Conflict in Successful Drama: "The One Day of the Year" by Alan Seymour

We live in a world where, without conflict, there is no entertainment. It is a convention of drama that there must be conflict between characters in order for it to be entertaining, and thus be successful. We can consider a text to be successful if the playwright is able to convey a view of a theme or issue to the audience that challenges our views as he or she originally intended. Through the conflicting views of characters, the audience is often exposed to attitudes and opinions different to their own. The One Day of the Year, by Alan Seymour, is a play that examines how through both the internal and external conflicts of different characters, we are exposed to an array of contrasting opinions, therefore validating the statement that this is successful drama.
The main conflict between characters in The One Day of the Year is between Alf and his son, Hughie. Alf is a steadfast believer in Australia's superiority over other nations. He is jingoistic, xenophobic and stubborn. In fact, the first impression the reader gains of Alf is from his opening statement: "I'm a bloody Australian and I'll always stand up for bloody Australia." (Pg 27) …