1.  Notes

2.  When the main character is deeply flawed, lacking in the attributes we most often associate with heroism, we have the anti-hero.  The anti-hero is often a reluctant hero who does not consider himself capable of accomplishing the goal.

3.  He or she might be selfish, addicted, corrupt, sullen or disaffected.  The Antihero is someone with some of the qualities of a villain, up to and including brutality, cynicism, and ruthlessness, but with the soul or motivations of a more conventional Hero.

4.  Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn was a self- described rascal, causing all manner of trouble and even committing the then-crime of helping Jim, the runaway slave.  Holden Caulfield, the anti-poster-boy of Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, flirts with criminal behavior and is both self-absorbed and depressed. Yet his frank portrait of adolescence resonates with many people,

5.  Usually (not always) the main character or protagonist  Sets a moral example  Great strength, courage, wisdom  Faced with obstacles to overcome  Pure of heart, good intentions

6.  The protagonist is the main character in a story, novel, drama, or other literary work, the character that the reader or audience empathizes with. In the most narratives, this boils down to bad guy vs. good guy: Luke Skywalker versus Darth Vadar in the first Star Wars movie, for instance.

7.  Where the “good guy vs. bad guy” rule does NOT apply is when the protagonist is an antihero  Sometimes the main character is almost unlikeable, flawed, or immoral.  Protagonist is more about “main character” than it is about “good guy”

8.  The principal character in opposition to the protagonist or hero of a narrative or drama  The antagonist, when there is one, provides the story's conflict.

9.  A hero traditionally has positive qualities such as high ethical standards, commitment to duty, perseverance, and courage. An antihero possesses negative qualities such as cowardice and dishonesty. Protagonist is a neutral term denoting simply the main character of a work. Antagonist is the character who opposes the protagonist and creates the conflict.antiheroProtagonist