Question

Tanzan and Ekido were once traveling together down a muddy road. A heavy road was still falling. Coming around a bend, they met a lovely girl in a silk kimono and sash, unable to cross the intersection. "Come on, girl," said Tanzan at once. Lifting her in his arms, he carried her over the mud. Ekido did not speak again until that night when they reached a lodging temple. Then he could no longer restrain himself. "We monks don't go near females," he told Tanzan, "especially not young and lovely ones. It is dangerous. Why did you do that?" "I left the girl there," said Tanzan. "Are you still carrying her?"

1. What is the unspoken conflict in the story?

Answer 1

One of the unspoken conflict could be that monks are not allowed to touch the girls thus Ekido thinks that Tanzan wouldn’t have touched the girl. This is a very naked conflict which is visible. There is another visible conflict in the mind of Ekido where he is not able to relieve from his worldly wishes. He complicates a timely help by thinking that Tanzan wrongly touched the girl. Although Tanzan’s mind was a clean slate when he helped the girl, Ekido’s mind was filled with judging the behaviour.

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