Tag: types of conflict

Posted in Characterization

Types of Conflict (Part 6): Person vs. Supernatural

Posted on by L. M. Montes

This is when the main character finds himself/herself going up against a vengeful god/being or other supernatural force. A ghost comes to mind here.

Who hasn’t read a good ghost story or seen a spooky movie? This conflict deals with man versus something other worldly. Yes, that means ghosts/spirits. The Amityville Horror Movies are great examples. Do you like ghost stories? I do. To a point. I’d rather watch one that read one though.

Book Examples with Man vs. Supernatural Conflict
1. Seven Sisters (book series) by M. L. Bullock (I highly recommend this series).
2. The Amityville Horror
3. Prodigal by Judy K. Walker
4. The Vanished Series by B. B. Griffith
5. The Ripper by Jon F. Merz

Posted in Characterization

Types of Conflict (Part 5): Person vs. Self

Posted on by L. M. Montes

This type of conflict is between a character and their inner self. Don’t we go through this type of struggle on a regular basis?

Examples include:
1. Lack of self-confidence
2. The feeling of guilt when you do something against what you normally would do.
3. Love conflict: When you hurt someone you love.
4. The struggle of having to do something you don’t want to do but have to do. A great example of this is in Lord of the Rings when Frodo struggles with his destiny of having to destroy the ring.

Other Movie Examples of Man vs. Self
1. Buzz Lightyear in the first Toy Story movie. He’s a toy but doesn’t realize he’s a toy.
2. In the movie UP, Carl Fedricksen the grumpy old man is cynical and struggles with the cynicism that has encompassed him and the adventurous spirit he once was.
3. Tangled. Rapunzel struggles with wanting to stay in the tower or defy her mother and venture outside and leave the tower.

Posted in Fiction

Types of Conflict (Part 4)

Posted on by L. M. Montes

Person vs Technology
This type of conflict is where a person(s) go up against the perilous effects of technology moving in a forward direction. Someone had a great idea that sounded great at the time, but when the idea was tried out or an experiment done, something went very wrong. A classic tale that depicts this is the book by Mary Shelley, Frankenstein. Some other examples are 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Terminator, The Giver, The Matrix… The list goes on.

Posted in Characterization

Types of Conflict (Part 2)

Posted on by L. M. Montes

Part 2 focuses on the type of Person vs. Society conflict. The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne comes to mind. In this story (set in the 1600’s) Hester Prynne, the main character, receives public shaming when she, a married woman, has a child out of wedlock.

Another example would be To Kill a Mockingbird. This book is from the point of view of a young girl named Scout. It follows her “from innocence to experience when her father confronts the racist justice system of the rural, Depression era South.”
https://www.sparknotes.come/lit/mocking/plot-analysis/#:~:text=To%20Kill%20a%20Mockingbird%20tells,rural%2C%20Depression%2Dera%20South.