THE TYPES OF FATHER FIGURES IN LITERATURE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

The father figure has long been a central theme in world literature, reflecting not only family relations but also social, cultural, and moral values. Literary depictions of fathers can be classified into positive, negative, and substitute types. Positive fathers are portrayed as caring and supportive, negative fathers as authoritarian or indifferent, and substitute fathers as mentors or non-biological figures fulfilling paternal roles. This paper examines the functions and aesthetic significance of father images across different literary traditions, showing how such representations influence both narrative structures and the moral upbringing of readers. [1][2][3].