The Conflict

"The Conflict" by David Graham Phillips is a story about Jane Hastings, a young woman who comes home after being away for school and travel, and now she feels like she doesn't fit into being a typical wife like society wants her to be. Back then, people had strong ideas about what men and women should do, and Jane starts to wonder if there's more to life for her than just getting married. Someone named David Hull asks her to marry him, but she doesn't like the idea because she thinks it would mean she'd lose who she is as a person. She also hears about Victor Dorn and his new ways of thinking about politics and life, which she finds interesting and this makes her think about what she wants out of life and it seems like she's going to argue against the way things are and find her own way in the world.