Elements of Literature in Animation Conflict

The elements of literature are the common structural elements that should be included in every story. The elements of literature are Characters, Setting, Narrator, Perspective/Point of view, Plot, Conflict/Problem, Mood, and Theme. Good writers make sure each element is included in the stories that they write to make them interesting and understandable. Good readers learn to recognize each of the elements to understand the meaning or the moral of the story. These elements create the foundation of good stories and if they are missing, the story will feel incomplete and unsatisfying. Also, it will not be very entertaining for the readers.

Conflict

In works of literature, conflict is the problem that the main characters need to solve to achieve their goals. The conflict creates challenges in the story by adding uncertainty as to whether the goal will be achieved. Conflict is most visible between two or more characters, usually a protagonist and an antagonist/enemy/villain. Also, there can be multiple conflicts or one major conflict and additional secondary problems. The resolution refers to the closure or conclusion of the conflict, which may or may not occur by the end of the story.

Conflict in literature may be internal or external for a character — that is, it may occur within a character's mind or between a character and exterior forces. Characters can find themselves in conflict with forces of nature such as weather events like a hurricane. Conflict can occur between characters and events that affect survival such as a drought or a loss of food. The literary purpose of conflict is to create tension in the story, making readers more interested by leaving them uncertain about how the conflicts will be resolved. Conflicts, or the problem in the story, may be resolved at any point in a story, particularly where more than one conflict exists.

Conflicts in a story can occur in different forms. These are as follows: Man vs. Man, Man vs. Nature, Man vs. Self, Man vs. Society, Man vs. Machine/Technology, Man vs. Fate, Man vs. The Supernatural, and Man vs. God. These different types of conflicts are explained below based on examples from the animated film Rango (2011).

Spoiler Alert – This post includes information about the ending of this film. If you have not watched the film Rango (2011), you should do so before completing this assignment.

Rango is a 2011 American animated Western comedy film directed by Gore Verbinski from a screenplay by John Logan. It was co-produced by Verbinski with Graham King and John B. Carls. The film's plot centers on Rango, a pet chameleon who accidentally ends up in the town of Dirt, an outpost that is in desperate need of a new sheriff. Rango was produced by Nickelodeon Movies, Verbinski's Blind Wink Productions, and King's GK Films, and distributed by Paramount Pictures, with the animation provided by Industrial Light & Magic. It was released on March 4, 2011, and was both a major critical and commercial success, grossing $245.7 million against a budget of $135 million. At the 84th Academy Awards, the film won Best Animated Feature, making it the first non-Disney or Pixar film to win since 2006's Happy Feet, and the last one to win until 2018's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

The main characters are as follows:

Rango, the main protagonist, an eccentric but heroic chameleon, voiced by Johnny Depp.

Beans, a protagonist, a hotheaded but good-hearted desert iguana and Rango's love interest, voiced by Isla Fisher.

Priscilla, a young cactus mouse, voiced by Abigail Breslin.

Mayor Johnathan “John” Carlton Lynch, the main antagonist, a calculating green desert tortoise with red eyes who is the mayor of Dirt, voiced by Ned Beatty.

Rattlesnake Jake Douglas, an antagonist, a sadistic western diamondback rattlesnake gunslinger from Tucson, Arizona, voiced by Bill Nighy

Bad Bill, an antagonist, a Gila monster outlaw who refers to Rattlesnake Jake as the Grim Reaper, voiced by Ray Winstone.

The Spirit of the West, a meta-cinema character based on Clint Eastwood, voiced by Timothy Olyphant

Hawk, a Red-Tailed Hawk that is the quaternary antagonist.

Roadkill, an elderly nine-banded armadillo, voiced by Alfred Molina.

Conflict - Man vs. Man

This conflict is found in stories where characters behave in ways that are antagonistic to one another. This is an external conflict. In Rango, an example of this type of conflict is between him and the Red-tailed Hawk, between Rango and Rattlesnake Jake, and between Rango and Mayor John.

Rango tries not to get eaten by the hawk. This could also be classified as Man vs. Nature since they are both animals and hawks eat chameleons.

Rattlesnake Jake is a villain who runs Jake out of town for lying to the townsfolk.

Mayor John threatens to kill Rattlesnake Jake for not killing Rango and Beans after it is found out that he is the culprit behind the loss of water to the town of Dirt.

Conflict - Man vs. Nature

Man vs. Nature is an external struggle positioning the character against an animal or a force of nature, such as a storm or tornado or snow.

Rango is stranded in the extreme heat of the Mojave Desert and cannot find water.

Conflict - Man vs. Self

The Man vs. Self struggle is an internal conflict. A character must overcome their own nature or make a choice between two or more paths—good and evil; logic and emotion.

Rango thinks of himself as an actor. Because of this, he tends to “act” as someone he is not and disappoints the townsfolk who find out he has deceived them.

Beans seems to like Rango romantically but suffers from a mental or psychological disorder that she says is a defense mechanism, which hinders her from properly acknowledging her feelings about him.

Conflict - Man vs. Society

Man in this conflict stands against man-made institutions (such as slavery or bullying). In such stories, characters are forced to make moral choices or find themselves frustrated by social rules in meeting their own goals.

Mayor John is found out to be the culprit behind the loss of water to the townsfolk in the town of Dirt.

Conflict - Man vs. Machine/Technology

The Man vs. Machine/Technology conflict is external. In general, it can involve scenarios where machines or technology stands in the way of the protagonist achieving a goal. It can also involve direct combat with robots.

Roadkill is an armadillo who repeatedly tries to cross a road but is hindered from doing so by passing vehicles who sometimes hit him. He eventually makes it to the other side of the road.

Rango has to dodge vehicles on the road to survive after he falls out of his owner’s car.

Conflict - Man vs. Fate

Man vs. Fate is a type of conflict where the protagonist finds himself or herself pitted against a vengeful god or powerful supernatural force. The conflict occurs when the character is made to follow an unknown path and finds himself in a helpless position. The future has been predetermined in some way, but the protagonist struggles to accept it.

Rango in his terrarium, falls out of his owner’s vehicle in an accident on the road while traveling through the desert. He ends up stranded and alone in the extreme heat of the Mojave Desert.

Rango and the townsfolk in Dirt engage in battle against he family/gang of moles over a water jug and eventually find out that the jug is empty leaving them all without water.

Conflict - Man vs. The Supernatural

Man vs. the Supernatural can be an internal or external conflict. It can involve an internal struggle wherein a person attempts to take control of their life in the face of fate, or it can be blatantly external, where a normal person must battle against monsters or other supernatural beings.

The Spirit of the West challenges Rango to go back and finish his story after he is run out of town.

Conflict - Man vs. God

Man vs. God conflict is a type of conflict in literature that features a protagonist who is in conflict with a god, religion, or fate. The conflict can stem from a character’s inner turmoil with religion or an external clash with organized religion or an actual god.

This information shows that there are multiple conflicts in the storyline of the animated film Rango (2011). In my opinion, the major conflict of this film is Man vs. Fate in that Rango falls out of his owner’s car on a road in the middle of the desert and finds himself stranded and all alone. Somehow, he must find a way to either get back home or survive in the desert. However, the plot of the film states that Rango ends up in a town that needs a new sheriff, even though the loss of the town’s water supply seems to clearly be of greater concern to the characters in the story. According to that description, the conflict is Man vs. Society. Either way, there are many conflicts in this story.

Have fun learning!

(Sources – Fandom, Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia)