(or woman) against himself (or herself). (This would include having a guilty conscience or talking oneself out of being afraid.) There are several kinds of external conflicts, including man vs. man, man vs. the supernatural (or God), man vs. society, and man vs. nature.

The most prevalent kind of conflict in this play is man vs. man. This would include primarily Annie against Helen, Annie against Captain Keller, the Captain against James, Annie against James, and even the Captain against Kate Keller (but to a lesser degree).

Man vs. nature might be seen in Annie's struggle to keep her eyesight.

Man vs. society can be seen when Annie decides to treat Helen as she sees fit in order to reach through the obstacles of Helen's loss of vision, hearing and speech. The Keller family is very unhappy with Annie's "tough love" approach. Man vs. society is also seen in the behavior of Annie—a young lady from the North—as opposed to the expectations of "genteel" comportment of ladies in southern society in the late 1800s.

The most obvious example of internal conflict is Annie fighting to come to terms with her memories—specifically those of her brother Jimmy, who died when they were very young.

To name a specific instance of man vs. man, perhaps the most memorable incident is in Act Two, scene two, when Annie is trying to get Helen to eat with a spoon and sit nicely at the table. The scene is a memorable one to see, filled with only Annie's commentary, and a great deal of physical acting as Helen and Annie brawl across the dining room table.

There follows the longest and most famous onstage fight in American theatre...

Another entertaining scene (in Act One, scene seven), which involves an early conflict in the play, begins with Annie pitted against Helen, and ends with Annie pitted against the Captain. When Annie will not let Helen have her own way (which the family is accustomed to doing to get any peace), Helen hits Annie in the face with the doll Annie has brought to her (knocking out Annie's tooth); then Helen locks Annie in her room—all on the first day Annie arrives. Helen hides the key, which has a great deal of symbolism in the play, and will be significant at the end of the play. In order to get her out of the room, the Captain must climb to the second floor window and carry Annie down the ladder.

KELLER:

Come out!

ANNIE:

I don't see how I can. There isn't room.

KELLER:

I intend to carry you. Climb onto my shoulder and hold tight.

ANNIE:

Oh, no. It's—very chivalrous of you, but I'd really prefer to—

KELLER:

Miss Sullivan, follow directions! I will not have you also tumbling out of our windows...I hope this is not a sample of what we may expect from you. In the way of simplifying the work of looking after Helen.

This conflict, man vs. man, as seen with Captain Keller against Annie, is only one of the many conflicts in the play.

The Miracle Worker's central conflict is between Helen Keller and her teacher Annie Sullivan. Annie wants to bring Helen into contact with a world that has been closed to her due to her blindness and deafness. However, Helen is a child, and a frustrated one at that. It takes a great deal of patience for Annie to make a breakthrough in reaching out to her.

The biggest hurdle (and certainly the most physically demanding one) is Annie having to teach Helen better manners. Helen's family have humored her uncouth ways and rudeness because they pity her, essentially believing she is not capable of being better because of her disabilities. However, Annie goes out of her way to teach Helen how to use a fork and napkin and instills discipline in her. Helen puts up a fight and even knocks a tooth out of Annie's head at one point, but Annie is resilient and prevails.

The conflict is resolved when Annie is finally able to break through to Helen at the well when they're refilling the pitcher. Helen realizes the meaning of the words Helen has been spelling in the palm of her hand and becomes excited by the revelation. At this point, Helen is fully willing to learn and finally able to communicate with others.

As the play opens, it is evening and Captain Keller, his wife, and the doctor stand around a crib in the lamplight; there is relief in them as the nineteen-month-old has survived what the doctor calls "acute congestion of the stomach and the brain." (This may have been Scarlet Fever or meningitis.)

As Captain Keller escorts the physician out, Kate Keller comforts her baby; then, she moves her finger in front of the baby's eyes, but the child does not follow it. Snapping her fingers gets no reaction from her child, nor do her shrill screams.  When her husband rushes into the room, she tells him to look as she passes her hand before the baby's eyes. Keller does not understand her movements, but when she holds the lamp before the baby's face, Keller sees that there is no reaction.

KELLER [hoarsely]: Helen. Helen!

KATE:  Or hear.  When I screamed she didn't blink. Not an eyelash--

The parents are devastated; Keller's face has "something like fury in it," while Mrs. Keller nearly faints, stifling her cry of dismay with her knuckles in her mouth. Their normal baby has lost eyesight and hearing both.