The alpha male is a very prevalent trope in YA lit. I don't just mean this literally because of the paranormal craze, but in books in general.
The alpha male is a character who usually heads his group. He's manly and macho, ready to jump to a fight at the first scent of it. He's physically powerful and emotionally closed off; he has a need to be in control of everything.
A lot of times, the lady lead sweeps in to try to change the alpha male. She wants him to be more emotionally connected, less volatile; he wants to control her, for her to love him. Many times they end up together, and the woman's always in a position of less power. They're not equals.
And that's why I don't like the trope.
See, I like alpha males; I don't mind characters like this. They have their place in books, and they have their place as romantic leads. (Hello, Soulless.) But it has to be handled in such a way that it works for both characters, not just the alpha male.
There needs to be an alpha female. (Or, you know, another alpha male.)
The thing about alpha males is that, yes, they can be more in tune to their emotion; somebody coming along and wanting to change them isn't going to do that. They need somebody who is their equal to challenge them, to bring out the best, to make them want to showcase their emotion, not to try to force it out of them.
That's why, in a lot of traditional alpha-male YA novels, it doesn't work. Bella isn't on the same level as Edward at all; she's even inferior to Jacob, both of who have alpha-male complexes in Twilight. She's more prey than predator, more pet than partner. And how is that kind of relationship supposed to work?
Power balances have to be equal for a relationship to work, and that's not something often portrayed in YA because of the alpha-male type. They're writing to change the person, not to balance what he already is. You can make him better and be his equal without trying to change what he is.
What are some examples of alpha males in YA lit that you can think of? Do they keep the power balance in their relationship or is it wrecked?