Question

What textual evidence from "The Interlopers" is an example of man vs nature conflict?

Choices:
A: "Who are they?" asked Georg quickly, straining his eyes to see what the other would gladly have not seen. "Wolves."
B: An idea was slowly forming and growing in his brain, an idea that gained strength every time that he looked across at the man who was fighting so grimly against pain and exhaustion.
C: Relief at being alive and exasperation at his captive plight brought a strange medley of pios thank-offerings and sharp curses to Ulrich's lips.
D: If only on this wild night, in this dark, lone spot, he might come across Georg Znaeym, man to man, with none to witness--that was the wish that was uppermost in his thoughts.

Answer 1

A: "Who are they?" asked Georg quickly, straining his eyes to see what the other would gladly have not seen. "Wolves."

A man vs. nature conflict is when the character struggles against some force of nature. In this quote Georg and Ulrich are going to go up against the wolves. However, since they are both trapped under a fallen tree without the ability to defend themselves, it probably won't be much of a fight. This ending of the Interlopers is ironic because the men were both hunters looking for human prey (each other). Now, they are the prey that is being hunted down by the wolves. Because of the feud the reader expected the men to be killed by each other, not a force of nature.

The other types of conflicts are man vs. man where two characters are against each other. Man vs. society in which the character breaks society's rules. One example would be going to school without clothes on. Society says that you must be dressed in public, so not being dressed in public would break the rules. Man vs. self is the last major type of conflict. This type of conflict is an internal struggle where the character has to make a difficult decision. We see this in the Interlopers when the men decide that maybe ending the feud could be beneficial to his own survival.