2. Internal Conflict
Internal conflict lives inside a p erson‟s mind. A conflict of man-against-
himself includes in the internal conflict. To highlight, this conflict involves the
right or wrong ideas inside the mind. Koesnosoebroto describes, “He may also
have a conflict of man-against-himself —
the internal conflict, when he is confronted against some elements in his own nature.
” Koesnosoebroto defines the internal conflict as a clash between man and himself. A person in this case might
face two opposing ideas in his mind. A character might struggle with the opposing ideas inside her mind. Several
times in the novel, Sophia confronts against her own thoughts. Some make it so hard for her to face. There are some eventful points of
Sophia‟s internal conflicts that are analyzed below.
a. Sophia‟s Problematic Thoughts on Her Neglect
Sophia does not stop thinking about Gerald. Even when her father dies, she still struggles with her thoughts of being happy to see Gerald Scales or
sympathetic for the death of her father. Sophia considers that Gerald Scales is the man of all people. Gerald is a traveller. Sophia who wants to be free from the shop
admires Gerald so much. She sees him as a symbol of freedom. For this, Sophia thinks that Gerald is an important person for her. She cannot waste the chance to
get closer to him. She is really curious about Gerald, at the same time, she has to think about her father‟s bad condition. The quotation below describes how Sophia
concerns about her father‟s condition, but she also keeps thinking about Gerald Scales.
„Galivanting with that young Scales‟ said Mr Critchlow, with devilish ferocity. „Well, you‟ve killed yer father; that‟s all‟ ...
„Is he dead?‟ she asked in a quite tone. Somewhere within a voice was whispering, „So his name is Scales‟ p.79.
b. Sophia‟s Dilemmatic Thoughts for Watching an Execution
Sophia thinks that watching the execution is wrong for her. She persists that it is a cruel event to watch. She never tells about this thought to Gerald. But,
however, she has to quickly make a decision to go watching the execution with him, because at Paris, Sophia follows Gerald wherever he goes. She does not
know about Paris at all. Therefore, she thinks that she must keep following Gerald. The struggle does not occur until Gerald asks her whether she will go
watching the execution with him or not. In vain she pressed her face into the pillow and listened to the irregular,
prodigious noise of her eyelashes as they scraped the rough linen. The thought had somehow introduced itself into her head that she must arise and
go to the window and see all that was to be seen. She resisted. She said to herself that the idea was absurd, that she did not wish to go to the window.
Nevertheless, while arguing with herself, she well knew that resistance to the thought was useless and that ultimately her legs would obey its command p.
330.
c. A Conflict for Visiting Gerald
Sophia promises to forget Gerald. Even so, in her early sixty, she meets an occasion to break her promise. Sophia receives a letter that says Gerald is in
Manchester and dying. Then, she is confused to visit him or not. Once again, Sophia has to decide and she has to make it quick. She figures that she is still
Gerald‟s wife. For this, she has to visit him in Manchester. On the other hand, Sophia remembers clearly what Gerald has done to her thirty years ago. She
swears to forget him for good.
She hated the thought of going to see him. She flinched from it. She felt herself under no moral obligation to go. Why should she go? Gerald was
nothing to her, and had no claim on her of any kind. This she honestly believed. And yet she knew that she must go to him. She knew it to be
impossible that she should not go p. 562.
B. The Influence of Sophia’s Conflicts Toward Her Anxiety