What Is Conflict In A Story? It’s the heart of every narrative, driving the plot and engaging the audience. At WHAT.EDU.VN, we explore conflict definition, conflict examples, and dramatic conflict to help you understand storytelling. Discover literary conflict and narrative tension to create compelling stories.
Table of Contents
- What is Conflict in a Story?
- What is External Conflict in a Story?
- What is Internal Conflict in a Story?
- Examples of Conflict in a Story
- The Story With No Conflict
- How to Create Conflict in a Story
- Unlock Your Storytelling Potential at WHAT.EDU.VN
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is Conflict in a Story?
At its core, conflict represents the engine driving every compelling narrative, presenting the clash between opposing forces as a character fervently pursues a goal. This struggle forms the backbone of the story, as the protagonist endeavors to surmount these opposing forces to realize their objective. These forces can manifest in various forms, ranging from external adversaries to internal struggles within the character’s psyche. Understanding the dramatic conflict is crucial for engaging storytelling.
Conflict introduces tension, suspense, and stakes, and conflict requires a character to make tough choices. A narrative requires obstacles that create narrative tension and keep the audience invested in the outcome.
Most narratives begin with a foundational setup: a character harbors a want or need, insurmountable obstacles impede their progress, and the character grapples with uncertainty on how to overcome these hurdles. The elements of conflict in a story become apparent as the character confronts these challenges, shaping the storyline and narrative arc.
Consider Toni Morrison’s acclaimed novel, Beloved. Sethe, the protagonist, faces both external and internal conflict. The external is with the ghost of her daughter, Beloved, who Sethe killed to prevent her from enduring the horrors of slavery. Beloved consumes Sethe’s attention, draining her family, health, and livelihood. Sethe battles the aftermath of slavery, reflecting the broader conflict. Internally, Sethe grapples with guilt, shame, and self-hatred, seeking acceptance from the Black community.
Delving deeper into the nuances of external and internal conflict will provide a more comprehensive understanding. Do you have questions? Ask them for free on WHAT.EDU.VN, and get the answers you need.
2. What is External Conflict in a Story?
External conflict encompasses the challenges a character faces against another person, place, or thing. These conflicts commonly fall into the categories of Man Vs. Man, Man Vs. Society, or Man Vs. Nature, often explored as common themes in literature.
In essence, external conflict involves the protagonist grappling with forces beyond their control, whether it be another individual, societal norms, or the natural environment. This creates an active struggle, where the protagonist must overcome obstacles presented by an external antagonist to achieve their goals. This directly challenges the protagonist’s desires and creates narrative tension.
An antagonist is an actively opposing force. Even if the antagonist isn’t another person, it stands in the way of the protagonist’s goals.
Would you like to explore specific examples of external conflict? Visit WHAT.EDU.VN to pose your questions and access expert insights.
3. What is Internal Conflict in a Story?
Internal conflict involves the challenges a character presents to themselves, often described as Man Vs. Self. This conflict explores the protagonist’s internal struggles, grappling with their flaws, beliefs, and emotions. Internal conflict delves into the character’s psyche, revealing their vulnerabilities and shaping their journey toward self-discovery or resolution.
Often, protagonists must overcome personal flaws to achieve their goals. These flaws can manifest as egotism, narcissism, self-hatred, insecurity, or fear. These flaws often sit in the character’s blindspot, worsening the conflict until reaching an explosive climax.
The protagonist’s journey involves confronting these internal obstacles, leading to personal growth and transformation. Understanding these flaws is essential for creating depth and complexity in storytelling. Do you have questions about how to develop internal conflict in your stories? Ask for free on WHAT.EDU.VN.
A character looking in a mirror, their reflection showing a different, darker version of themselves, representing internal conflict
4. Examples of Conflict in a Story
The following examples of conflict in a story are drawn from published literary works.
“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
- Find it here.
Main character: The narrator is unnamed, possibly Jane.
What she wants: Freedom and health. She is taken to a colonial mansion to rest, but she also wants to write and make her own decisions, which her husband forbids.
External conflict: Her husband, John, dismisses her wishes, patronizing her and assuming her sickness is temporary nervous depression. This treatment makes the story an early example of modern feminist literature. The yellow wallpaper also causes external conflict, both repelling and mesmerizing her.
Internal conflict: The narrator is unsure of what’s best for her due to mixed messages from her husband. She fights against being drawn into the wallpaper, questioning her sanity as she believes a woman is trapped within it.
Analysis: These conflicts drive the story as she rejects her husband’s help and focuses on her mystical relationship with the wallpaper. At the end, she sees herself as the freed woman. She appears to have succumbed to psychosis due to neglect, finding freedom only in insanity.
“Sticks” by George Saunders
- Read it here.
Main character: The narrator’s unnamed father.
What he wants: Open to interpretation. The father dresses up a pole in the yard based on his reactions to events. He is austere, restraining himself and others from pleasure. The pole may represent his need for self-expression and understanding.
