Stories without conflict, where the main character faces zero opposition, fail because they bore readers. Show In real life, harmony and agreement are worthy goals that produce a harmonious existence. But such is no recipe for stories that captivate readers. Readers love conflict. It’s the engine of compelling fiction. Conflict creates tension, and tension keeps readers turning the pages. Internal and External ConflictAt the risk of insulting your intelligence, these definitions are self-explanatory. Internal conflict is your main character’s battle with his* own demons, self-doubt, etc. [*Note: I use male pronouns to refer to both heroes and heroines.] For instance, he might struggle with desiring independence while fearing stepping into the world alone. External conflict is simply the obstacle or challenge your character faces. What does he want or need, what are the stakes, and what stands in his way? Internal and external conflict work together. Your character’s fears, doubts, or false beliefs often arise from outside forces and in turn make it tougher for him to overcome them. 5 Types of ConflictMan vs. SelfThis type of conflict is usually caused by something external — but the battle itself takes place within. Your character might fight opposing desires — such as whether to violate his moral principles in the pursuit of self-gain. Internal conflict can manifest itself in dialogue, through action or inaction, in thoughts, or even through dreams, nightmares, or hallucinations. Example: The Narrator in Fight Club conflicts with society (which he finds empty and consumeristic), with his boss, and with others, but the story is ultimately about the internal conflict between two halves of his personality. Man vs. ManDon’t make the mistake of assuming this type of conflict requires physical fighting or even an argument — though, of course, those also fit the definition. Conflict between the hero and villain is common. But a character might also oppose your protagonist with his best interest in mind. For instance, a father might try to keep his teenager close, conflicting with the teen’s desire for independence. Example: The conflict in Iron Man is a power struggle for the future of Stark Industries — between Tony Stark and his former mentor, Obadiah Stane. Man vs. Nature When a character struggles to survive in a hostile environment — such as on a mountain, or in a desert, ocean, or jungle — he might face extreme cold or heat, dangerous animals, or other threats to his life. This is one of the conflict types often present in dystopian stories where the world has been devastated by a cataclysmic event like a plague or a nuclear apocalypse. Example: The conflict between humans and dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. Man vs. SocietyThis type of conflict pits a character against his government, the police, the military, or some other powerful force — including social norms. It’s usually most effective when Society is personified by a specific villain. Example: Atticus Finch defending a black man in To Kill a Mockingbird, despite the pervasive racism of the time. Man vs. SupernaturalCharacters fighting vampires, werewolves, aliens, or wizards usually occurs in science fiction, fantasy, and horror novels. Example: Buffy (and her friends) taking on vampires and demons in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. How to Create Conflict in a StoryThe best stories involve layers of conflict. Your hero might fight the villain — and his own self-doubt. Or your hero might struggle against both society and nature, perhaps thrown out of his community to survive in the wilderness. The more types of conflict you inject in your story, the more compelling readers are likely to find it… and the more powerful your ending will be. Stories Need Conflict — and Plenty of ItIf you’ve stalled halfway through your writing because scenes seem to fall flat, do whatever you need to to inject conflict. Is it sarcasm, a character flying off the handle for seemingly no reason, a friend all of a sudden in your character’s face? As soon as that conflict is inserted, you (and your characters) must scramble to deal with it. And that creates page-turning tension. What’s going on? Trust your gut, and your characters to the challenge. For more help adding conflict to your stories, check out my articles on character motivation, character empathy, and story structure.
Conflict is used to bring a story to life. Internal conflict happens when a character struggles with something within themselves. These two contradicting wants, needs or desires help to build a character. Explore several famous examples of man vs. self and how it differs from external conflict. Internal conflict -- also called man vs. self -- is a battle inside a character. In movies or TV shows, this might be shown as the good angel on one shoulder and the evil demon on the other. With internal conflicts, you might feel a clash between competing desires. For example, an alcoholic may struggle not to reach for the bottle of bourbon. That person knows they need to stop drinking, but the desire to drink is very strong, leading to an intense internal struggle. In fact, there are several types of internal conflict, including:
Internal conflict is a character element that is utilized to add depth, mood, morality and humanism to characters in both movies and books. Books and movies are a great place to find examples of internal struggles. As the character struggles with their inner thoughts and feelings, you begin to see their growth and change. Explore a few famous examples that truly exemplify man vs. self conflict. Fight Club, a book by Chuck Palahniuk that was adapted into a movie, is a great example of internal conflict. The narrator struggles with mundane life so heavily that he actually creates an alter ego in Tyler Durden. This comes to a head at the end of the story when you realize that both characters are the same person. One area that exemplified the narrator's internal struggle is in the line:
In this passage, the narrator is having an existential internal struggle. He is trying to understand the meaning of it all and how an unwanted person could fit into a perfect society. The narrator concludes that since perfect isn't the answer, possibly self-destruction is. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, there are several moral internal conflicts. Not only does Hamlet struggle with wanting to kill Claudius in revenge, he also struggles internally with his own depression and thoughts of suicide. Act 3, Scene 1 demonstrates Hamlet's struggle with suicidal thoughts:
What's more, Hamlet's need for revenge is strong. Even the ghost of his father is calling for it. But, Hamlet knows that it is not right to kill Claudius out of revenge. This internal moral conflict throws him into a deep depression and apparent madness. This, in turn, creates an even deeper internal conflict in Hamlet of whether it is better to live in pain or to die and end the suffering. In Lois Lowry's The Giver, Jonas' internal struggle builds as he gains the different memories that his society has lost from the giver. This is seen in Chapter 13:
His internal struggle becomes a moral internal conflict when he finds out that Gabriel is going to be killed. He must then choose if he wants to save him and leave or stay and let him die. He ultimately decides to go and save Gabriel. In the movie The Sixth Sense, Cole Sear exhibits internal struggles as he comes to grips with his sixth sense. He exhibits interpersonal internal conflicts because he wants to conform to societal norms but that is impossible. Cole also has conflicting feelings about helping the ghosts and wanting to ignore them, which leads to a moral internal conflict. While internal conflict can take a large role in literature, it typically happens in conjunction with external conflict. Much like the name suggests, external conflicts happen between a character and an outside or "external" force. This could be another character, like the conflict between Claudius and Hamlet, or even a force of nature, like how the snow affects Jonas and Gabriel. External struggles happen in the outside world, unlike internal struggles that happen inside a character's own head. Good characters are well rounded and based on defining traits like having strong values. Because of these traits, they experience different kinds of internal struggle as they navigate their fictitious worlds. The internal conflicts they experience can also depend on the type of character they are. |
This excerpt is an example of conflict between a character and others society nature. self.
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