7th grade humanities
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identifying conflict in novels

A conflict is a disagreement, struggle, or problem.  There are two main kinds of conflict in stories: internal and external.


Internal Conflict
A struggle that takes place in a character's mind is called internal conflict. For example, a character may have to decide between right and wrong or between two solutions to a problem. Sometimes, a character must deal with his or her own mixed feelings or emotions.


External Conflict
A struggle between a character and an outside force is an external conflict. Characters may face several types of outside forces.
  • The outside force may be another character.  (Character vs. character)
  • It may be the community.  (Character vs. community)
  • The outside force may also be forces of nature.  For example, a story might be the main character struggling against the arctic cold.  (Character vs. nature) 


Click on the icon below to download the Powerpoint shown in class:
Internal and External Conflict
File Size: 119 kb
File Type: ppt
Download File

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