The Best Examples of Themes of Conflict and Resolution in Fiction

Let’s start where readers actually live: inside stories.

Think about The Hunger Games. Katniss’s external conflict is obvious: a lethal arena, a brutal regime, kids forced to kill one another on live TV. But the deeper theme of conflict and resolution in this fiction is about survival vs. humanity. Will she become what the Capitol wants—a weapon and a spectacle—or find a way to resist without losing herself? The resolution isn’t tidy, but it shows a pattern you’ll see in many strong examples of themes of conflict and resolution in fiction: the character doesn’t just win or lose; they redefine what winning even means.

Or take Ted Lasso (yes, TV counts as fiction worth studying). On the surface, it’s a sports comedy. Underneath, the main conflict is between cynicism and kindness, between old-school toxic toughness and a new model of leadership built on vulnerability. The resolution shows a team choosing connection over ego. That emotional arc is exactly what you want to capture when you build your own conflict-and-resolution themes.

When writers hunt for the best examples of themes of conflict and resolution in fiction, they’re usually trying to answer two questions:

• What types of conflict actually keep readers turning pages?
• How can I resolve those conflicts in a way that feels earned, not fake or convenient?

Let’s walk through some of the most useful patterns, with real examples you can steal from, remix, and turn into writing prompts.

Internal vs. External: Classic Examples of Themes of Conflict and Resolution in Fiction

Some of the strongest examples of themes of conflict and resolution in fiction braid together internal and external battles.

In Black Panther, T’Challa faces an external conflict with Killmonger, but the deeper story is about tradition vs. responsibility to the wider world. The resolution doesn’t erase the conflict; it transforms it. T’Challa opens Wakanda to global engagement, acknowledging that Killmonger’s anger came from real historical harm. That’s a powerful example of conflict resolution that doesn’t just “defeat the villain,” but reframes the entire moral landscape.

You can see a similar pattern in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023). Miles’s external conflict is with the Spider Society and the looming “canon events.” The internal conflict is about identity and belonging: Is he a mistake, or does he get to define himself? The unresolved cliffhanger still offers a partial resolution: Miles rejects a fatalistic narrative and chooses active resistance. This kind of theme—fate vs. self-determination—is one of the most popular examples of themes of conflict and resolution in fiction today, especially in YA and speculative genres.

Prompt idea: Write a scene where a character argues with someone outside them (a boss, a parent, a rival) while silently arguing with themselves about the exact opposite point. Let the resolution force them to choose which argument they’re actually going to live by.

Power, Justice, and Systems: Social Conflict and Resolution

Many of the best examples of themes of conflict and resolution in fiction tackle systems, not just individuals.

In The Handmaid’s Tale, the conflict is between personal autonomy and a theocratic state that controls women’s bodies. The original novel’s resolution is ambiguous—June’s fate is uncertain—but that ambiguity is the point. The theme suggests that resistance is ongoing, not a one-time victory. The TV adaptation extends this, showing that even partial wins carry trauma and moral compromise.

More recently, series like The Last of Us (2023–2024) explore conflict between survival and morality in a collapsed society. Who deserves protection when resources are limited? The show’s resolutions are often bitter: characters live, but relationships die; or a moral choice is made, but at catastrophic cost. This gives you a modern example of conflict and resolution where “winning” may mean accepting permanent loss.

These social conflicts echo real-world debates about justice, inequality, and public health. If you’re writing stories that brush against real issues, grounding yourself in reliable sources can deepen your themes. For example, when you’re writing about a fictional pandemic or environmental disaster, looking at data and reports from organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or National Institutes of Health can help you build conflicts that feel believable instead of cartoonish.

Prompt idea: Invent a city with one unfair law that everyone has quietly accepted. Write a story where one small event finally pushes a character to challenge that law. The resolution should change either the law, the character’s belief in the system, or both.

Family, Loyalty, and Betrayal: Intimate Conflict Themes

Some of the most emotionally heavy examples of themes of conflict and resolution in fiction live inside families and friendships.

Think about Everything Everywhere All at Once. The conflict isn’t just multiverse chaos; it’s a mother-daughter relationship stretched across cultural gaps, generational trauma, and depression. The resolution doesn’t fix everything. Instead, the characters choose to stay and keep trying, even in a world that often feels meaningless. That choice is the resolution of the emotional conflict: connection over nihilism.

Literary fiction leans into this too. In Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere, the conflict centers on motherhood, class, and race in a suburban community. The resolution is messy—relationships fracture, secrets burn their way out—but the theme lands: attempts to control everything (children, image, outcomes) often destroy the very things we’re trying to protect.

These family-centered stories are great examples of themes of conflict and resolution in fiction that don’t rely on explosions or battles. The battlefield is the dinner table, the group chat, the childhood bedroom.

Prompt idea: Write a reunion scene between two relatives who haven’t spoken in ten years. Let the conflict be about a small, specific incident—but make the theme about something bigger, like control vs. freedom, or loyalty vs. honesty. End with a resolution that changes how at least one of them sees that old wound.

Love, Identity, and Self-Acceptance: Inner Resolutions

Romance and coming-of-age stories offer some of the clearest examples of themes of conflict and resolution in fiction, especially around identity.

In Heartstopper (graphic novel and Netflix series), the conflict is not just “Will they get together?” It’s about queer teens struggling with anxiety, bullying, and coming out in an environment that isn’t always kind. The resolution comes in layers: supportive friendships, therapy, and characters learning to say what they actually need. If you want real examples of conflict and resolution that feel emotionally grounded, this type of story is gold.

