A River Runs Through It

Internal Conflict

"All those eyes on me-the town, the whole universe- and I couldn't risk the embarrassment. It was as if there were an audience to my life,that swirl of faces along the river, and in my head i could hear people screaming at me." (pg. 59)

In this passage the reader sees O'Brien at of his weaker points. This conflict takes place all inside his head. HE doesn't even talk to anyone about his feelings. I think internal conflicts are the worst sort of fights. They take place within a person's mind and there they battle with their toughest critic...themselves'. To face oneself and to see what is truly there is the most challenging of fights. O'Brien here torments himself and then makes a decision not for himself...not really...for it is not what he wants. He wants to be free of this burden and yet takes it anyway so he won't have to face the shame and embarrassment that will come afterwards. Such a decision tells the reader that this is a real human being because we are not all strong and always willing to fight. We are human. We make mistakes. The question is can we own up to them?