The Conflict-Driven Narrative: A Storytelling Tradition in Need of Change
The Consequences of Simplistic Narratives: Impact on Contemporary United States Politics
“Modernist manuals of writing often conflate story with conflict. This reductionism reflects a culture that inflates aggression and competition while cultivating ignorance of other behavioral options.”
Ursula K. Le Guin
In a society saturated with easy-to-understand Hollywood narratives, the idea that a story must revolve around conflict has become almost axiomatic. This approach, heavily influenced by Joseph Campbell's Hero’s Journey, permeates our collective storytelling in the United States, and shapes our perceptions of ourselves and the world. But what if there’s a different way to tell stories, one that eschews conflict as the primary driver and embraces a more harmonious, inclusive approach?
The Hero's Journey: A Dominant Paradigm
The late Joseph Campbell, a 20th century mythologist and writer, introduced the concept of the Hero’s Journey in his seminal work The Hero with a Thousand Faces. This monomyth (a decidedly patriarchal interpretation of all the myths Campbell knew of) describes a hero who embarks on an adventure, faces and overcomes conflict, and returns transformed. While this structure, embraced by Hollywood, book publishing, and even the news media, since the 1970s, has produced compelling stories, it also promotes a worldview that sees life as a series of battles to be won, reinforcing a binary perspective of good versus evil, hero versus villain.
The Influence of Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula K. Le Guin, an iconic and pioneering figure in speculative fiction (and someone I could NOT read enough of as a teen!) challenges the notion that story equates to conflict. Le Guin's narratives often explore themes of balance, interconnectedness, and the cyclical nature of life, diverging sharply from the linear, conflict-driven structure popularized by Campbell. As Le Guin suggests, our culture’s emphasis on aggression and competition narrows our understanding of storytelling, overshadowing other rich, diverse narrative traditions.
The Pitfalls of Simplistic Narratives
The United States is a highly militarized society that has been constantly at war or engaged in proxy conflicts, since its inception. The nation has existed for 248 years, 200 of which have been spent directly at war or financing and promoting war elsewhere. More is spent on the military in the United States than on education and all other social programs combined. Such a society needs collective narratives to foster its goals. Thus, we have accepted as inevitable and natural a storytelling tradition that glorifies the hero who vanquishes evil.
This conflict-driven model leaves little room for ambiguity, complexity, or alternative ways of being. In contemporary American politics, we see the result of these simplistic heroic narratives. They lead to stark binaries of us versus them, and the dehumanization of The Other. Winning becomes the ultimate goal, making authoritarianism appealing to those who align with the authoritarian's agenda, and making conciliatory or peaceful leaders appear “weak” for not destroying the “enemy.” This pursuit of victory over harmonious coexistence can undermine democratic values and foster divisive, exclusionary ideologies.
Embracing Indigenous Storytelling Traditions
During the writing of my novel Where Rabbits Gathered, a(n) historical novel to be published in November (and based on my own family tree), I immersed myself in Native American storytelling, specifically Puebloan and Tewa traditions. Initially, I struggled to grasp these stories, much like trying to find the meter in unfamiliar music. These narratives do not conform to the conflict-centric model; they are circular, often non-conclusive, and resist binary thinking.
Leslie Marmon Silko, a member of the Laguna Pueblo and a key figure in Native American literature, exemplifies this approach in her novel Ceremony. Her work weaves tales that reflect the interconnectedness of life, emphasizing harmony and community over individual heroism. Another Laguna writer, Paula Gunn Allen, a poet, novelist, and scholar, also captures the essence of puebloan storytelling. In The Sacred Hoop, Allen explores the spiritual and cultural traditions of Native American women, highlighting holistic and non-binary narratives.
Beyond Conflict: A New Narrative Model
In a nation constantly at war or engaged in proxy conflicts, our narratives must evolve to embrace more nuanced and compassionate ways of being. As Le Guin suggests, we need stories that reflect other behavioral options—stories that promote understanding, cooperation, and interconnectedness.
What might these stories look like? The engine would be change rather than “winning.” They could explore themes of reconciliation, community, and mutual support. They might focus on characters who seek balance rather than victory, who resolve differences through dialogue and empathy rather than conflict. Such narratives can offer a more holistic, inclusive perspective, enriching our collective imagination and fostering a culture of peace and understanding.
Join the Conversation: Workshop on Alternative Storytelling
If you’re interested in exploring these alternative storytelling models, I invite you to join my upcoming workshop: Other Options for Storytelling: A New Narrative Model Rooted in Traditional New Mexico Tales. This virtual event will take place Saturday July 27, from noon to 4 PM MST. Together, we’ll delve into traditional New Mexico tales, examining how they can inform a new, more harmonious approach to storytelling.
Cost: $199 per person.
Let’s embrace the richness of diverse narrative traditions and discover new ways of telling stories that reflect the full spectrum of human experience, and move our society towards a less violent center.
https://alisav.substack.com/p/the-conflict-driven-narrative-a-storytelling
Thank you for this piece, Alisa. I write creative nonfiction and nature journalism, and have long thought that the hero's journey did not express women's way of telling stories or storytelling from non-European cultural traditions. But I haven't had a way to express my feeling that stories that don't conform to that conflict-driven model are valid and valuable. Thanks to you, I have a framework to conceptualize and perhaps even explain why I write the way I do. Blessings to you!
One reason I love the work of Clarissa Pinkola Estés. It’s more myth and wisdom and parable than hero’s journey. Also see heroine’s journey, a feminist take on story structure.