Definition of Internal Conflict with Examples from 'The Great Gatsby'

📚 Quick Study Guide

🧠 Internal conflict is a struggle within a character's mind. It usually involves opposing feelings, beliefs, or desires. It drives their actions and decisions. 🎭 Internal conflict is different from external conflict, which involves a character's struggle against an outside force (another character, society, nature). 💭 Common types of internal conflict include: * Man vs. Self: A character struggling with their own conscience or identity. * Moral Dilemma: A character facing a difficult choice between right and wrong. * Emotional Turmoil: A character grappling with intense emotions like grief, guilt, or fear. 📖 In 'The Great Gatsby', internal conflict is a major theme, explored through characters like Gatsby, who battles with his idealized past and the reality of his present, and Daisy, torn between societal expectations and her own desires.

Practice Quiz

1. Which of the following best defines internal conflict?
   1. A character's struggle against another character.
   2. A struggle within a character's mind, involving opposing feelings or beliefs.
   3. A character's battle against nature.
   4. A conflict between a character and society.
2. In 'The Great Gatsby', what is a primary internal conflict Gatsby faces?
   1. His rivalry with Tom Buchanan.
   2. His struggle to recreate the past with Daisy.
   3. His financial difficulties.
   4. His problems with the police.
3. What internal conflict does Daisy Buchanan experience in 'The Great Gatsby'?
   1. Her struggle with poverty.
   2. Her desire for fame and recognition.
   3. The conflict between societal expectations and her own desires.
   4. Her regret over her past actions regarding Myrtle Wilson.
4. Which of the following is NOT a common type of internal conflict?
   1. Man vs. Self
   2. Moral Dilemma
   3. Emotional Turmoil
   4. Man vs. Technology
5. How does Gatsby's internal conflict contribute to the tragic events of the novel?
   1. It leads him to make irrational financial decisions.
   2. It causes him to isolate himself from society.
   3. It fuels his obsessive pursuit of an idealized past, blinding him to reality.
   4. It makes him vulnerable to Tom Buchanan's manipulation.
6. What role does social class play in exacerbating Daisy's internal conflict?
   1. It has no impact on her internal conflict.
   2. It reinforces the societal expectations that limit her choices.
   3. It encourages her to pursue her own desires without regard for consequences.
   4. It makes her more sympathetic to Gatsby's lower-class background.
7. Which of the following quotes best demonstrates Gatsby’s internal conflict?
   1. "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
   2. "He had one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it..."
   3. "I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool."
   4. "Let us learn to show our friendship for a man when he is alive and not after he is dead…"