Storyboarding is an excellent way to focus on types of literary conflict. Have your students choose an example of each literary conflict and depict them using the Storyboard Creator. In the storyboard, an example of each conflict should be visually represented, along with an explanation of the scene, and how it fits the particular category of conflict.
Lee Strunk steals Dave Jensen’s jackknife, and they get into a fistfight over it. Jensen eventually overpowers Strunk and hits him hard in the face until Strunk’s nose breaks. Three men have to pull them apart, and Strunk has to be airlifted for medical help. When he returns, Jensen is paranoid that Strunk will shoot him, so he breaks his own nose with his gun to make them even.
Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is broken up after Ted Lavender is shot. He feels that if he hadn’t been spending so much time thinking about his love back home, Martha, that he might have been able to prevent Lavender’s death. That night, he crouched at the bottom of his foxhole and burned Martha’s letters and pictures.
After returning home, Norman Bowker finds it difficult to readjust to living normally again. He struggles to find meaning in his life after it had been turned upside-down in Vietnam. He can’t hold a job for more than ten weeks, he drops out of junior college, and plays basketball all day. Bowker can’t find a way to fit back into his old life, and no one seems to understand or know how to help him, even his parents.
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a storyboard that shows at least three forms of literary conflict in The Things They Carried.
Organize students into small groups and assign each a different type of literary conflict from the story. Group discussions help students clarify their understanding and hear different perspectives on conflict in literature.
Designate roles like discussion leader, note-taker, and presenter within each group. Clear roles keep discussions focused and ensure everyone participates.
Encourage students to find direct quotes or scenes from the text that illustrate their assigned conflict. Using textual evidence strengthens analytical skills and supports claims.
Invite each group to share their findings with the class. Whole-class reflection deepens understanding and builds confidence in literary analysis.
The Things They Carried explores several types of literary conflict, including Man vs. Man (e.g., Lee Strunk vs. Dave Jensen), Man vs. Self (e.g., Lt. Cross's guilt over Lavender's death), and Man vs. Society (e.g., Norman Bowker's struggle to readjust to civilian life). These conflicts highlight the complex emotional and social realities faced by soldiers.
Use storyboarding to help students visually identify and explain conflicts in the novel. Have students select scenes that illustrate different conflict types, categorize them (like Character vs. Self or Character vs. Society), and write brief descriptions. This method deepens understanding and encourages creative engagement.
An example of Man vs. Self conflict is Lieutenant Jimmy Cross's internal struggle after Ted Lavender's death. He blames himself for being distracted by thoughts of Martha, leading him to feel deep guilt and burn her letters and photos in an attempt to cope.
Storyboarding makes abstract literary concepts concrete by letting students visualize conflicts and explain their significance. It supports visual learners, encourages creative thinking, and helps students remember key scenes and conflict types from the text.
Quick lesson ideas include assigning students to identify and storyboard three conflicts from the novel, categorizing them, and presenting their work. You can also have students compare conflicts or discuss how each type impacts character development and themes.