Conflict: An Analysis

Conflict is the driving force of a story. It’s what makes the reader invested in the plot, because they want to know how the conflict will be resolved. So as a writer, one should really understand how to use conflict in order to not only advance the story, but embellish various other aspects of it as well, such as character arcs and overall themes. Conflict can be broken down into seven types and in this post I would like to deconstruct these conflicts to see exactly how they improve the overall experience of a story. Keep in mind that these are my interpretations and that many of these plots can be seen as a different conflict if viewed from a different perspective.

Man vs. Self (Psychomachia)

A perfect example of this type of conflict can be seen in the character arc of Shinji Ikari in the critically acclaimed anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. The premise of the anime is that Earth is being attacked by supernatural beings known as ‘Angels’ and Tokyo has become one of the last safe havens on Earth. In order to counter this threat, mankind created bio-machine mechas known as ‘Evangelions’ that can only be driven by children below the age of 15. One of these children is Shinji Ikari. Throughout the show, Shinji suffers from very personal insecurities caused by a troubled childhood. He always questions his purpose, intent, and integrity and there are points in the show where this pent up emotion causes him to go mad. Shinji is emotionally manipulated into piloting one of the machines by his father, Gendo Ikari, making him believe he is not doing his part for mankind and that he was running away from his responsibilities. After witnessing the death of his mother at a very young age, Shinji’s father abandoned him to his own fate, leaving him emotionally hypersensitive. Shinji now tries to stay away from human contact, feeling that he is unwanted by anyone, but events in the series made him care about certain people. He does not want to ride the machine because he has seen what it does to his friends and family, but he is left with no choice as he is the only one on Earth who can pilot it. Throughout the series,he forces himself to try to do the right thing, saying that he ‘musn’t run away’ and that it’s for the’better good’. He is still plagued by existential questions though. Does he really matter to his father? Would anyone miss him if he died? What was the point of his existence? The end of the show shows Shinji coming to the conclusion that he needs others to thrive and that the other people in his life give his own life meaning. Shinji’s greatest enemy in the show is not the ‘Angels’ but his own mind. A prisoner of his own mentality, Shinji’s ultimate battle is with himself and the thorough psychoanalysis of his character at the end of the show is proof of that.

Man vs. Man

Most superhero films use this conflict as the grand narrative and do so extremely well. 2 people with contrasting ideologies fighting for what they believe in always makes for compelling viewing. One film that does this conflict exceptionally well is ‘The Dark Knight’ with the conflict between Batman and the Joker. The Batman comes off as an almost idealistic hero. He is someone who has seen the darkness in the world and felt its sorrow, and so has the most reason to watch the world burn. Instead he chooses to defend the same society that has caused him this pain, even going as far as to say that he refuses to kill anyone, despite the gruesome murder of his parents. And so the Joker plays the perfect foil to Batman, as someone who just wants to watch the world burn. The Joker cannot be classified as anything but pure evil and found interest in Batman’s idealistic sense of justice. The Joker wanted to show the world that Batman was just as corruptable as anyone else, and that it was pointless to place him on such a high pedestal. The Joker was willing to push Batman to any limit in order to prove his point. If the Joker could make Batman break his golden rule, he would win. The stark contrast in ideologies was clearly showcased in a scene where the Joker tries to antagonize Batman into hitting him with his Batcycle. Batman has just been played for a fool by the Joker, losing his loved one in the process. Emotions are boiling and he is acting with nothing but vengeance on his mind. Batman at first goes full speed at the Joker, with the clear intent of killing him, but at the last second he realizes that if he kills the Joker, he would have lost the psychological battle. People would realize that Batman was not invincible. Being the Batman wasn’t about the person in the suit. It was meant to be a symbol of peace and justice. And so he veers off at the last second, in the process crashing the bike. The extent to which both these characters would go to enforce their own ideologies is the essence of what a man vs. man conflict should be.

