p. 101-110 Fahrenheit 451 Barry 2010

conflict: a struggle between the main character, or protagonist, of a story and an opposing force

It is impossible to have a story without a conflict.

Most stories have a main conflict and other secondary conflicts as well.

There are two main categories of conflicts: Internal conflicts External conflicts

In internal conflicts, the protagonist is in a struggle against themselves.

Internal conflicts are within the protagonist’s mind between opposing needs, desires, or emotions.

An example of an internal conflict could be how Harry Potter doubts himself because the Sorting Hat almost puts him in Slytherin house and he finds out he can talk to snakes, like Voldemort. Harry Potter vs. self doubt

In external conflicts, the protagonist is in a struggle against an outside force.

There are three kinds of external conflicts.

Protagonist vs. another character The character who opposes the

protagonist is called the antagonist An example of this would be when

Harry Potter fights against Voldemort’s attempts to take over the wizarding world. Harry Potter vs. Voldemort

Protagonist vs. nature An example of this could be when

Harry Potter fights a dragon. As an animal, the dragon is part of nature.

Perhaps a better example could have been if Harry Potter went camping and got stuck in a life-threatening blizzard. Harry Potter vs. blizzard

Protagonist vs. society An example of this could be when

everyone at Hogwarts thinks Harry Potter is crazy because he claims Voldemort has come back. Hogwarts represents a portion of society. Harry Potter vs. society