Value of Conflict in Fiction

Value of Conflict in Fiction

Conflict makes everything more interesting. While we do not generally like conflict, we can know that it will always be around as long as there are human beings populating the earth.

Because art reflects life, conflict makes fiction interesting and successful. Franz Kafka's short story, "The Metamorphosis" is an example of how conflict becomes visible after a traumatic event occurs. Herman Melville's story, "Bartleby the Scrivener," allows us to see how conflict arises when things become confusing. In Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "Chronicle of a Death Foretold," conflict emerges in the form of different perspectives recalling the same event. These stories illustrate the importance of conflict in our lives. We do not like dealing with it but, at times, it becomes necessary to do so. It can help us see things clearly and it can make things more confusing. Conflict makes life interesting and it gives it flavor that forces us to pay attention even when we do not think we need to do so. through fiction, we can understand these concepts.

Kafka reveals conflict in metamorphosis through Gregor's personal situation. He awakens to find himself in an awful physical state where he is forced to reflect upon his life. This causes two things to occur immediately. One thing is alienation and the other thing is rejection. Gregor is alienated in his new body and while he hides in his room, he is forced to come to terms with what he has made of his life thus far. He thinks of the endless hours he spent working and comes to realize that working so much and getting out of bed so early "makes one stupid" (Kafka 742). He has no friends and those he once considered his friends are simply "casual acquaintances that are always new" (742). Lying in bed, Gregor realizes how much he hated his life when he had a body that was normal and human. With the body of a bug, he understands how he has wasted his life. Another source of conflict Kafka brings to light in this story is that of family. Gregor's family was all about him when he was bringing in an income and taking care of them. Without his money, they began to treat him badly. They see no use for him and they have very little concern for him as a bug. The family is increasingly insensitive with the passage of time and eventually they simply want to be rid of him, as he is a burden. They bounce back from his death taking a time for "resting and going for a stroll," (Kafka 777). Conflict in this story comes down to self-appreciation and communication. Gregor thinks his live is tolerable before he wakes up as a bug but lying in that room with no hope, he begins to see the incredible conflict he invited into his own life before his transformation.

Melville focuses on conflict with Bartleby's strange behavior. Individuality and freedom are two aspects that emerge as we watch Bartleby change. He chooses to behave a certain way and, in doing so, he is bucking the system. The conflict the narrator finds with Bartleby becomes extremely problematic within his own mind as he discovers himself becoming "considerably reconciled" (Melville 1010) to Bartleby. Bartleby is no doubt getting away with not working but there is more going on here. The narrator attempts to get at the heart of it -- for his own sake and for Bartleby as well. When he encounters Bartleby working on a Sunday, he feels an "overpowering stinging melancholy" (1015). His change of attitude is interesting because it demonstrates how human beings are fickle and how emotions can get the most of us. The narrator becomes repulsed by Bartleby and decides that he must be suffering from some type of mental problem. The less the narrator knows about Bartleby the worse things seem to be for him. He wants to make sense of things. He wants it all to make sense. The conflict arises from his inability to do so. The narrator is simply being human in his desire to control and understand things but Kafka is demonstrating how we cannot always know everything and how we must be at peace with that, lest we become insane. It is also important to point out that some things are simply not meant to be known or completely understood. Kafka does not attempt to explain everything in this story because we often face situations that will never be truly understood.

Marquez demonstrates conflict and how it makes for interesting fiction by allowing the readers to embark upon a journey with the narrator of the story. We also see conflict with Angela's situation. She is being forced to do something she does not want to do and she is must keep a terrible secret in the meantime. She struggles before the marriage and even prays for the "strength to kill myself"(Marquez 193). She almost confesses the truth to her mother but backs out when her friends convince her to keep quiet. Angela marries with the "illusion" that she is pure. Angela tells the narrator about her misfortune "without shame in order to cover up the other misfortune, the real one, that was burning in her insides' (229). Santiago is another character that brings conflict to this story. The narrator is certain that he died "without understanding his death" (236). The story is also important because the narrator attempts at all costs to discover truth about what actually happened. The result, however, demonstrates how incredibly futile it seems to attempt to any such thing. Perspective becomes important as we realize everyone has one and they rarely coincide with each other in regard to something as simple as weather. We also learn that truth is subjective and while thirty people may all witness the same event, they will recall it differently.