Conflict (narrative)

Traditionally, conflict is a major element of narrative or dramatic structure that creates challenges in a story by adding uncertainty as to whether the goal will be achieved.

The literary purpose of conflict is to create tension in the story, making readers more interested by leaving them uncertain which of the characters or forces will prevail.

[3] When a conflict is resolved and the reader discovers which force or character succeeds, it creates a sense of closure.

[1] The TV show Man vs. Wild takes its name from this conflict, featuring Bear Grylls and his attempts to survive nature.

[15] In the novel Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, published in 1994, as well as in its 1999 film adaptation, the unnamed protagonist struggles against himself in what is revealed to be a case of dissociative identity disorder.

[16] Bridget Jones's Diary also focuses on internal conflict, as the titular character deals with her own neuroses and self-doubts.

[11] In such stories, characters are forced to make moral choices or frustrated by social rules in meeting their own goals.

The agon, or act of conflict, involves the protagonist (the "first fighter") and the antagonist (a more recent term), corresponding to the hero and villain.

Similarly, when godlike characters enter (e.g. Superman), correspondingly great villains have to be created, or natural weaknesses have to be invented, to allow the narrative to have drama.

Alternatively, scenarios could be devised in which the character's godlike powers are constrained by some sort of code, or their respective antagonist.