Answer:
External conflict is a problem, antagonist, or struggle that takes place between a character and an outside force. External conflict drives the action of a plot forward.
Some additional key details about external conflict:
In an external conflict, a character may be struggling against another character, the natural world, or society.
External conflict is defined in contrast to internal conflict, in which the struggle is between a character and themselves—for example, between selfish and selfless impulses.
External and internal conflicts aren't mutually exclusive. In fact, they can often play out simultaneously.
Three Types of External Conflict
Literary critics usually sub-divide external conflict into the three categories: character vs. character, character vs. nature, and character vs. society.
Character vs. Character: In this type of conflict, the protagonist, or main character, faces off with an antagonist who must be defeated. Classic fairy tales and myths often fall into this category: the miller's daughter outsmarts Rumpelstiltskin; Cinderella is freed from the household of her evil step-mother; Theseus slays the minotaur.
Character vs. Nature: Here, the character's enemy is not another person, but instead the natural world. Often, the protagonist is stranded in the wilderness, threatened by a storm or blizzard, or struck by a terrible disease, and must fight for their life. Many adventure stories center on a character vs. nature conflict. Robinson Crusoe is one such example: the protagonist, Robinson Crusoe, is shipwrecked on an island and must find a way to survive.
Character vs. Society: In these stories, the protagonist questions and perhaps rebels against the social norms of their community or of society at large. Most works of literature that focus on a character vs. society conflict are intended to encourage readers to examine how their own society functions in unjust ways. Dystopian novels like Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale feature this kind of conflict, as do stories that portray injustice (such as Native Son, Invisible Man, or Trifles).
It's important to remember that a single story can, and often does, include several types of conflict. For example, one character might have a conflict with another character and a broader conflict with society.
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