Conflict in Literature

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to: Identify Conflict as it appears in literature. Distinguish between Internal and External conflict, and their sub categories.

Types of Conflict Internal Conflict -Man vs. Self External Conflict- Man vs. Man Man vs. Environment or Nature Man vs. Society

Internal Conflict Definition: A struggle that takes place in a character's mind is called internal conflict.

Internal Conflict is … NOT a visual or tangible opposition. A character dealing with his or her own mixed feelings or emotions.

Example of Internal Conflict A character may have to decide between right and wrong or between two solutions to a problem.

Man vs Self Example If I Stay by Gayle Forman (Protagonist needs to make a big decision) “But now I wonder. And now I hope. Because when I go, I want to remember Kim. I want to remember her like this… Remembering Adam is like losing him all over again and I am not sure if I can bear that on top of everything else.” pg. 217.

Internal Conflict Subcategory Man vs. Self Internal conflict is often referred to as man vs. self because the struggle is inside one’s head.

Internal Conflict Self-Check Question 1: Internal conflict is NOT: a. visible b. difficult c. serious

Internal Conflict Self-Check Question 2: Internal conflict is often referred to as: a. man vs. man b. man vs. himself c. man vs. external forces

External Conflict Definition: A struggle between a character and an outside force is an external conflict.

Example of External Conflict Characters may face several types of outside forces. The outside force may be another character. It may be the character and/or his or her community (society). The outside force may also be forces of nature or environment. For example, a story might be the main character struggling against the arctic cold.

External Conflict Subcategories Man vs. Man Man vs. Environment or Nature Man vs. Society

Man vs. Man This is mostly seen in the form of two characters against each other. It does not have to be a physical confrontation; it can be a battle between two ideas.

Man vs. Man Examples Batman vs. the Joker Harry Potter vs. Lord Voldemort

Man vs. Environment or Nature Environment is defined as anything surrounding a person. This can include weather, objects, activities. Basically anything external EXCEPT people.

Man vs. Environment or Nature The Life of Pi by Yann Martel The ship sank. It made a sound like a monstrous metallic burp. Things bubbled at the surface and then vanished.Everything was screaming: the sea, the wind, my heart. From the lifeboat I saw something in the water. I cried, "Richard Parker, is that you? It's so hard to see. Oh, that this rain would stop! Richard Parker? Richard Parker? Yes, it is you!” I could see his head. He was struggling to stay at the surface of the water. "Jesus, Mary, Muhammad and Vishnu, how good to see you, Richard Parker! Don't give up, please. Come to the lifeboat. Do you hear this whistle? TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE!”

Man vs. Community or Society In societies and communities there are a set of laws and rules that man must abide by. Some of these rules are enforced by laws and some are social rules that are a code of behavior. Man must follow these rules and laws in order to avoid conflict within his or her own community.

Man vs. Community or Society To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee It is the story set in a fictional town in America at a time when racial discrimination was at its height. “Scout,” said Atticus, “[the word the townspeople are saying] is just one of those terms that don’t mean anything. It’s hard to explain – ignorant, trashy people use it when they think somebody is favouring Negroes over and above themselves. ..” “You really [don’t love the Negroes are] do you?” “ [I most certainly do]. I do my best to love everybody. It’s never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person is, it doesn’t hurt you. So don’t let Mrs. Dubose get you down…”

External Conflict Self-Check Question 1: Which is NOT an example of external conflict? a. other characters b. forces of nature c. decisions

External Conflict Self-Check Question 2: One subcategory of external conflict is: a. man vs. man b. man vs. himself c. man vs. literature

External Conflict Self-Check Question 3: Rainsford being stuck in quicksand is an example of: a. man vs. mud b. man vs. environment c. man vs. supernatural

External Conflict Self-Check Question 4: A conflict cannot be categorized as man vs. man when: a. the struggle is with more than 1 character. b. there is a physical confrontation. c. the opposition is not human.

Quick Review Internal Conflict MAN VS. HIMSELF *not tangible *in the mind *decisions, feelings, emotions, thoughts

Quick Review External Conflicts MAN VS. MAN MAN VS. NATURE *other characters *any outside force *not just physical confrontation *anything in surroundings *opposing ideas *weather, objects, activities MAN VS. SOCIETY *rules/codes of conduct that man must follow/obey *includes laws and social expectations within community

Quiz Time 2. Carley struggled to walk through the hot, blowing sand. 1. Jim and Mac disagreed about where they should take the dog they found. A.) internal B.) external C.) both 2. Carley struggled to walk through the hot, blowing sand. A.) internal B.) external C.) both

Quiz Time A.) internal B.) external C.) both A.) internal B.) external 3. Sarah couldn't decide what to do that night. Should she study or should she go out? A.) internal B.) external C.) both 4. In the high winds, the crew was barely able to keep the ship from tilting sideways. A.) internal B.) external C.) both

Quiz Time 6. After Mary's brother teased her about being afraid, she decided to climb the cliff. Now she stood at the foot of the cliff, wishing she could figure out a way to back out. A.) internal B.) external C.) both 5. Hector thought, "Why did I ever agree to be in this play? I'll never have the nerve to act in front of an audience." A.) internal B.) external C.) both

A.) internal B.) external c.) both 7. Kim knew that the whole class was angry with her for reminding the teacher about the assignment. At the time, she knew she was doing the right thing. Now she’s not sure. A. internal B.) external C.) both 8. The snarling dog placed himself between his master and the angry stranger. A.) internal B.) external c.) both

A.) internal B.) external A.) internal C.) both B.) external C.) both 9. All the way home, Jeffrey felt angry with himself. "Why couldn't he open his mouth at a party? Why was he always so shy?" A.) internal B.) external C.) both 10. Violet wanted her friends to let the new girl join the club, but no one else agreed. Violet felt badly for the new girl, but she didn't know what to do about the problem. A.) internal B.) external C.) both