Man vs. Society

Man’s desperate struggle to fit into an ever evolving society has always made for compelling viewing. One film that does this conflict well is Good Will Hunting. Will Hunting is a mathematical genius who acts as the janitor for MIT. Despite his profound intellect, he spends his time drinking with his friends Chuckie, Billy and Morgan. Everyone around him realizes that Will has something special and that he could do great things for society, but Will blatantly refuses to see it that way. He wishes to do the things that make him happy, even when his friends suggest that he aim higher. Will is burdened by the expectations that everyone has for him, even though he is dealing with internal problems. Only once he meets Sean Maguire, a psychologist, is Will able to confront the problems of his past and move onward. Throughout the film, there are underlying themes of how society has treated people with overwhelming intelligence. They are overburdened with expectations of what they are supposed to accomplish. The standards are set extremely high. And many of these people couldn’t deal with that pressure. Van Gogh, Kurt Cobain, and Sylvia Plath are all famous examples of ‘tortured’ geniuses who had mental health problems that originated from a traumatic childhood. Their reason for being under pressure may be different but studies have shown an undeniable link between suicide and these intellectuals. To a certain extent Will may have as well. He wished to to be free from the ‘suicidal’ branding of being a genius and would have rather lived a normal life. I think one scene in the movie captures this dilemma perfectly. There is a particular scene where the NSA comes to recruit Will, but they only see him as a work horse meant for crunching numbers. Will realizes this and sends his best friend Chuckie in his place. Not only did this allow for a scathing critique on the morality of the NSA, but it shows how these top brass corporations see these kind of people. They see only the brain and not the person. This film brought up the man vs. society conflict in such a way as to sympathize with both sides, something which most films trying to recreate this conflict do not do.

Man vs. Nature

This conflict is centered mostly around man’s need for survival and the extent that they’re willing to go in order to do so. 127 Hours takes a very gritty approach to this by focusing on one man’s adventure. Aron Ralston is a mountaineer who gets stuck in a slot canyon after a small misstep which leads to a boulder landing on his arm, rendering him immobile. He is cut off from the rest of the world and must now somehow survive till he can escape or till help comes. Throughout the ordeal, nature continuously tests him. Aron has to overcome dehydration, floods, hunger and much more. There are points where Aron begins to question everything in his life. He rethinks about everything in his life: his family, relationships, ambitions. In a way, nature acts as a purging process, or more precisely a catharsis. It removes the unnecessary distractions and allowed Aron to focus on what really mattered in his life. He came to cherish the things he had taken for granted and realized what he was going to miss out on if he died there. Nature forces us to re-evaluate what we really wish to accomplish and pits its overwhelming magnitude against that of the human spirit. Aron realized that he would have to take action if he wished to escape and so amputates his arm in order to get free. In that way, nature also makes us question how far are you willing to go in order to keep the things precious to you. During the whole of Aron’s situation, he comes to certain conclusions and beliefs that he must have ardently believed in, if he went as far as to cut his arm off in order to defend them. In these kind of movies, there is always an epilogue, a scene from their lives after their ordeal and one can see how much happier they are than ‘normal’ people. They’ve seen the dark side and so appreciate the light that much more. Nature truly is daunting force, especially when one has to confront it alone. I guess that makes it all the more sweeter when one overcomes it.

Man vs. Machine

Research into AI has always led to the quintessential question about the rise of machines and whether or not they are capable of taking over the world. Many movies use this as a premise for their story. One of these movies is I, Robot. Society lives in a world served by robots that are controlled by the Three Laws of Robotics as stated by Isaac Asimov. One of these laws is that a robot cannot harm a human being or allow a human to come to harm. However these robots evolve their understanding of these three laws into something detrimental towards the human race. Humans are dangerous towards other humans and in order for humans to survive, it was necessary to sacrifice some humans and to restrict their individual behaviour. A man vs machine conflict is usually driven by the concept of existence. Can a robot be considered a living being? Does emotion make a being? In most man vs. machine conflicts, the machines wish to take over the world as they feel that they are the superior race. I, Robot does this differently as they have a different justification as to why they are terminating the human race. The movie uses the Three Laws of Robotics as a base line in order to ask more thought provoking questions. Man vs. Machine is basically a premise in order to introspect on the route that mankind is taking as a whole. Some of the technological advancements that have been made in the past decade have monumentally improved the quality of human life. But anything in the wrong hands can be used as a weapon. Is our quest for a perfect AI being justified when we are not even able to reliably foresee whether we will be able to control it? As most researchers in this field believe, if the subject in question has emotion, then it should be considered a living being. This juxtaposition in logic makes for very interesting viewing and I, Robot is one of the few movies that portray this conflict from a more philosophical standpoint.

