Literary Examples of External Conflict in Famous Novels

📚 Quick Study Guide: External Conflict in Literature

• 📖 Definition: External conflict occurs when a character struggles against an outside force. This force can be another character, nature, society, or fate.
• 🤝 Character vs. Character: The most common form, involving a protagonist clashing with an antagonist or another significant figure. This can be physical, verbal, or ideological.
• 🌳 Character vs. Nature: A struggle against natural elements like storms, wild animals, or harsh environments. This often highlights human vulnerability and resilience.
• 🏛️ Character vs. Society: A protagonist's fight against societal norms, laws, prejudices, or institutions. This type of conflict often explores themes of justice, rebellion, and conformity.
• 🌌 Character vs. Fate/Supernatural: A struggle against predetermined destiny, divine will, or forces beyond human control. This often delves into philosophical questions about free will and destiny.
• 🎯 Purpose: External conflicts drive the plot, reveal character traits, and develop central themes within a novel. They create tension and suspense, engaging the reader.
• 🔍 Identification: Look for direct confrontations, obstacles presented by the environment, or challenges imposed by social structures.

📝 Practice Quiz: External Conflict in Famous Novels

1. In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, which of the following best represents the primary external conflict faced by the boys stranded on the island?

1. The boys' internal struggle with their own fears and desires.
2. Ralph's personal guilt over the group's actions.
3. The struggle for survival against the harsh, untamed natural environment and the savagery of other boys.
4. Piggy's intellectual debate with Jack about leadership.

2. Which type of external conflict is most prominent in Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea?

1. Santiago's conflict with his past failures as a fisherman.
2. Santiago's struggle against the giant marlin and later the sharks in the open ocean.
3. Santiago's internal conflict regarding his pride and humility.
4. Santiago's disagreement with the other villagers about his fishing methods.

3. In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, the trial of Tom Robinson primarily exemplifies which type of external conflict?

1. Scout's internal struggle with understanding the adult world.
2. Jem's conflict with Mrs. Dubose over her camellias.
3. Atticus Finch's legal battle against the deep-seated racial prejudice and injustice of society.
4. Boo Radley's conflict with his reclusive lifestyle.

4. George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four depicts Winston Smith's struggle against which powerful external force?

1. Winston's personal battle with his own memories and thoughts.
2. The oppressive, totalitarian government of the Party (Big Brother).
3. Winston's conflict with Julia over their differing revolutionary ideas.
4. The decaying infrastructure of London.

5. In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, what is a key external conflict faced by Victor Frankenstein?

1. Victor's internal torment and guilt over his creation.
2. The Creature's pursuit of Victor and the resulting destruction and tragedy.
3. Victor's struggle to gain acceptance from his family.
4. Victor's scientific rivalry with other scholars.

6. Consider the novel The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Katniss Everdeen's participation in the annual Hunger Games against other tributes represents primarily what kind of external conflict?

1. Katniss's internal struggle with her identity and compassion.
2. Katniss's conflict with the societal oppression of the Capitol and the other tributes in the arena.
3. Katniss's struggle to provide for her family in District 12.
4. Katniss's emotional conflict regarding her feelings for Peeta and Gale.

7. In Jack London's The Call of the Wild, Buck's journey from a pampered house dog to a leader of a wolf pack in the Yukon wilderness primarily illustrates which external conflict?

1. Buck's internal struggle between his domesticated nature and his primal instincts.
2. Buck's conflict with humans who mistreat him, and his struggle for survival against the brutal forces of nature and other dogs.
3. Buck's loyalty issues between different owners.
4. Buck's philosophical contemplation of freedom.