Conflict in "The Nest" Paul Jennings
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, Verushka 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, pg. 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 techniques 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”
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, Verushka 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, pg. 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 techniques 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”