The SwedeThe Swede is a major source of conflict in "The Blue Hotel". The external conflicts he faces are caused by implicit internal conflicts. The Oriental sums up the cause of the Swede's internal conflicts when it says: "...this man has read ten-cent novels, and he thinks he is right in the middle of it all - the shootings, the beatings, knife and everything."( 103) The Swede is afraid of everyone because in his mind he is constantly in danger. He is described at the beginning as “trembling and keen-eyed” (97). Instead of talking to the old farmer, he looks at everyone and makes "furtive estimates of every man in the room."(98) This internal conflict between the real world and that of the novels causes the first external conflict between Johnny and the real world. Swedish. The Swede is very scared and believes that everyone is going to kill him. “He was shivering and turning white at the corners of his mouth.”(100) The Swede was so frightened that he went upstairs to pack his bags and left. Scully indirectly caused the changes in the Swede. Scully tried to calm the Swede by offering him a glass of whiskey. Once the Swede drank alcohol, he became a completely different person. Instead of leaving, he came back down for dinner. Johnny describes the change to his father when he says, "...he was scared, but now he's too fresh." Alcohol made the Swede loud, arrogant and arrogant. This time, when an argument breaks out at the card table, he's more than ready to fight. After beating Johnny to the punch, the Swede leaves the hotel and heads into town. The new bravado brought on by alcohol and fighting is what causes the Swede to lose his life to the player. Even though this story was written about the Wild West, the theme that alcohol can change people is still relevant today..