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- Person vs. Person. Also called man vs. man and protagonist vs. antagonist, this is the most common type of external conflict. It is clear and universally understood as a good vs. evil story in which an unambiguous challenger opposes the main character.
- Person vs. Nature. This type of conflict counters a character against some force of nature, such as an animal or the weather. A classic example is Ernest Hemingway’s Old Man and the Sea.
- Person vs. Society. When a novel sets a character against a tradition, an institution, a law, or some other societal construct, it is a Person vs. Society story.
- Person vs. Technology. When science moves beyond human control, conflicts of Person vs. Technology develop. Stories in this conflict type include: 2001: A Space Odyssey.
- Person vs. Person
- Person vs. Self
- Person vs. Fate/God
- Person vs. Nature
- Person vs. Society
- Person vs. The Unknown/Extraterrestrial
- Person vs. Technology/Machinery
- Conclusion
Conflict that pits one person against another is about as classic as a story can get. This type of conflict is pretty much self-explanatory, with one person struggling for victory over another. There are countless examples of this type of conflict in literature. In fact, the instances throughout the history of literature are so numerous that mythol...
In this type of conflict, a character finds him or herself battling between two competing desires or selves, typically one good and one evil.You won't get a more obvious example than The Call of the Wild,in which the protagonist (in this case, a dog) is torn between a domesticated self and wild self.
This type of conflict occurs when a character is trapped by an inevitable destiny; freedom and free will often seem impossible in these stories. You'll find this trope in Greek tragedy: Oedipus is fated to marry his own mother and Odysseus finds himself sailing throughout the Mediterranean due to the anger of Poseidon. What can humans do in the fac...
In this type of conflict, humankind comes up against nature, battling for survival against its inexorable and apathetic force. The hero may be forced to confront nature, or the protagonist may be seeking the conflict, trying to exert dominance over nature. Probably the most famous example of this type of conflict is Herman Melville's Moby Dick; it ...
Cue the dystopian genre. The person-against-society conflict follows the storyline of an individual or a group fighting (sometimes successfully, sometimes not-so-successfully) against injustices within their society. Whilethe characters ofGeorge Orwell'sAnimal Farm are animals rather than people, it still illustrates a story driven by rebellion aga...
This is a common thread in science fiction and supernatural horror movies and books. In this type of conflict, the protagonist battles against an entity that isn't entirely known or comprehensible, whether it is extraterrestrial or metaphysical. Think of Stephen King's The Shining (or many of King's books, for that matter). On the science fiction s...
The popularity of this genre has risen steadily over the last hundred years, and in the face of increasing mechanization and improving artificial intelligence, it's not hard to see why. This type of conflict focuses on a person or group of people fighting to overcome unemotional and unsympathetic machinery that believes it no longer requires humani...
Whether you're enjoying literature, analyzing it, or writing it yourself, knowing these seven types of conflict will help you gain a greater understanding of what makes a story so compelling. Hopefully, while reading this short list, you will have thought of your own examples, too. If so, let us know on Facebook or Twitter! Image source: Lightsprin...
- Person vs. Fate/God. This category could be considered part of conflict with self or with society (many people count only four types of conflict, including those two and conflict with another person or with nature).
- Person vs. Self. A person’s struggle with his or her own prejudices or doubts or character flaws constitutes this type of conflict (Hamlet).
- Person vs. Person. Any story featuring a hero and a villain or villains (The Count of Monte Cristo) represents this type of conflict, though the villain(s) is/are often representative of another antagonist in this list, whether a villain is in essence an alter ego of the protagonist (thus representing the conflict of person versus self) or stands in for society.
- Person vs. Society. When the protagonist’s conflict extends to confronting institutions, traditions, or laws of his or her culture, he or she struggles to overcome them, either triumphing over a corrupt society (I draw a blank here), rejecting it (Fahrenheit 451), or succumbing to it (1984).
Sep 7, 2021 · When characters face a religious conflict in literature, it is known as a character vs. god conflict. Conflict is a fundamental element in storytelling, propelling the narrative forward and creating tension and drama.
But there are different Man vs. God conflicts. God as a Power or Law in the Universe As I mentioned, a concept of God might not be a personage at all, but a power or law of the universe--Fate is the famous example of this. But you can play with it in other ways too, like in magic systems.
Dec 1, 2023 · Internal Conflict: Definition. You’ve probably heard internal conflict referred to in different ways, including: Character vs self Person vs self Man vs self. Essentially, internal conflict is the emotional battle raging inside your main character or protagonist. It’s their primary character flaw.
Aug 23, 2018 · It's important to point out that in these literary terms, "Man" insinuates "Human," so it isn't limited to the male gender. Man vs. Self. Man vs. Self is the only example of internal conflict you'll see in literary works and involves a character experiencing conflict within his or her own mind.
