Question

Reverend Buckminster licked his lips. "What were you doing on Malaga Island?"

What could he say? That he had practiced with Lizzie, dug for clams, and eaten them later in a chowder so good that he might have given up Eden for it? That he had spread his arms and flown with the Tripps? That he had sat quietly by the water's edge and dreamed dreams? That he had found a place that was more home than home?

–Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy,
Gary D. Schmidt

Who are the opposing forces in the conflict in this passage?



What type of conflict is it?



How is the conflict related to the setting?

Answer 1

1) Opposing forces:
- On one side: the boy’s inner feelings—his love for Malaga Island, the memories and freedom he found there, and his desire to keep or express them.
- On the other side: Reverend Buckminster’s questioning/authority and the social expectations or possible disapproval he represents (the pressure not to tell the truth).

2) Type of conflict:
- Primarily an internal conflict (man vs. self): the boy struggles with whether to reveal what he did and how he feels.
- It also hints at man vs. society (or man vs. authority), since the Reverend stands for external judgment and social norms that make the boy reluctant to speak.

3) How the conflict is related to the setting:
- Malaga Island is the source of the boy’s cherished experiences (clamming, flying with the Tripps, feeling “more home than home”), so the setting generates the emotional pull he wants to keep private.
- The island also likely represents a community and way of life that clashes with the Reverend’s expectations or the wider society’s attitudes, which is why the boy fears telling the truth. The setting therefore creates both the internal longing and the external pressure that produce the conflict.