This type of conflict pits a story's main character or characters against a natural force such as a flood, predatory animal or disease epidemic.
Some literary conflicts take the form of a character struggling to overcome fear, addiction, emotional damage or other crippling personal issue. This type of conflict can be largely internalized or symbolized by another character or event.
The most straightforward type of conflict pits the protagonist directly against another character with apparently opposing aims.
In many stories, the protagonist battles an unjust element of government or culture, as in George Orwell's "1984."
This type of conflict finds the main character or characters battling a supernatural entity, deity, rogue machine or other outside force not found in the natural or physical world. It is generally used in such genres as science fiction, fantasy and horror.