Can an antagonist be a thing or a driving force?

Question

in a story or novel!!

Answer 1

I remember way back in elementry school my teacher taught me the 3 kinds of conflict that can make a compelling story are:

Man vs. man
Man vs, nature
Man vs himself.

So you see an antagonist can indeed be a driving force.

Answer 2

The definition in my book says that the antagonist may be a person or a force. In "To Build a Fire," Jack London's short story about a man facing the cold during the Yukon gold rush, the main character fights against the force of nature. That would qualify as the protagonist under this definition.

Answer 3

Definitely. I am working on a novel, and all my main human characters are good people. The antagonistic presence in the book is prevailing archaic social attitudes.