Conflict can bring about the best and worst in people

Conflict is a concept that prevades every aspect of our lives; it is inevitable and unpreventable. It has the capability to cause detrimental destruction and grief and can also result in a positive. It is how we choose to conduct ourselves in these times of conflict that define who we are and how we are viewed in society. Conflict at times can bring about the best in some individuals enabling them to display astonishing qualities and can also bring about the poorest of qualities in others. Some individuals may show no reaction towards conflict and be absolutely unmoved by it. This is evident in history and is much explored in literature and written accounts. During times of war and suffering, some ordinary individuals are able to find strength in themselves to accomplish astonishing achievements and overcome this conflict. They go out of the ordinary and beyond their capabilities to become an inspiration and a model of strength and resilience for others. An example of an ordinary person who performs extraordinary deeds is the character of Zaher in the novel A Man in Our House. He is an ordinary man who hides and shelters an escapee (Ibrahim) from the police during the English colonisation of Egypt in his own house after proof of his innocence. In the beginning, Zaher is described as a quiet, uninvolved man who is oblivious to the political situation of his country. However, after meeting Ibrahim and listening to his story, Zaher makes the choice to accommodate and protect him, putting his own life as well as that of his family at stake. Conflict has a similar effect on the character of Thomas Fowler in The Quiet American in that it brings about the best in him. Fowler is a very jaded, cynical and practical man who insists on being neutral and not taking any stances in the war in Vietnam as describes it as not his war. However, the conflict he encounters while in Vietnam within himself, with the character of Pyle as well as his wife triggers a dramatic change in attitude in him, turning him into a more concerned, involved and conscious man who confronts personal dilemmas such as the dilemma with his wife and actively seeks to bring them to an end. However, conflict may also have an undesirable impact on individuals, initiate negative reactions and bring about their poorest qualities. It may cause them to commit erroneous actions and lose faith in some of their most significant beliefs. One example in history in which conflict and loss had a negative effect on individuals is the Black Death or the Plague during the 16th century in which more than seventy-five million people lost their lives. Due to such dramatic loss, many people began doubting their faith in God and questioning His existence as they saw that even the most reverend priests did not survive the plague and began to wonder what sort of God would allow such disasters to happen. Furthermore, believers began to speculate whether the disease was a punishment from God for a reprehensible sin.

While conflict has the capacity to bring about unexpected qualities in humans, some individuals choose to remain silent and be oblivious to surrounding events without voicing a real opinion. The Vietnamese showed this reaction during the war in Vietnam. The people of the country had no real opinion about the war nor about whom they favored to be the leader of their nation as the only voice that was heard was that of the powerful political forces of the world such as American and England. The character of Phuong in The Quiet American exhibited this exact reaction towards the war in her country as she seemed to rise over the ferocious and hideous conflict and never be touched or moved by it. The reader is also never allowed an insight into her thoughts and feelings and is left torn between Fowlers perception of her as mere lover and body and between that of Pyles who views Phuong as a delicate flower; neither of which is completely proven nor denied. Furthermore, she seemed to be unaffected by Pyles death and returns to regular life with Fowler as if nothing significant has occurred. She therefore may arguably be intentionally used as metaphor symbolising the silence of her country, Vietnam. It is impossible to not encounter conflict in the course of our existence as humans. However, it is how we respond to the arising conflict that defines who we really are and what is more significant than the conflict itself. Whether it may through confrontation or obliviousness, it is impossible to accurately predict our response until we are faced by the conflict.