Conflict and theme

Of Mice and MenLiterary Terms and Concepts

ConflictConflictExternal and Internal

◦External conflict happens outside of a person

◦Internal conflict happens inside of a person

Internal ConflictInternal ConflictMan vs. Self

◦An individual struggles with a decision Example: A student has access to the

answers on an important final exam. She knows she would get away with it if she were to cheat, however, she would also have to deal with feelings of regret if she stole the answers.

External ConflictExternal ConflictMan vs. Man

◦A character has an argument or disagreement with someone else Example: During lunch today, a fight

broke out in the cafeteria.

External ConflictExternal ConflictMan vs. Nature

◦A character has a problem with outside forces Example: The tornado destroyed the

small town in a matter of minutes.

External ConflictExternal ConflictMan vs. Society

◦A character disagrees with societal values, laws, or beliefs Example: During the Civil Rights

movement, blacks were often not allowed the same rights as whites.

ThemeThemeThe view about life and how

people behaveMust be inferredExamples: Honesty, Family, etc…

MoodMoodThe atmosphere created by the

writer◦Example: The party scene at the

beginning of the book brought out an energetic and cheerful mood.

ToneToneThe feeling the author has

toward the subject matterExample: If we were to read a

description of a date that included words like dreaded we would assume the author had a pessimistic tone.