In the balloon accident when Joe had attempted the rescue but failed there is much argument between the characters of who let go of the rope. Perhaps Joe had his own selfish desire to become a hero and there is conflict between them as to who will be successful: “I knew that if I had been the uncontested leader.”
Science and Religion Conflict
Jed’s views of God disapprove Joe’s own rational logic and uses the power of love to emphasise their relationship: “Reading you all night has strengthened me. That’s what God’s love does.”
Jed applies philosophy into perspective about the restrictions of science: “ Describing how the soup is made isn’t the same as knowing why it is made, or who the chef is”- it is a valid point that conflicts science and diminishes Joe’s sense of rationality.
Joe cannot question Jed’s belief in God, whether he is right or wrong : “Everything we do together, everything we are is in God’s care”. This conflicts his rationality; perhaps this conflict makes Joe obsessed about Jed that he cannot forget about him.
Joe and Clarissa
There is a contrasting conflict between Joe and Clarissa when their love is deteriorating because of the disturbance of Jed into their lives. “Muted anger, finely disseminated self-loathing, these were my elements, my colours.” Although their love is still enduring Joe feels that he is disloyal to her “the thieving invader of her private space.” Sometimes Joe needs Clarissa to help him: “It needed the skill of a literary critic like Clarissa to read between the lines of protesting love.
There is conflict in Joe’s own sense of trust because he sometimes does not trust himself when he is delusional: “I don’t trust myself”. It has caused self-doubt in himself.
Joe demands others to believe what he says- especially with inspector Linley: “There’s a man out there who wants to kill me.” This is an agonising conflict of persuasion for Joe to convince Linley to take action against Jed.
There is conflict of morals in society in the microcosm of the book. When Joe talks to the Logan children he asks: “Aren’t there any rules the whole world can agree on?”. This raises the question of the central themes in the novel that conflict each other. Science, art and religion- what can they all accept?
The shooting of Parry
When Joe had acted irrational towards Jed as to shoot him, there is an element of conflict between these two characters that highlight an action drama which changes the genre of the novel. “As soon as I took out the gun, I would be giving Parry permission to kill.”- Joe does not use violence and this is not the perspective we are used to seeing Joe. Nevertheless Joe needed a gun to protect him and Clarissa, which conflicts his own sense of rationality again. Joe had acted to shoot Jed but was it right? From the narrative of Joe we believe that Jed is going to harm him or Clarissa, but rather Jed needed him to ask Joe of his forgiveness: “If you forgive me, God will too.”
Joe has conflicting diametrical views of Jed’s religious belief after the shooting. “Such logic would have been inhuman.” It is beyond Joe’s rationality to rebuild back their emotions and their love after the incident, for it has changed their lives.