Conflicts and Secondary Characters

We’ve talked about the main character; now let’s talk about the other characters that drive stories forward. Because characters push and prod or hinder our main characters, we’ll include a quick discussion of conflict types as well.

The Antagonist

Just as every story needs a Protagonist (main character), stories also need an Antagonist. This is some one or something that antagonizes the main character and gives the story its bumps and hiccups. 

There are three different forms that the antagonist can take, and from these three forms we derive three main types of conflict in a story. Unlike the protagonist, the antagonist is not always a person with complex needs or wants. Sometimes the antagonist is a little bit of shyness that completely paralyzes the main character. Sometimes the antagonist is a friend who lashes out unexpectedly. Sometimes the antagonist a is howling tornado without thought or intention. The three main conflict types are:

1. Man vs. Self

2. Man vs. Man

3. Man vs. Nature

Understanding conflicts in a story is a great way for kids to build empathy. Young readers may feel empathy for the main character as he or she faces the forces of nature, or empathy for the antagonist, who though flawed, also has needs and insecurities. Or your reader may relate to a fear or insecurity that the main character has.

Whatever type of antagonist your story has, talk with your child about appropriate ways for the main character to solve his or her problem, and recognize the internal strength the main character must have to face his antagonist with courage. 

Man vs. Self

Sometimes the antagonist of a story is actually the main character herself. The main character’s internal flaws continually get in the way of meeting her goals. This is called a Man. vs. Self conflict type, because the individual must overcome some element of self in order to reach that happily ever after. 

Share Some Kindness Bring Some Light by Apryl Stott is a fantastic  example of the Man vs. Self conflict type. In this book, a shy bear overcomes his internal flaw of self doubt to rescue a baby deer and make friends with the other forest animals. This is a great book to use for teaching character transformation because the closing image of a dancing bear is so powerful when  compared to the shy bear at the beginning. The character really does overcome his internal flaw and come out victorious.

In Paulette Bourgeois’s Franklin Goes to the Hospital, the young turtle gets a crack in his shell and must have a surgery at the hospital. Greater than his struggle with his body is his struggle with fear. This internal flaw (as understandable as it may be) must be overcome for Franklin to receive the treatment he needs and heal his shell. Franklin does in fact learn about bravery and find peace in the end. 

H. A. Ray’s classic Curious George features a lovable little monkey who is praised for his passion and curiosity. While curiosity is generally a very positive and powerfully motivating personality trait, for Curious George it can be a liability.  Combined with aloofness and some clumsiness, George’s curiosity gets him into a lot of sticky situations, and it can be argued that it functions as a character flaw. Curious George makes a lot of messes, but he never does seem to learn his lesson or overcome these internal flaws. In stories like these, we can talk with our children about what went wrong: where did George make his mistake? Did he obey the Man In The Yellow Hat or not? We can help our children to learn the lesson that George, being a monkey, fails to grasp.

Man vs. Man

In other stories, an antagonist can be clearly identified among the other characters. There is a bully at school, or a strict teacher who sabotages the student’s grade, or a menacing local leader willing to bulldoze the best patch of trees in town for a new high-rise. This is a Man vs. Man conflict type, and these antagonists must be defeated and de-throned by the main character. 

Picture books tend, more often, to focus more on internal struggles than they do on struggles with other people, but here are a few from my self that show a main character struggling with other characters. You undoubtedly will find others.  

Esphyr Slobodkina’s Caps for Sale tells the story of a cap peddler who falls asleep beneath a tree and wakens to find his caps have all been stollen by a band of monkeys. The monkeys are not men, of course, but they do serve the role of an antagonizing other. The cap peddler must find a way to communicate with the monkeys and compel them to return his caps. In the end, the monkeys are outwitted and the main character is victorious and receives his caps back.   

Mercer Mayer’s I was so Mad is an interesting one to consider because it does show a child’s frustration with other people. In this one, Little Critter is very angry at his parents and grandparents for continually telling him “no” when he would like very much to color on the walls or tickle the goldfish. Each page shows an angry adult and an angry little critter. But rather than overcoming the adults, as one would overcome an antagonist, the little critter experiences an attitude shift and actually overcomes his anger instead. This reveals that his anger was the true antagonist, rather than his parents. This story would fit better into the Man vs. Self conflict type. 

 In Judy Blume’s Freckle Juice, the protagonist, a kid named Andrew, envies the freckled face of his classmate, Nicky. Through the course of the story, Andrew must face his own misconceptions of happiness and learn to be content with his own freckle-free face. While he is working on overcoming his internal flaws, however, he is faced with the sly tricks of a girl named Sharron. Sharron knows what Andrew wants and knows how to take advantage of his need to her own advantage. Andrew must see through Sharron’s trick to overcome his own flaws. In addition to important conversations about kindness and friendship, we can talk with our children about what each character wants, and try to understand what may be motivating Sharron. 

