Definition of Conflict in a Story

Conflict is the struggle of opposing forces in a story. It is what creates the drama and action that moves the story from beginning to conclusion. Every story has conflict; without conflict, there is no story.

Types of Conflict

There are five types of conflict in literature; man vs. man, man vs. self, man vs. nature, man vs. society, and man vs. God. Each kind of conflict can move the story in a different way.

Nature

Man vs. nature is an external conflict--man against the dangers of the world. Man's struggle to survive an Alaskan winter, or man's struggle to survive being lost at sea, are two examples of how this kind of conflict could move a story.

God

Man vs. God is sometimes internal and sometimes external; it is the conflict between mortals and deities. For example, the trials of Job in the bible, or the struggles of man against gods in mythology.

Society

Man vs. Society is external and is the kind of conflict you find whenever man stands up to the society he lives in. For example, Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on the bus and going against societies imposed rules was a case of man vs. society.

Man

Man vs. man is external. This is the conflict you find between characters in a story--protagonist vs. antagonist. In the classic sense, this is the good vs. the bad.

Self

Man vs. self conflict is internal. It is a man's struggles with himself, his beliefs and understandings and how they change. This kind of conflict often shows the most growth for a single character in a story.

References

• Aliscot.com: Conflict and Meaning
• Everything2.com: The seven basic conflicts