Character Analysis
Coraline's dad seems to be an okay dude. He tries his best to entertain his daughter (and to cook her dinner), but because he works from home, he doesn't have a lot of of time to play with her:
He had his back to the door as he typed. "Go away," he said cheerfully, as she walked in.
"I'm bored," she said.
"Learn how to tap-dance," he suggested, without turning around. (2.47)
Even if Coraline's dad is really busy, he loves her... a lot. Coraline tells the cat a story of when her dad stayed next to a wasps' nest, risking getting stung, in order to protect her. Would you take a wasp sting for someone? Only someone you really, really love, right? Coraline looks up to her dad, too. He's the one who taught her was bravery truly is: doing something when you're really scared. Without that lesson in bravery, she may have never been able to save him from the evil beldam, so it paid off.