Man vs. Nature

Lastly, the antagonist can be some element of the natural world. In a story about a bad storm, a dangerous ocean voyage, or climbing Mt. Everest, for example, nature itself poses challenges that the main character must overcome in order to survive. This is a Man vs. Nature conflict type. 

In Michael Rosen’s We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, a family faces many elements of the natural world: mud, rivers, forests, snow, and finally, the bear itself. The characters show resolve and courage in their journey, but ultimately determine that they can not be victorious over the bear (an element of the natural world) and that the best they can do is return home. These characters do not return victorious over the natural world, but they have learned a lesson and experienced a meaningful character change.

Multiple Conflict Types

Most narratives will have multiple conflict types. The main characters in ALL stories should learn something; there is just about always (in well written stories at least) a Man vs. Self conflict afoot. When literary critics ask what type of conflict a story has, we are usually trying to identify the main conflict that really pushes the story along, but that level of differentiation is not important at this stage. Your child may enjoy finding all of the conflict types in the stories you are reading — and it’s quite likely all three will be there to some extent. Don’t stress about which one is the main one; just affirm what your child notices and ask probing questions to further the discussion.

In other stories, you may not be sure which conflict types you are seeing. That’s okay. Just talk to your little one about the character’s actions, problem, and solution. Ideally, your little one will learn some life lessons through the main character’s challenges, even if (as in the case of Curious George), the main character does not. 

The Mentor and Friends

In addition to the antagonist, there are a few other types of secondary characters that serve important roles. In 1949 Joseph Campbell published his definitive work, A Hero with a Thousand Faces, that compares world myths and draws out an archetype of the Hero’s Journey. Campbell describes the main character’s quest, defeat of the villain, and return home, and archetypes of secondary characters as well. 

The two secondary characters that most often appear in picture books are the Mentor, and the Friends. 

The mentor is often an older person who knows something that the main character does not. The mentor is benevolent and teaches the main character some wisdom or truth. 

The friends come alongside the protagonist in his hero’s journey. They have strengths that make up for his flaws, and they support him in his quest. 

Let’s look at these roles in action.

In Kate DiCamillo’s Mercy Watson series, the author creates a whole cast of characters who all live on the same street with a lovable pig named Mercy. Mercy is the main character, the one around whom the action centers. 

Mercy has many friends on Decawoo Drive, but Mercy’s most significant allies are  her owners, Mrs. and Mrs. Watson. They have skills that Mercy lacks (understanding, intentionality, human speech), but they don’t upstage her. Mr. and Mrs. Watson are simple people without much insight into the circumstances of the story. They are like Mercy’s human arm, an extension of her lovable personality that transcend the limits of being a pig.

Eugenia Lincoln lives next door and absolutely hates pigs. She becomes the antagonist. In Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig, Mercy eats Eugenia’s newly planted flowers, and Eugenia chases Mercy up and down the street until the animal control officer arrives to help. Eugenia trembles with anger and frustration at this pig, but she is always taken down a notch by the end of each book in the series. She is never fully overcome, as one overcomes an antagonist, but that is because Mercy is not a typical protagonist — she has very little self-awareness and interprets Eugenia’s antics as a new game. The narrative itself, however, usually subdues Eugenia. 

Lastly, Eugenia’s younger sister, Baby Lincoln, often fills the role of the Mentor. Baby Lincoln is kind and gracious to Mercy. She understands the complexity or gray area of a farm animal living like a pet. She understands and shows compassion to Eugenia as well. She has the wisdom of both perspectives and often helps to defuse the conflicts and tensions between Mercy and Eugenia. 

The Take Away

As you are reading, talk with your little one about each of the characters. Consider what each character wants or needs (Eugenia wants peace and quiet, Mercy wants toast, Baby wants everyone to be friends, etc). Which of these characters cause problems? Which characters help to solve problems? Don’t shy away from using the archetype terms once you have talked about what they mean. You can ask “Who is the antagonist? Remember that the antagonist sort of gets in the way and makes problems. Who is getting in the way?” 

Remember that one of our goals in talking about literature is the development of critical thinking skills. Ask your little one to show you a picture or page where X,Y, or Z is happening. We want them to get used to looking in the text for evidence, and defending their ideas with real information.

Another main goal is for your little one to learn how people interact in the world, that our actions have consequences, and that we need each other. Find ways to bring the conversation back to real life. Does your little one have friends? Does your little one have a teacher or helper that shares wisdom? Or maybe there are those moments when your little one becomes the antagonist to baby sister. How do we solve these problems together? 

Happy reading!