Abstract:
This study investigates the meaning of conflict in Margaret Mascarenhas' novel 'Skin' as a literary tool, using Robert Stanton's notions of internal and external conflict. The main objective is to investigate how the conflict progresses the narrative and creates a thematic discourse in the text. Internal conflicts are caused by characters' inner struggles with opposing emotions, impulses, and ethical dilemmas, while external conflicts are caused by struggles with nature or supernatural factors. This study highlights the centrality of conflict in literature, with an impact on character development, narrative advancement and thematic exploration. The study illuminates the complexity of Goan literature, the formation of identity, and the interaction between colonial and post-colonial forces, through the fusion of post-colonial concepts and conflict analysis, highlighting the fundamental role of conflict as a catalyst for development narrative.