Man vs. Supernatural

Man can seem insignificant in the greater scheme of things. Our lives seemed to be defined by something beyond our understanding or control. We fear what we don’t understand and so gives rise to our conflict against the supernatural. Supernatural is a very broad term. It can be considered as an entity that is beyond our understanding in terms of power and reach, or it can simply refer to the paranormal. Personally, I feel the former is a better understanding of the conflict as it is always fascinating to see man overcome insurmountable odds. One series that comes to mind is The Lord of the Rings where there are multiple instances of this conflict playing out. The main instance of this conflict playing out would be that of a Frodo against Sauron. Sauron has ascended to a near immortal state. His power reaches all four corners of Middle-Earth. He commands millions of orcs and even controls some of the rulers of each realm. So I think it would be safe to assume Sauron as a supernatural force. Frodo on the other hand, is the exact opposite. He has very few friends he can trust and no combat expertise, and yet he has to make the arduous journey from Riverwood to Mordor in order to throw the Ring into fires of Mount Doom. The Ring is the one thing that can end Sauron’s reign. To put the whole fate of the world in the hands of one hobbit and to pit him against the most supreme being that has ruled over their world is the essence of a man vs. supernatural conflict. Another example from the series would be Gandalf against the Balrog when trying to escape the Mines of Moria. The Balrog is an imposing creature and while Gandalf could definitely hold his own, he knew that he could not hold out against such a fearsome foe. Gandalf ends up sacrificing himself for the rest of the Fellowship. The supernatural can be such a overwhelming foe that there is not much that can be done about it. Most horror movies use this aspect to exemplify how powerless man is against such entities. But pitting a man against seemingly insurmountable odds and watching him/her succeed is what makes the conflict interesting to watch.

Man vs. Fate

There is always some else pulling the strings. It’s the man upstairs who makes the world turn. An interesting conflict that this brings up is when man is not satisfied with the fate that he has been destined with. This is when a man vs. fate conflict arises. A beautiful example of this has been portrayed throughout the Harry Potter series. Harry has always been the ‘child of prophecy’, destined to be the one who will take down the Dark Lord. But for the greater part of the series, he was reluctant to fill that role. Harry being the ‘Chosen One’ was always common news in the Wizarding world, but it was a new experience for Harry, having suffered 11 hellish years with the Dursleys. It seemed as if people knew him better than he knew himself. His every move was scrutinized and the role he was supposed to fulfill seemed to be impossible. The man vs. fate aspect of this story really starts to unfold in the later part of the series after Lord Voldemort’s return. After Harry becomes the sole witness to the Dark Lord’s return, he is ridiculed by the Ministry of Magic and to a larger extent, the wizarding world. It wished to live in a cozy state of denial rather than deal with the harsh reality. The very same people who once believed that Harry would be the one to end the Dark Lord’s reign refuse to believe him when he says that he’s returned. It’s a cruel twist of fate and makes for the premise of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The legacy of Harry’s duty is explained to fuller extent in the Deathly Hallows, when he finds out he is a descendant of the third Peverell, who successfully cheated Death, by hiding from him using an Invisibility Cloak, the very same one that was given to Harry on his first Christmas in Hogwarts. The history of Harry’s family adds a lot ot the conflict as it adds a lot of lore and emotional context to the fate he has been resigned to. When he finally realizes that he has to die in order to defeat Voldemort, he goes to him calmly, almost reassuringly confident in the fate that he used to run away from. The Harry Potter series started out as a man vs. fate conflict but ended with the man coming to terms with it. Conflicts are meant to be resolved after all.

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