Indeed, Norma Jean had on several occasions hinted that she was not comfortable in the relationship. She kept hinting that she was on the way out of the said relationship. Although Norma Jean has already made up her mind that she does not want to stay in the relationship, Leroy still attempts to convince her not to leave him.
Apart from the conflicts identified above, several other person to person conflicts can be easily identified throughout the text. For instance, there exists conflict between both Leroy and Norma Jean and Mabel. The source of conflict in this case is the desire Mabel harbors to have Leroy and Norma Jean visit Shiloh. Both Norma Jean and Leroy are not so keen on visiting the proposed place though. They only give in after Mabel becomes rather insistent. Norma Jean's smoking habit also brings about some form of conflict between her and her mother. This is particularly the case after she is found smoking by Mabel. The said conflict in this case triggers yet another conflict between the two women. Norma Jean is convinced that Mabel's story regarding the baby that was killed by the dog was inspired by the smoking incident. She is convinced that Mabel deliberately brought up the topic so as to 'pay...
Although minor, some form of conflict can also be identified between Leroy and Stevie. In this particular case, Leroy is particularly interested in finding out where Stevie gets his supplies from. Stevie on the other hand is not interested in divulging such info. He is also not keen on discussing what else he supplies apart from marijuana.
It is important to note that apart from the person to person conflicts I identify, there exist other forms of conflict in the short story. For instance, both Norma Jean and Leroy experience some level of
internal conflict. In basic terms, internal conflict largely takes place or occurs in the mind of a given
character. For instance, at first, Leroy is not sure of how Jean feels about him. Although he is reasonably convinced that his wife has all along been faithful to him, he seems unsure of whether their relationship will last. This is more so the case given that Norma Jean is fond of sending mixed signals regarding her commitment to the relationship. Norma Jean on the other hand is not content with the relationship. For this reason, she decides to call it quits. However, leaving Leroy also seems challenging for her. This is evident from the fact that she seems to be crying as she informs Leroy of her resolve to leave him.
