Internal and External Conflicts in the Novel Lord of the...

Conflict is not something that can be avoided, especially in fiction. In fact, conflict is the main purpose of how a story came to be – without conflict, there will be no story. As quoted from Peder Hill (n.d.), â€Å"Its the primary ingredient that weaves together all the other elements of a novel†. However, conflict can arise in a story in various forms and they alter the course of the story. For instance, a conflict of decision. What decision is made by the characters moves the story. This is called external conflict, which Rector (2002) defines as â€Å"a struggle between a character and an outside force†. On the other hand, conflict within a character may also arise, which is called internal conflict. Internal conflict means â€Å"a struggle that†¦show more content†¦Simon, for instance, battles with himself about the beast. When the discussion about the beast goes on in chapter five, Simon is hesitant on explaining about the beast. From his line à ¢â‚¬Å"maybe there is a beast† (pg. 89), he struggles to explain to everyone what he thought the beast really is. Simon knows that the beast is not corporeal, but rather an evil within humankind. His conflict within himself regarding the beasts identity moves the story when he ventures out to search for the beast. In result, he stumbles into the Lord of the Flies, who confirms his knowledge about the beast – that it is actually the evil within the boys. It also ends up in his death, when he wants to tell the boys about the real beast. As for Piggy, he tries very hard to gain everyones approval, especially Ralphs. His desire for approval is apparent since the first chapter, when he asked for Ralphs name and expects Ralph to ask his in return (pg. 11). But it is more apparent in the fourth chapter, when Piggy suggests to Ralph that they build a sundial (pg. 64). Ralphs reaction towards Piggys idea was out of pity, but Piggy misinterpreted it as â€Å"friendliness† a nd â€Å"rejoiced† at Ralphs smile. Piggy, however, did not seek Jacks approval, as he always retaliated Jacks abusive behaviour towards him. Jack kept on bullying Piggy physically – punching him and broke his glasses in the fourth chapter – and verbally –Show MoreRelatedANALIZ TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS28843 Words   |  116 Pagesinterrelated events that constitute the basic narrative structure of a novel or a short story. Events of any kind, of course, inevitably involve people, and for this reason it is virtually impossible to discuss plot in isolation from character. Character and plot are, in fact, intimately and reciprocally related, especially in modern fiction. A major function of plot can be said to be the representation of characters in action, though as we will see the action involved can be internal and psychological