Physical, Social, and Internal/Psychological/Inner Conflict Based on Breece D'J Pancake’s First Day of Winter

Answer

Physical, Social, and Internal/Psychological/Inner Conflict Based on Breece D'J Pancake’s First Day of Winter

Conflicts are vital in powering the plot of a story/narration. The role of the conflicts is to move forward the novel because of both the suspense and tension that they create. Notably, most narratives will have at least of form of central conflict and other conflicts that are support it. The conflicts may either be external in the form of physical or social conflicts, or internal such as inner/psychological conflicts. In Breece D'J Pancake’s First Day of Winter, the protagonist (Hollis) experiences physical, social, and psychological conflict because of solitude and loneliness he experiences while taking care of his parents in a West Virginia farm.

            Physical conflict in the story is demonstrated when Hollis goes hunting and has to suffocate a squirrel while at the same time imagining how it would be like to smother his parents. Notably, a physical conflict involves the characters in a story struggling against some external forces such as animals, natural forces, and other characters. In the First Day of Winter, Hollis struggles against a squirrel after he had gone out hunting (Pancake 167). However, the struggle is also exacerbated by the Hollis’ imagination about a ruthless way out of the dilemma that he was facing due to his stultifying life. Hollis cruelty and physical struggle are clear from the manner in which he smothers a squirrel to prepare a thanksgiving dinner for his father.

            The story elucidates social conflict when Hollis has to struggle against the habits of his brother (Jake) is suggesting that their parents should be taken to “the state home” as well as against the society which had destined him to a solitary and lonely life in the farm. Social conflict is demonstrated when characters in a story struggle against either the customs, habits, and ideologies of other people or those of the society in which they live. In the First Day of Winter, Hollis social conflict arises from the differences in the suggestion of his brother that they should put their parents in a state home (Pancake 166). According to Hollis doing so would risk his parents’ life because the staff in the state home would starve, mistreat, and finally, smother the parents.

            Hollis experiences psychological conflict in the form of inner discord and unrest with the life that he was leading because of the kinship obligation that he had and his immobility due to economic duress. Notably, a psychological conflict is an internal/inner  arises where a character struggle within himself due to the need to overcome a handicap. Hollis struggles to shed off the challenges he was facing. Without a wife or girlified and socially isolated, Hollis faced an inner unrest as he deemed himself a misfit in his family and only worthy to play a nursemaid for his parents. The inner struggle makes Hollis have cruel thoughts hence, contemplating killing.

            In sum, physical, social, and inner conflicts in the story arise from Hollis external and internal struggles emanating from his solitary life in the farm. Physical conflict arises when Hollis cruelly smothers a squirrel to prepare a thanksgiving dinner for his parent. However, social struggle is found in Hollis’ quest to fight the ideology proposed by his brother (Jake) to the effect that they should take their parents to a state home. Psychologically, Hollis had an inner discord/unrest because of what life had transformed him into- a nursemaid for his parents.