the dock. Harry and Rebecca stupidly chase after them in one of the boats, which almost immediately starts to sink. By the time the kids have reached the other side, Harry and Rebecca's boat is foundering in the middle of the river. Rather than leave them to drown, Garrett drops Sarah and Pauly off, then takes his boat back into the river to pull Harry and Rebecca aboard. They reward him for saving them by taking him right back to Lake Harmony.]] Mr. Z references this trope by name while punishing Garrett.

* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfPrydain'': In ''The Black Cauldron'', Taran [[spoiler:gives up his magical brooch to "buy" the titular cauldron, only to find out it can't be destroyed without letting someone willing die]]. Eilonwy tries to comfort him by pointing out that while he doesn't have [[spoiler:the brooch]] anymore, no one can take away the fact that he did something truly honorable. [[spoiler:And then he is pretty much forced to give up that very thing, when the only person around to help move the cauldron only will do so on the condition that Taran lie and say the other person found and retrieved the thing]].
** Taran is hit with this later on when his refusal to fight dirty or kill downed enemies results in the death of one of his beloved mentors (and numerous other village people as well). Of course it's eventually averted, since it's precisely the fact that Taran becomes willing to put HonorBeforeReason and do good despite the cost that makes him [[spoiler: worthy to draw Dyrnwyn in the last book]].

* Subverted in ''Literature/BloodMeridian''. [[AxeCrazy David Brown]] gets shot with an arrow and wanders the camp pleading for medical attention. Neither [[TheMedic the Doc]], nor [[HumanoidAbomination the Judge]], nor ''his own brother'' dare help him. Finally, the Kid does the surgery, and gets a stern talking to by [[TokenGoodTeammate Tobin]], who angrily hisses that Brown would have killed the Kid had the surgery gone wrong, and that playing the hero will be the end of him.

* ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'':
** Accelerator suffers brain damage via a bullet to the head the first time he uses his powers to save rather than hurt someone. And he ''continues'' to get hit with this again and again as the story goes on, although he eventually begins to see some benefit from it as he adjusts his worldview.
** Not to mention Touma himself, who almost always winds up in the hospital after helping someone. His first attempt at helping someone? [[spoiler: Lost his memories]].

* The main events of Creator/BenMikaelsen's ''Literature/TouchingSpiritBear'' get kicked off when VillainProtagonist Cole Matthews raids a store and brags that he did that. When one boy reveals that Cole had done this, [[HeKnowsTooMuch the boy gets ravaged brutally]].

* In ''[[Literature/TheChroniclesOfPrydain The Black Cauldron]]'', Taran [[spoiler:gives up his magical brooch to "buy" the titular cauldron, only to find out it can't be destroyed without letting someone willing die]]. Eilonwy tries to comfort him by pointing out that while he doesn't have [[spoiler:the brooch]] anymore, no one can take away the fact that he did something truly honorable. [[spoiler:And then he is pretty much forced to give up that very thing, when the only person around to help move the cauldron only will do so on the condition that Taran lie and say the other person found and retrieved the thing]].

** One of Lagdalen's first acts in the series was helping out Relkin by providing him and Bazil with a false documents so they would be able to join the New Legion. This is later discovered and results in her being expelled from the novitiate, ending her career in the clergy she worked for. Subverted when Lessis -- impressed with her willingness to break rules in order to do what is right -- approaches her right after and gives her an offer to serve as her personal assistant in the Office of Unusual Insight. Lagdalen naturally takes the opportunity.

* In ''Literature/{{Carrie}}'', Sue and Tommy's attempt to do something nice for Carrie and give her a magic prom night ends with Tommy dead and Sue traumatized - and to add insult to injury, THEY get blamed for the whole mess.

* ''Literature/{{Gladiator}}'': Instead of being thanked for saving a fellow employee from suffocating in a bank vault, [[ProtoSuperhero Danner]] is immediately suspected for planning to rob the bank with his SuperStrength at a later date, and is promptly fired and interrogated.

** Harry gets his own in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire Goblet of Fire]]'', when he and Cedric are near the Triforce Tournament cup. Harry suggests they both take the cup at the same time, making both of them winners. [[spoiler:The cup was a Portkey and transported both to a graveyard. Cedric gets killed, Harry tortured and almost killed himself, and Voldemort gets resurrected. Had Harry selfishly chosen to take the cup himself, Cedric would have survived... and could have run off to inform Dumbledore about the Portkey, possibly preventing Voldemort's resurrection.]]

* In Dorothy Dunnett's ''King Hereafter'', Thorfinn decides that it would be a good idea to take in a number of Normans on the run from England. [[spoiler: They later kill the only heir of a neighboring lord, leading to an understandable RoaringRampageOfRevenge and preparing the way for Thorfinn's own death.]]

* In Peter Blauner's ''Man of the Hour'', the main character saves a class full of students from a bomb on a school bus but becomes implicated in the subsequent investigation, turning his life upside down and forcing him to [[ClearMyName clear his name]] by finding the real bomber.

* "Here lies Sam Flood/ Whose nature bid him/ To do much good/ Much good it did him" reads the writing on the wall in ''The Stranger House''. Generally considered a saint, everyone is queuing up to take the credit for driving him to suicide. It turns out that [[spoiler:he was murdered. For trying to get justice and care for a little girl who was raped and then [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_Children sent to Australia]] to hush up the crime.]]

* In ''Literature/TheShipWho Sang'', [[BrainsAndBrawn Helva and her brawn Jennan]] are sent to rescue colonists on Chloe, a planet in imminent danger of being fried by its unstable sun. These colonists having chosen Chloe for a life of pious reflection, they aren't easily convinced to be taken away from their home, which wastes a lot of time. There are enough of them in the final batch that they physically can't all fit into Helva's interior, and Jennan and three colonists have to suit up and ride in her airlock, where they're less protected from the wave of heat that strikes as Helva tries to flee. Still they probably would have made it with burns and heatstroke, but Jennan tried to calm his panicking companions and was struck by a flailing limb which disconnected something in his suit, and quickly died.

* In ''Literature/Carrie'', Sue and Tommy's attempt to do something nice for Carrie and give her a magic prom night ends with Tommy dead and Sue traumatized - and to add insult to injury, THEY get blamed for the whole mess.