CONFLICT
Inner
Personal
Extra personal
Societal
Nature
God
Conflict.
What Is Conflict in Literature?
In literature, a conflict is a literary device characterized by a struggle between two opposing
forces. Conflict provides crucial tension in any story and is used to drive the narrative
forward. It is often used to reveal a deeper meaning in a narrative while highlighting
characters’ motivations, values, and weaknesses.
Conflict is the driving force behind any great screenplay — but what is cinematic conflict and
how do screenwriters conjure enough of it to keep readers and audiences invested in their
stories and characters?
Cinematic conflict differs from story and character conflict found in the literary platform with
novels, novellas, and short stories.
In the literary platform, conflict can be presented through a wide variety of literary tools.
The description of events through the author’s prose can set up situations and scenarios of
two opposing forces — be it physically or intellectually — and describe the outcome. But the
author’s primary tools to showcase conflict can be found within the detailed background of
the characters, settings, and situations that they have the freedom to describe at length. The
author also has the freedom of using inner dialogue or the presentation of inner thoughts of
their characters to portray inner conflict and how exterior conflict affects that inner conflict.
Screenwriters don’t have the freedom to use those tools.
Cinematic conflict has to be presented in a visual form where the audience can witness both
the interior and exterior conflict with their own eyes, without the crutch of using overly long
voice-over or exposition.
What Is Cinematic Conflict?
Cinematic conflict is every point of opposition between two forces (physical or intellectual)
as well as the repercussions of that opposition — all within full view of what can be seen on
the screen, be it through a movie theater, television, or device.
Screenwriters can’t convey conflict using background and inner thoughts or explanation of
inner thoughts — that’s literary conflict.
Instead, screenwriters are tasked with presenting conflict on screen through scene
descriptions, character actions and reactions, and dialogue. While dialogue is something we
hear and could certainly — in lesser scripts — be used to replace literary prose to describe
background information, past history, and inner thoughts, the best scripts and films show
rather than tell.
Conflict in a story is a struggle between opposing forces. Characters must act to confront
those forces and there is where conflict is born. If there is nothing to overcome, there is no
story. Conflict in a story creates and drives the plot forward.
External conflict refers to the obstacles a character faces in the external world. Internal
conflict refers to a character’s internal or emotional obstacles. Moral or philosophical
conflicts are created between a character’s worldview or belief system and the world around
them.
It’s critical to remember that viewing conflict only in terms of external and internal is a bit
simplistic. Properly defining conflict in a story includes its relationship to philosophical or
moral conflict as well.
WHY IS CONFLICT IMPORTANT IN STORIES:
It creates and drives the plot
It reveals opposing beliefs and truths about life
It entertains by creating relatable contexts in emotional, dangerous, or exciting ways.
Internal vs. External Conflict
All conflict falls into two categories: internal and external.
Internal conflict is when a character struggles with their own
opposing desires or beliefs. It happens within them, and it
drives their development as a character.
External conflict sets a character against something or someone
beyond their control. External forces stand in the way of a
character’s motivations and create tension as the character
tries to reach their goals.
Including both internal and external conflict is crucial for a good
story, because life always includes both.
Character vs. Self
This is an internal conflict, meaning that the opposition the
character faces is coming from within. This may entail a struggle to
discern what the moral or “right” choice is, or it may also
encompass mental health struggles. All other types of conflict are
external—meaning that a character comes up against an outside
force that creates the conflict.
Inner Conflict
Inner conflict occurs when a character struggles with himself (such as Johnny Cash in Walk
the Line and Randy “The Ram” Robinson in The Wrestler). The struggle could be anything
from a lack of self-confidence to addictive and self-destructive behavior. Inner conflict is
tricky to express on screen because… well, it’s inner. The conflict is within the character. For
the audience to understand the inner conflict the character must reveal it. The inner conflict
must be projected outward onto something else – visually or via voice-over, or through the
character expressing his feelings to another character.
Personal conflict
When a character struggles with their own opposing desires or beliefs. It happens within
them, and it drives their development as a character. External conflict sets a character
against something or someone beyond their control.
Extra personal conflict
Forces of nature, or magic or technology or society conspire to destroy the protagonist or
hero. Often these forces cannot be defeated and it is up to the character to simply survive
them or escape. Extrapersonal conflicts depend heavily on establishing a setting.
Societal Conflict
Societal conflict occurs between a person and a group, and is usually present in films about
corruption, justice, or oppression. Stories with societal conflict often incorporate scenes or
subplots involving personal conflict. Examples include Erin Brockovich and Star Wars.
Character vs. Society
A character vs. society conflict is an external conflict that occurs in literature when the
protagonist is placed in opposition with society, the government, or a cultural tradition or
societal norm of some kind. Characters may be motivated to take action against their society
by a need to survive, a moral sense of right and wrong, or a desire for happiness, freedom,
justice, or love.
Nature
Character vs. Nature
In a nature conflict, a character is set in opposition to nature. This can mean the weather,
the wilderness, or a natural disaster. For example, in Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and
the Sea, the main character, Santiago finally manages to reel in a fish after months and
months of bad luck. He fends off sharks, who are trying to steal his prized catch, but
eventually they eat the fish—leaving Santiago with only a carcass. This is the essence of the
man versus nature conflict: man struggles with human emotions, while nature charges forth
undeterred.
God
Conflict is a fundamental element in storytelling, propelling the narrative forward and
creating tension and drama. When characters face a religious conflict in literature, it is
known as a character vs. god conflict.
What Is a Character vs. God Conflict in Literature?
In literature, stories driven by character vs. god conflict feature a protagonist who is in
conflict with a god, religion, or fate. The conflict can stem from a character’s inner turmoil
with religion or an external clash with organized religion or an actual god, as is often seen in
Greek mythology.
The character vs. god conflict originated in Greek mythology, where gods constantly dabbled
in the fate of humans. In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, Odysseus travels home after the
Trojan War, only to face several gods who thwart his attempts, keeping him adrift on the
Mediterranean for ten years. The use of multiple antagonists creates ongoing conflict in this
epic, increasing the dramatic tension.
God, fate, and religion are rife with conflict. In literature, this conflict translates into
compelling, character-driven narratives. Here are some examples of how writers have used
god vs. religion as a source of conflict.
