A
struggle between two
opposing forces in a novel, short
story, or play.
The
main problem that gets the
story underway.
Can you have a story without
conflict?
Internal Conflict
and
External Conflict
A
problem that happens internally or
within a single character; mentally or
emotionally.
 It
can be an inner struggle to overcome
fear, control anger, or to make a choice.
All of which add tension within a character
and within the story.
A
physical struggle between a character and an
outside force.
 Characters
may face several types of outside
forces.




The outside force may be another character.
It may be the character and the community.
It may be the character and an illness.
The outside force may also be forces of nature.
 Conflict is necessary to every story.
 In short stories, there is usually one major
conflict.
 In longer stories, there could be several
conflicts.
 Conflict
adds excitement and suspense to a
story.
 The conflict usually becomes clear at the
beginning of a story.
 As
the plot unfolds, the reader starts to
wonder what will happen next and how the
characters will handle the situation.
 1)
“The Three Little Pigs”
Pits characters against character – the pigs
against the wolf
External Conflict
 2)
Charlotte’s Web
by E.B. White
Pits character against fate – as Charlotte,
the spider, saves Wilbur, the pig, from
slaughter.
External Conflict
 3)
Hatchet
by Gary Paulsen
Pits a young boy against nature when he
finds himself to be the sole survivor of a
plane crash that lands him in the
wilderness.
External Conflict
 4)
Huckleberry Finn
by Mark Twain
The character Tom Sawyer is pitted against
society in his adventures as he tries to
live outside of the rules of his aunt and
his community.
External Conflict
 5)
Wrinkle in Time
by Madeleine L’Engle
One conflict the character Meg experiences
is within herself when she has to decide
what to believe about her father, her
adventures, and herself.
Internal Conflict
 You
will be numbered 1-8. Then you will
rotate around the classroom to each of the
conflicts. Groups will have 1-2 minutes to
read and discuss their findings.
 Classify them as one of the following:
Character vs. Character
B) Character vs. Nature
C) Character vs. Fate
Character vs. Self (internal)
E) Character v. Society
A)
D)
 Let’s
grade your answer.
Character vs. Character
B) Character vs. Nature
C) Character vs. Fate
Character vs. Self (internal)
E) Character v. Society
A)
D)
1) In Toy Story, Buzz and Woody
experience a personality
clash.
A. Character vs. Character
2) Mike and Sully go against the
practices of the entire
Monster race when they
befriend a child in
Monsters,Inc.
E. Character vs. Society
3) Chickens in Chicken Run
attempt to escape from their
farm so they will not be
turned into chicken pot pies.
C. Character vs. Fate
4) A teenage boy in A Cry in the
Wild crash-lands a plane in
the Canadian wilderness.
B. Character vs. Nature
5) In Big Daddy, a young man
must decide whether he can
raise a child who appears on
his doorstep.
D. Character vs. Self (internal
conflict)
6) A team of Jamaican athletes
must fight against an Olympic
committee and a common
belief held by their own
people to become their
country’s first bobsled team in
Cool Runnings.
E. Character vs. Society
7) In Home Alone, a young boy
takes on would-be robbers
who enter his house.
A. Character vs. Character
8) A lawyer is conflicted about
telling the truth in his
business practices and
personal life in the movie Liar
Liar.
D. Character vs. Self (internal)
Choose one or two characters and a setting from
the list below. Then write a possible conflict to
fit each conflict type.
Characters
Horse
Cow
Parent
Child
Teacher
Student
Old Man
Poor Woman
Settings
Grocery Store Farm
Campground
Stadium
Classroom
Hawai’i
Another Planet City
Character Vs. Character
Choose one or two characters and a setting from
the list below. Then write a possible conflict to
fit each conflict type.
Characters
Horse
Cow
Parent
Child
Teacher
Student
Old Man
Poor Woman
Settings
Grocery Store Farm
Campground
Stadium
Classroom
Hawai’i
Another Planet City
Character Vs. Nature
Choose one or two characters and a setting from
the list below. Then write a possible conflict to
fit each conflict type.
Characters
Horse
Cow
Parent
Child
Teacher
Student
Old Man
Poor Woman
Settings
Grocery Store Farm
Campground
Stadium
Classroom
Hawai’i
Another Planet City
Character Vs. Fate
Choose one or two characters and a setting from
the list below. Then write a possible conflict to
fit each conflict type.
Characters
Horse
Cow
Parent
Child
Teacher
Student
Old Man
Poor Woman
Settings
Grocery Store Farm
Campground
Stadium
Classroom
Hawai’i
Another Planet City
Character Vs. Self
Choose one or two characters and a setting from
the list below. Then write a possible conflict to
fit each conflict type.
Characters
Horse
Cow
Parent
Child
Teacher
Student
Old Man
Poor Woman
Settings
Grocery Store Farm
Campground
Stadium
Classroom
Hawai’i
Another Planet City
Character Vs. Society