The Conflicts

A book is built on its conflicts, without them the book would portray a perfect life, in a perfect world. Utopia. In Hush, hush the internal conflicts are prominent. Nora, the main character, is very conflicted about Patch, whether she is going to trust him or not. She even battles the feeling of like and disliking him, as seen in the following quote;

Not that I wanted to know more about Patch. Since I hadn’t liked what I’d seen on the surface, I doubted I’d like what was lurking deep inside. Only, this wasn’t exactly true. I’d liked a lot of what I’d seen. […] I was in an uneasy alliance with myself, trying to ignore what had started to feel irresistible. (Hush, hush. 2009. Becca Fitzpatrick. P.19-20)

Throughout the book Nora is struggling with this problem, is Patch dangerous? But as time goes along, she slowly lowers her guard. When she is really in danger she chooses to relay on Patch after all. But later she finds out something that makes her go back to that conflicted place. But the she also has got a conflict out loud with Patch, and external one. A part of the conflict can you see in the following quote;

“I want the truth,” I said, struggling not to cry. “Did you come to school to kill me? Was that your aim right from the start?”

A muscle in Patch’s jaw jumped. “Yes”

I swiped a tear that dared escape. “Are you gloating inside? That’s what this is about, isn’t it? Getting me to trust you so you could blow it up in my face” I knew I was being irrationally irate. I should have been terrified and frantic. I should have been doing everything to escape. The most irrational part of all was that I still didn’t want to believe he would kill me, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t smother that illogical speck of trust.

“I get that you’re angry-,” said Patch

“I am ripped apart!” I shouted. (Hush, Hush. Becca Fitzpatrick. P. 301)

In the quote above it is very clear that Patch and Nora is having a conflict. And it is a big one, about whether he wants to kill her or not. But in the quote Nora’s thoughts are also followed. And it is clear that she is still conflicted about him and if he can be trusted. She is not just fighting with him, but also with herself.

The last quote doesn’t really portray the easy everyday external or internal conflicts that everyone comes across in life. But the book also content conflicts that are easier to relate to.  Nora has got a conflict with a girl in school, Marcie Millar. Marcie and Nora doesn’t really have a conflict about something, they just don’t like each other. Marcie is rude, as seen in the following quote; “’There’s a hundred reasons why I’m a cheerleader and Nora’s not. Coordination tops the list.’”

These are just a few of external and internal conflicts. The conflicts make the book interesting. But for one to figure out how these conflicts are solved, if they are, they have to read the book. That is what makes you want to keep on reading.