9th Short Story Conflict

In literature, Conflict is the inherent incompatibility between the objectives of two or more characters or forces.

By its nature, conflict is unstable. One side must always win and one side must always lose in the end. However, this instability is desirable because it helps hold a reader's interest in a story.

Conflict is most visible between two or more characters, usually a protagonist and an antagonist, but can occur in many different forms.

Three Basic Conflict

Internal conflicts occur when a character is in disagreement with him or herself. Specifically, this occurs when a character has two or more values or traits in opposition. Examples:

§  A police officer who discovers his partner is taking bribes and must choose between loyalty to his friend and upholding the law.

§  A middle-aged woman struggling with a decision to follow the teachings of Jesus or remain an unbeliever.

Relational conflicts are incompatibilities in how two or more individuals relate to one another - Fathers to Sons, Bosses to Employees, Slaves to Masters, etc. Note that the incompatibilities need to grow organically out of the personalities of the individuals rather than from external circumstances. Examples:

§  The classic love triangle plot where a girl must choose between boy A and boy B.

§  A mother who attempts to regulate the life of her wildflower daughter with diabetes who is now an adult.

External conflicts arise from obstacles located outside the protagonist including nature, the supernatural, or society. Examples:

§  A teenage father who desires to provide for his family but has a criminal record that severely limits his job opportunities.

§  A brave knight who faces an ugly troll to free a captive princess.

§  The classic outdoor survival plot: man versus the wild.

Seven Basic Conflicts

Man against Man, Man against Nature, Man against Himself, Man against God, Man against Society, Man caught in the Middle, Man & Woman.

Character v. Character

A conflict arising between two or more characters of the same kind. An example would include a fist fight between two boys.

Character v. Nature

A character pitted against one or more forces of nature. This theme is found in many disaster films. It is also commonly found in stories about survival in remote locales such as the novel Hatchet or Jack London's short story "To Build a Fire".

Character v. Machine

A conflict between a character and an artificial entity such as a computer, robot, or android. The emphasis is on contrasting the character as a natural organism with a synthetic creature. Certainly the Terminator movies fit in this category.

Character v. Self

An internal conflict involving a character wrestling with conflicting emotions, thoughts, or desires.

Character v. Supernatural

A character at odds with elements outside of the natural realm. These include encounters with ghosts, extraterrestrials, and other speculative or theoretical phenomena. Both The Exorcist and The Blair Witch Project have elements of conflict in this form as do most Horror stories and many Thrillers.

Character v. Society

A conflict between bad and good. (Series of Unfortunate Events)

Character v. Destiny

A character attempting to break free from a future path chosen without his or her consent. It can also be referred to as a conflict between fate and freewill. A common example is Shakespeare's Macbeth.