Characters who are Sour Outside, Sad Inside in Literature.
By Author:
- Fyodor Dostoevsky:
- Nastasya Filippovna from Dostoevsky's The Idiot is an example from classic literature. Her public persona is that of a proud, arrogant Femme Fatale, but in reality, she takes on these characteristics to hide the pain and shame she feels about the abuse she suffered in her past. Interestingly enough, she is in a Love Triangle with the more traditional Tsundere Aglaya Yepanchin for the favor of the saintly Prince Myshkin, and Myshkin's inability to choose between helping to overcome the problems of a 'shun' and returning the love of a 'dere' leads to his tragic downfall.
- Polina Alexandrovna from Dostoevsky's novella "The Gambler" has shades of this as well. Given Dostoevsky's interest in psychology and his tragic Real Life affair with the very Sour Outside Sad Inside Apollinaria Suslova, it is entirely possible that there is a reason for his use of this trope.
By Title:
- Angel in The Charlie Parker Series, at least initially. As the series goes on, his facade cracks quite badly.
- Patience, in Dinoverse. She's deeply, antagonistically cynical, and exaggeratedly tough because she's convinced that if she ever relies on anyone, for so much as a moment, they'll leave.
- Severus Snape of Harry Potter floats easily between this and Jerk with a Heart of Gold once you learn his backstory of unrequited love, Parental Neglect and near-constant bullying.
- Peturabo, Primarch of the Iron Warriors from the Horus Heresy series. Beneath the sour, rage-filled mask hides a person really wishing for someone to appreciate his work.
- Haymitch Abernathy from The Hunger Games would qualify for this trope; after all, the president had Haymitch's loved ones killed for defying him. On top of that, he's the official coach to the tributes from his district. For years he's been responsible for training kids for a fight to the death that, statistically, they have no hope of surviving, and there's not really anything he can do about it. It would only make sense that he would refuse to take in people.
- I Am Not a Serial Killer has John, an active loner with anger issues that would impress Bruce Banner. He's a slightly unusual example in that he narrates the series, so his sad inside is apparent much faster. He himself notes that his tendency to self-sabotage relationships might keep him from being hurt, but it also prevents him from having a chance at a positive relationship.
- Lu, the main protagonist in Murderess, was sent to Earth from Greywall'd in her infancy and grew up repeatedly switching schools and being betrayed by the friends she made, and having all of her questions about her heritage ignored. At the beginning of the book, while she might not be actively mean, she does give people Death Glares to keep them at arm's length and is often fairly snarky.
- Chad from Rogue acts arrogant and abrasive, but he's actually miserable from being abused and forced to participate in criminal activities by his parents.
- Sandor "The Hound" Clegane, of A Song of Ice and Fire.
- Stannis Baratheon is strongly hinted to have the same problem.
- The titular raven for What the Raven Saw. To most people, he's the vicious old bird who won't let anyone else live in his churchyard; inside, he's deeply lonely and bitter with the world.
- The title character in Fredrik Backman's A Man Called Ove may be a Scandinavian embodiment of this trope. He's caustic, opinionated, and definitely not a people person. However, as grouchy as Ove is, he's also deeply depressed and struggling with grief after his wife's death, and goes on to attempt suicide to be reunited with his wife.
