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Conflict in “The Nest” Conflict is the state of opposition or hostility: a fight or a struggle. The idea of conflict engulfs our daily lives in every possible way. Conflict is inevitably always present; it is impossible to avoid. Only through conflict we are capable to grow beyond our personalities and it is necessary to learn from it. Conflict highlights our strengths and weaknesses and gives us a chance to improve. Such type of conflict is proposed in the novel “The Nest” written by a famous Australian author Paul Jennings.
Conflict can be thoroughly portrayed in the novel through the characters Robin (protagonist), Charlie, Overuses and Robin’s Dad, Alan. In ‘The Nest’ conflict can be better expressed through various themes including man vs.. Self, man vs.. Man and man vs.. Nature. The first theme to be discussed is man vs.. Self which is widely present throughout the novel ‘The Nest. ‘ Man vs.. Self can also be referred to as internal conflict which is the mental or emotional struggle that occurs within a character. Man vs.. Self in the novel relates to Robin’s battle with his inner self.
Robin has to deal with the mystery of his mother’s death, the feeling of being unloved and the hatred from his father. This leads to Robin constantly questioning his own self-worth. Some self-posing questions directly from the text are “Why didn’t she take me with her? Wasn’t I good enough? ” (Chapter 2, peg. 65) The novel ‘The Nest’ is written in first-person narrative which creates an intimate experience. This allows readers to see Robin’s opinions, thoughts, and feelings. When something triggers Robin’s emotions, unpredictable images pop in his mind.
Examples of the flashing images in his head include corks popping, snakes hissing and violent images of him harming his father. Various quenches such as similes and personification have been used to describe these images. Some examples of these are “The sickening image builds up in my head like a shaken bottle of champagne” (chapter 1, peg. 33) and “Black nightmares dance inside my head” (chapter 2, peg. 73). Therefore, the conflict man vs.. Self is expressed through Robin and his inner self throughout the novel ‘The Nest’ using a number of language techniques.
In the novel ‘The Nest’, the theme man vs.. Man proposes the idea of conflict between Robin and other characters including Charlie, Overuses and Alan (Robin’s father). Man vs.. Man is a type of external conflict referring to the struggle between a character and other character’s. Firstly, conflict between Robin and Charlie occurs when Charlie witnesses Robin killing the bird which causes a major misunderstanding between the two, leaving Robin feeling hopeless. “Don’t talk to me,” she says, “l don’t want to know what you think” (Chapter 2, peg. 74).
In this quote, the use of order creates an imperative mood. Similes and descriptive words have been used to describe Charlie’s take-off. Conflict between Overuses and Robin rises when Robin is filled with lust but he is Jealous of Ryan for painting naked pictures of Overuses. This leads to a disagreement between Robin and Overuses. Quotes from the text include “It’s disgusting,” I yell. “Don’t be a baby, you’re Jealous,” she says. ” (Chapter 3, peg. 1 1 1) The theme man vs.. Man can also be expresses through the conflict between Robin and his father.
Alan accuses Robin of his mother’s death This causes great levels of hatred towards each other. “The Journey home is hideous. The feelings of resentment between me and dad kill any form of communication for the first hour or so” (chapter 2, peg. 8). The sentences used in the text are short but sharp. Many descriptive words have been used to describe Robin and ??lan’s arguments. The conflict man vs.. Man has been represented greatly in the novel ‘The Nest’ through the characters Robin, Charlie, Overuses and Robin’s dad.