CHARACTER CONFLICT
Examine the types on conflicts
characters face.
INTERNAL OR EXTERNAL?
Character is in conflict with
himself
Internal dialogue in your head
Decisions
Good vs. evil
Right vs. wrong
Choice vs. peer pressure
Always refer to man vs. man
Character is in conflict with a
force outside of himself
Another character
A group
The standards or expectations
of a group
Nature
Forces outside human control
or understanding
Fate
MAN VS. MAN
Simba returns to Pride Rock to
fight his Uncle Scar for
leadership of the pride.
MAN VS. MAN
One character battles another character of
the same species (or basic type –human vs.
human, animal vs. animal, ect.)
This usually involves some kind of fight, verbal
or physical.
MAN VS. SELF
As Kronk is trying to decide
whether or not to rescue Kuzco,
his shoulder angel and demon
personify his inner conflict.
MAN VS. SELF
A man struggles internally to make a decision.
This cannot involve anyone else, unless it is a figment of the
character’s imagination (or takes place inside the person’s head).
Kronk and the shoulder angel and demon
In Nemo, Marlin has to face his own fear and insecurity in order
to save his son.
MAN VS. SOCIETY
Robin Hood faces off alone
against Prince John’s guards
when discovered at the archery
tournament.
MAN VS. SOCIETY
A person decides to go against…
…his own group
…an opposing group
…the expectations of a group
…the expectations of society (north vs. south,
racial/ethical cultures, worldly vs. otherworldly)
Example: Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant
MAN VS. NATURE
As Snow White runs fearfully
away from the huntsmen and the
evil queen, she feels attacked by
the trees.
MAN VS. NATURE
A man decides to test himself against the
forces of nature, which are often
considered dominant.
Example: The Old Man and the Sea, Call
of the Wild, Life of Pi
MAN VS. SUPERNATURAL
The crew attempts to escape
from an exploding Treasure
Planet.
MAN VS. SUPERNATURAL
“Supernatural” here refers to anything beyond
human control or understanding
Fantasy (Lord of the Rings)
Technology -robots, computers (Treasure Planet,
Tron Legacy)
Deities –God, angels, demons. This one can
sometimes create confusion with Man vs. Fate
MAN VS. FATE
When Rafiki presents Simba to
the Pride Lands, does it
automatically become his hate
that he will one day save them
all?
MAN VS. FATE
This type on conflict is often included with other types.
For example, if a man is struggling against the expectations of his
parents to be a doctor just like them, he may be struggling
against society, “man” (his parents), as well as fate.
If a man is struggling against God, this could be considered a
man vs. supernatural conflict and a man vs. fate.
In its most basic form, this kind of conflict involves the struggle
between choice and fate. We continuously ask ourselves if we
determine our own destinies or if fate determined it all before we
were born.
LET’S TALK ABOUT CHARACTER FOILS….
In fiction, a foil is a character who contrasts with another character.
The purpose of a foil is to highlight certain qualities of a character.
Examples: Curley and George in Of Mice and Men, Harry Potter and
Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter series, Scar and Mufasa from The Lion King.