Conflict (narrative)
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.
Classification
Conflict is most visible between two or more characters, usually a protagonist and an antagonist, but can occur in many different forms.
Three Basic Conflicts
James Dai of StoryCharts.ca [1] describes conflict as being one of three basic types: Internal, Relational, or External.
Internal
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
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
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 a fiery dragon to free a captive princess.
- The classic outdoor survival plot: man versus the wild.
Seven Basic Conflicts
Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch, literary critic and author, was first to classify plots as 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.[citation needed]
This has inspired a similar set of conflicts as follows:
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.[2] 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 but it is unclear whether stories like the Alien movies do as well.
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 the protagonist and society in general.
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.
History
As with other literary terms, these have come about gradually as descriptions of common narrative structures. Conflict was first described in ancient Greek literature as the agon, or central contest in tragedy. According to Aristotle, in order to hold the interest, the hero must have a single conflict. The agon, or act of conflict, involves the protagonist (the "first fighter") and the antagonist (a more recent term), corresponding to the hero and villain. The outcome of the contest cannot be known in advance, and according to later critics such as Plutarch, the hero's struggle should be ennobling.
Even in contemporary, non-dramatic literature, critics have observed that the agon is the central unit of the plot. The easier it is for the protagonist to triumph, the less value there is in the drama. In internal and external conflict alike, the antagonist must act upon the protagonist and must seem at first to overmatch him or her. For example, in William Faulkner's The Bear, nature might be the antagonist. Even though it is an abstraction, natural creatures and the scenery oppose and resist the protagonist. In the same story, the young boy's doubts about himself provide an internal conflict, and they seem to overwhelm him.
Similarly, when godlike characters enter (e.g. Superman), correspondingly great villains have to be created, or natural weaknesses have to be invented, to allow the narrative to have drama. Alternatively, scenarios could be devised in which the character's godlike powers are constrained by some sort of code, or their respective antagonist.
Related Concepts
The concept of Conflict is closely related to the concept of Tension but they are not the same. Tension in this sense is an incompatibility between characters that is acknowledged, but not acted upon. An example:
- In the Sherlock Holmes novels, the famous detective was known to take opium on occasion, but his sidekick Dr. Watson frowned upon such activities.
Note that Watson never acts on his convictions. Tension is rarely physical, though it can have a physical component. Throughout the series, Watson's objection remains a verbal complaint only and never becomes confrontational. Thus this is tension rather than conflict probably because Watson does not believe he can change Holmes' habit.
See also
References
- ^ Dai, James. "Story Charts Theory". Retrieved November 29, 2011.
- ^ Bokesch, Laura. "Literary Elements". Retrieved April 23, 2010.