External conflict: The story implies that the father’s austerity strains his relationships. The narrator found “seeds of meanness” from his childhood within himself. Before the father’s death, he adorns the pole with “FORGIVE?” His behavior pushed away everyone he loved and he regretted it after his wife died.
Internal conflict: The father has competing behaviors. He is mean and meticulous, seeking control, but also needs self-expression and love. While there is no antagonist, the father may be the antagonist of his own life.
Analysis: The father is unable to express himself or show kindness, possibly due to masculinity. He is conflicted between his need for control and companionship. After his wife dies, his pleas grow desperate, but he can only express them through the pole. The narrator’s reaction is indifference, erasing any trace of the father’s life.
“The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury
- Read it here.
Main characters: George and Lydia Hadley, parents to Wendy and Peter, live in a Happylife Home, which caters to their needs. The home includes a nursery where the children experience their dreams, such as the African Veldt.
What they want: Security in their home. They feel uneasy with their needs being automatically met and worry about the nursery’s effect on their children. Despite stability, they feel unstable.
External conflict: The parents and kids don’t get along. The kids are spoiled and attached to the nursery, making the parents nervous. The children view the house as more of a parent. The conflict escalates when George decides to shut everything off.
Internal conflict: The Hadleys disagree on how to run their household. They question whether their kids are spoiled and if a life involving work is more meaningful.
Analysis: The animated veldtland drives the conflict. The parents fear the veldtland represents a dark shift in the children. The children reject their parents, feeling mothered by the house. The lions of the veldt feast on animations of the parents’ bodies, leading to a painful realization: the parents are next.
5. The Story With No Conflict
Is it possible for a story to exist without conflict? Many writers argue that conflict is essential because it drives the narrative and shapes characters’ reactions. Tension and suspense are important, engaging the reader. Conflict makes the story possible.
However, there are exceptions:
Microfiction and flash fiction can sometimes omit clearly defined conflict due to their brevity and experimental nature. For example, “Between the Earth and Sun” by Kalyn RoseAnne presents conflict that occurs before the story begins, serving as backstory rather than driving the narrative.
The Eastern story structure Kishōtenketsu, common in East Asian storytelling, does not rely on conflict. It consists of four acts:
- Ki (Introduction): Establishes characters
- Shō (Development): Deepens relationships
- Ten (Twist): Complicates the plot
- Ketsu (Conclusion): Shows characters’ reactions and growth
The “Ten” might involve external circumstances rather than internal or external conflict. Studio Ghibli movies like My Neighbor Totoro exemplify Kishōtenketsu.
While neither example perfectly omits conflict, they demonstrate how stories can function when conflict is not the driving force. Do you have questions about crafting stories with or without conflict? Ask for free on WHAT.EDU.VN, and we will answer it.
6. How to Create Conflict in a Story
A great story builds tension and conflict in every line. Characters should always want something they can’t have, due to external forces or internal flaws. Consider these tips:
- Focus on motivation. What drives each character? What are their goals?
- Think about fatal flaws. What internal problem prevents them from achieving their goals?
- Link flaws to contexts. A character’s flaws result from their background. Context adds depth.
- Let your characters make mistakes. Characters shouldn’t be perfect. Flaws should force them to make bad decisions.
- Create relationships between internal and external conflict. They are usually related.
7. Unlock Your Storytelling Potential at WHAT.EDU.VN
The conflict in a story makes it interesting for the audience. At WHAT.EDU.VN, we provide the resources and community to help you craft compelling narratives. If you have any questions, ask them for free, and our experts will answer them. Unlock your storytelling potential today.
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8. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is conflict in a story? | Conflict is the central struggle that drives the plot. It involves a character facing obstacles in achieving their goals, creating tension and engaging the audience. |
| What are the main types of conflict? | The main types are external conflict (Man vs. Man, Man vs. Society, Man vs. Nature) and internal conflict (Man vs. Self). |
| Why is conflict important in a story? | Conflict is essential because it creates tension, suspense, and stakes, requiring characters to make tough choices and driving the narrative forward. Without conflict, stories lack depth and engagement. |
| Can a story exist without conflict? | While rare, some stories, particularly in microfiction or using structures like Kishōtenketsu, can minimize conflict and focus on character development or atmosphere. However, even these stories often have underlying tensions or challenges. |
| How can I create compelling conflict in my story? | Focus on character motivation, explore fatal flaws, link flaws to context, let characters make mistakes, and create relationships between internal and external conflict. |
| What is external conflict? | External conflict involves a character struggling against outside forces, such as another person, society, or nature. |
| What is internal conflict? | Internal conflict involves a character struggling with their own thoughts, emotions, or flaws. |
| How do internal and external conflicts relate? | Internal and external conflicts are often interconnected. A character’s internal struggles can influence their reactions to external challenges, and vice versa. |
| What role does the antagonist play in external conflict? | The antagonist is an actively opposing force that presents obstacles to the protagonist’s goals, creating external conflict. |
| What is Kishōtenketsu? | Kishōtenketsu is an Eastern story structure that does not necessarily rely on conflict and resolution. It consists of four acts: introduction, development, twist, and conclusion. |
