Following Morell's definition of an anti-hero, or more precisely an unlikeable protagonist, we learn the benefits of using unlikely leads in our stories to make them more interesting, complex, unpredictable and insightful (32). She explains that there is a "fine line" in balancing traits that must be respected in order for the reader to feel captivated by the characters. Too much sympathy, and the antihero becomes a hero. Too many negative traits, and they become too unpleasant to even relate to (43). Despite this, there are an abundant number of combinations in character creation for unlikeable protagonists, since the traits we give them can be chosen from two sets that are normally exclusive to villains and heroes, respectively. One of the most popular combinations is that of an antihero whose sense of duty guides all of his actions. But what is more interesting is to see them betray (or adopt) this sense of duty. To understand why this works, this article aims to explain the often misinterpreted definition of "sense of duty", and uses two "unlikable" protagonists as examples as they use moral duty throughout their respective stories: Dan Dunne from Half Nelson and Helen Farraley from Heathcock's Volt. First of all, we must understand that "a sense of duty" is not a motivation to do good: "It is very tempting to think that if one does something, and has a certain reason for doing so , then this reason is his motive… There is another tendency to suppose that motives are very much like desires. It would seem then that acting from a sense of duty simply consists of pampering a very particular interest or desire over others... [But] the sense of duty is not and cannot be... middle of paper .. ....unpredictable, keeping the story fresh and insightful as we explore the inner thoughts of these two complicated characters. This volatility is found in most humans, since we are by nature inclined to be the judges of what happens around us. So it's no surprise that Helen and Dan, two characters whose professions require a sense of duty, letting their emotions and circumstances interfere was meant to be the right thing to do. Works Cited by Half Nelson. Real. Ryan Fleck. Perf. Ryan Gosling, Anthony Mackie, Shareeka Epps. THINKFilm, 2006. DVD. Heathcock, Alan. Volt. Minneapolis: Graywolf Press, 2011. Print. Morell, Jessica Page. Bullies, bastards and sluts. Cincinnati: Writer's Digest Books, 2008. Print.Shwayder, DS “The Sense of Duty.” Philosophical quarterly. 7.27 (1957): 116-125. Internet. March 15. 2014. .