Conflict

The central conflict in a story is between the protagonist and the antagonist. The protagonist is the main character. They are usually, but not always, a person. The antagonist is the main force opposing the protagonist. Antagonists are not always people. Other common conflicts are against society, nature, or a part of oneself. Stories often have multiple conflicts, but the central conflict is the one that drives the plot. The story is structured around that conflict and it can end when that conflict has been resolved.

Conflicts can be thought of in the form "The protagonist wants/needs ____, but ____." The protagonist has a goal, but the antagonist gets in their way, serving as an obstacle that the protagonist must overcome.

The antagonist is in bold in the following examples.

Examples of Person versus Self Conflicts

• The protagonist wants to achieve something great, but must overcome their insecurities to do so.

• The protagonist wants to be a good person, and so must resist their overwhelming desire for power.

• The protagonist gradually accepts the death of a family member.

• The protagonist needs to moves beyond their innocent view of the world as they mature.

Examples of Person versus Society Conflicts

• The protagonist faces prejudice or discrimination on the path to reaching a goal.

• The protagonist struggles to survive under an oppressive government.

• The protagonist faces resistance as they try to bring about social or political change.

Examples of Person versus Nature Conflicts

• The protagonist gets lost in the forest and must survive.

• The protagonist must survive a natural disaster such as a flood or hurricane.

Examples of Person versus Person Conflicts

• The protagonist competes against another character in an academic or athletic contest.

• The protagonist must deal with another character's cruel insults.

• The protagonist argues with a parent.

Frame Narrative

A frame narrative is the narrative structure in which a story is told within another story; for example, a character recounts a story told to them by someone else. The outer story is referred to simply as the frame narrative. Inner stories are called embedded narratives.

Definition

A frame narrative is the narrative structure in which a story is told within another story; for example, a character recounts a story told to them by someone else. The outer story is referred to simply as the frame narrative. Inner stories are called embedded narratives.

Purposes

Through different levels of narration, a frame narrative can do any of the following.

Add complexity.

• • A frame narrative may introduce themes that will be echoed throughout the embedded narrative(s).

  • Multiple points of view show various perspectives or fill in missing information.

  • Each layer of narration adds layers of meaning; the truth may be hidden at the heart of the innermost narrative or may only come to light through an understanding of all levels of narration.

  • The act of hearing an embedded narrative may impact the (frame) narrator’s perceptions or opinions, thus concretely impacting the plot at other layers of the narration.

Draw attention to the narrative act.

• • The frame narrative offers context for why the story is being told. The embedded narrative takes on added significance because of its relevance to the situation in the frame.

  • The frame narrative might encourage us to consider the (embedded) narrator’s intentions in telling their story or the (frame) narrator’s intentions in relating it to us.

  • The multiple perspectives could lead us to believe that one or more narrators are (intentionally or unintentionally) unreliable.

Control readers’ interpretations.

• • A narrative frame can (subtly or explicitly) establish how the embedded narrative should be interpreted.

  • A narrative frame can depict readers’ or listeners’ possible responses.