Author: William Shakespeare

Father: King Lear

King Lear is a person revered by all but not loved by two of his daughters. However, the deeds of his daughters dictated by greed, has always been a point of discussion amongst the litterati. Seldom have we talked about the selflessness that the King showed when he promised to distribute all his possessions in return for care. His affection for his daughters was so strong that inspite of being deceived by one, he still expeted the other to welcome him. This act of selflessness and caring without expecting much in return, can only be demonstrated by a parent and Lear proves it with his actions in the play.

Fave line: “I am a man more sinned against than sinning.”

Book: The Godfather Book cover

Author: Mario Puzo

Father: Vito Corleone

The familial values of Vito Corleone and his love for kin within the freshly emerging American liberal lifestyle made everyone instantly fall for his charismatic personality. He is an indomitable father figure who has the world in his fist and family in his arms. Inspite of Fredo being weaker than his siblings, and a womaniser of sorts after reaching Vegas (much to his father’s disfavour), Vito never let him feel any less important.

Fave line: “You cannot say ‘no’ to the people you love, not often. That’s the secret. And then when you do, it has to sound like a ‘yes’. Or you have to make them say ‘no’. You have to take time and trouble.”

Book: Pride and Prejudice Book cover

Author: Jane Austen

Father: Mr. Bennet

Redefining what a liberal parent should look like, Mr. Bennet makes it to the list for being one of the most supportive parents in literature. So much so that he lets his daughter elope because he felt the need for her to make her own mistakes and learn her own lessons! What we like is how he doesn’t adhere to his wife’s obsession of getting their five daughters married to good families. What we love about him is his wit and humour and assumption of a certain moral high ground to derive comic material from people’s daily activities. His aloofness towards the daily workings of his family made his character more adorable.

Fave line: “Her safety is my utmost concern as well...” John started.

“You have no idea,” Mr. Bennet said under his breath.

Book: Harry Potter Series Book cover

Author: J.K. Rowling

Father: Arthur Weasley

Being an amicable, talkative character, Arthur Weasley is definitely not the kind of father who would want his children to be ‘good boys and girls’. A father of seven children — no wonder their house is called The Burrow — Arthur even starts caring for Harry Potter like his own son. He generally holds a passive stance in parenting but has lead from the front every time there has been a threat to his family. Even after heading the office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects for years, what interests Arthur most is how muggle aeroplanes fly!

Fave line: Molly Weasley: “Your sons flew that enchanted car of yours to Surrey and back last night.”

Arthur: “Did you really? How did it go?”

[Molly hits Arthur]

Arthur: “I mean, that was very wrong indeed, boys. Very wrong of you.”

Book: To Kill A Mockingbird Book cover

Author: Harper Lee

Father: Atticus Finch

Atticus Finch, a widowed father of two children, raises Jem and Scout to fight for what is right and never turn their backs on people in trouble. Touted as one of the most icnonic father figures in history, the main plot of the story revolves around defending a treacherously accused black man for sexually assaulting a white girl. The first thing that Atticus does is to set an example on his children by defending Tom’s case (the accused) in court. Atticus teaches his children to love a person for their nature and not appearance.

Fave line: “The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”