Final answer:
The main conflict in a story is a challenge the protagonist must overcome, which may be internal or external. The rising action builds tension leading to the climax, where the conflict peaks. Identifying the conflict helps to analyze the theme of the narrative.
Step-by-step explanation:
The main conflict in the story is often represented by a challenge or dilemma that the protagonist must face. This can manifest as an internal conflict, where the character battles with their own thoughts and emotions, or an external conflict, resulting from factors in their environment or interactions with other characters. As the story progresses, rising action builds by placing the character in situations that escalate the tension stemming from this conflict, leading to the climax, where the tension reaches its zenith and the character must confront the central challenge of the narrative.
In analyzing a piece of literature to identify the main conflict, one should consider how the conflict is introduced, developed, and ultimately, how it contributes to the theme of the narrative. The theme, a central idea or message that the author wishes to convey, is in many ways shaped and informed by the nature of the conflict and the protagonist's response to it. To pinpoint this conflict, asking "What's the conflict?" during any scene can help keep it central to the narrative a