Even classic romances like Pride and Prejudice revolve around internal conflict: Elizabeth must confront her own prejudice and misjudgment, while Darcy must confront his pride and class bias. The eventual resolution—mutual respect and love—isn’t just a reward; it’s the direct result of both characters changing.

Modern YA and new adult fiction frequently return to these themes, often with mental health front and center. If you’re writing characters who deal with anxiety, depression, or trauma, reading up on mental health basics from sources like Mayo Clinic or MedlinePlus from the U.S. National Library of Medicine can keep your conflict and resolution arcs respectful and realistic instead of stereotyped.

Prompt idea: Create a character who believes they are fundamentally unlovable. Put them in a situation where someone clearly cares about them—but they can’t trust it. Let the resolution be small but real: a choice to stay, to text back, to show up.

Technology, Reality, and Control: Speculative Conflict Themes

If you’re drawn to science fiction or speculative stories, you have endless room to build examples of themes of conflict and resolution in fiction around technology and control.

Consider Black Mirror episodes like “San Junipero” or “Joan Is Awful.” The conflict often centers on autonomy vs. corporate or algorithmic control. Who owns your memories, your image, your choices? In many episodes, the resolution is intentionally uneasy: characters gain one kind of freedom while losing another.

In Severance, the conflict is between work and selfhood: if you can split your consciousness into “work you” and “home you,” what happens to consent, responsibility, and pain? The first season’s partial resolution—employees staging a mental jailbreak—shows how speculative premises can dramatize very real conflicts about labor, exploitation, and mental health.

As AI, VR, and social media keep reshaping daily life in 2024–2025, readers are hungry for stories that wrestle with these shifts. The best examples of themes of conflict and resolution in fiction in this space don’t lecture; they show characters trying to live, love, and stay human inside systems that keep rewriting the rules.

Prompt idea: Imagine a world where an app can predict the outcome of every major decision you make. Write about a character who decides to ignore it once—and the conflict that follows. Your resolution should answer whether they were right to rebel, wrong, or something in between.

How to Turn Conflict Themes into Writing Prompts

If you’re using these examples of themes of conflict and resolution in fiction as fuel for creative writing prompts, think in terms of tension pairs:

• Freedom vs. security
• Truth vs. loyalty
• Individual vs. community
• Tradition vs. change
• Justice vs. mercy

Each pair can power dozens of stories. You don’t need to announce the theme on page one. You just need to put your characters in situations where both sides of the conflict are genuinely attractive and genuinely risky.

A few ways to build stronger resolutions:

• Let the character’s final choice cost them something. A resolution where they get everything they want rarely feels honest.
• Tie the resolution to the character’s deepest fear or desire, not just the plot problem.
• Avoid the “it was all a dream” or “a stranger fixes it” endings. Readers want the resolution to grow out of the character’s actions and growth.

When you study real examples of themes of conflict and resolution in fiction, notice how often the external conflict (win the game, escape the monster, solve the mystery) is really a stage for an internal or relational resolution (forgive a parent, accept yourself, leave a toxic job, choose a community).

Prompt idea: Pick one of your favorite stories—book, film, or series. Write a short paragraph describing the surface conflict, then another describing the deeper theme of conflict and resolution underneath. Now create a brand-new character and drop them into a similar thematic situation with totally different details.

FAQ: Examples of Conflict and Resolution Themes for Writers

Q: What are some strong examples of themes of conflict and resolution in fiction I can study as a writer?
Some widely studied examples include The Hunger Games (individual vs. oppressive system), Black Panther (tradition vs. global responsibility), Everything Everywhere All at Once (nihilism vs. connection), The Last of Us (survival vs. morality), Pride and Prejudice (pride/prejudice vs. self-knowledge), and Heartstopper (fear vs. authenticity). Each offers a different example of how conflict drives character change.

Q: Can you give an example of a subtle conflict and resolution theme, without big action scenes?
Yes. In many literary novels, the main battle is internal. For instance, a story about a burned-out teacher deciding whether to stay in a broken school system can carry a powerful theme of responsibility vs. self-preservation. The resolution might simply be a decision to leave—or to stay and fight differently—but if the story has earned that choice, the impact can be huge.

Q: How do I avoid cliché when using common conflict themes like love vs. duty?
Look for specific, grounded details. Instead of “a knight torn between love and duty,” maybe it’s a nurse in a small town in 2025 deciding whether to whistleblow on unsafe practices at the hospital where their partner also works. The more specific the situation, the fresher even familiar examples of conflict and resolution will feel.

Q: Are unresolved or ambiguous endings still valid examples of themes of conflict and resolution in fiction?
Absolutely. An ambiguous ending can still resolve the character’s inner conflict even if the external situation remains uncertain. Maybe the world is still dangerous, but the character has decided who they are within it. That shift can be a powerful resolution on its own.

Q: How can I practice writing my own examples of themes of conflict and resolution in fiction?
Try short exercises: write a one-page story where a character must choose between two good options; then a one-page story where they must choose between two bad ones. Focus on how the choice changes them. Over time, you’ll build your own library of real examples you can expand into longer works.

If you treat conflict and resolution as the emotional heartbeat of your story—not just a checklist item—you’ll start to see patterns everywhere. Study the best examples of themes of conflict and resolution in fiction, then remix them until they sound like your voice, your world, your questions. That’s where the interesting stories live.