To recap the first post of this plot analysis of Dan Brown’s Deception Point, we were off to a great start with a nice disturbance in the first scene. In Part 2, Scenes 21 through 40, we got the catalyst for the story–extraterrestrial life has been discovered in a meteorite in the Arctic.
I’m using James Scott Bell’s Plot & Structure exercise of analyzing a novel, scene-by-scene, keeping track of several things in each scene: the setting, the POV character, a two-line summary of the scene, what type of scene it is, and what, if anything, makes you want to read on.
We’ve had hints something is wrong and one of the characters has even died at this point. So, the next plot milestone we’re looking for is Doorway 1, also known as the end of Act 1, and the scene that will propel us into the middle of the novel.
Scenes 41 through 60
Scene: 41
Setting: White House
POV: Gabrielle
Scene type: Action
Summary: Gabrielle meets her informant–Marjorie Tench.
Read on? Why has Marjorie been feeding her information?
Scene: 42
Setting: Arctic, NASA structure
POV: Mike
Scene type: Action
Summary: The scientists are puzzled by the salt water and plankton but Rachel sees the explanation.
Read on? The science is starting to break down for me.
Scene: 43
Setting: Arctic, NASA structure
POV: Rachel
Scene type: Action
Summary: Rachel contends the plankton was frozen in the glacier but glaciologist Norah rejects her theory and proposes a test where she, Rachel, Mike, and Corky, have to tether together and go out on the ice.
Read on? What will they find outside?
Scene: 44
Setting: White House, Marjorie’s office
POV: Gabrielle
Scene type: Action
Summary: Marjorie has financial data on Sexton showing he’s accepting bribes from aerospace corporations so that, once he’s president, he can privatize NASA.
Read on? What will Gabrielle do?
Scene: 45
Setting: Arctic, NASA structure
POV: Rachel
Scene type: Setup
Summary: Everybody suits up to go outside.
Read on? Will Delta Force kill them too?
Scene: 46
Setting: Marjorie’s office
POV: Gabrielle
Scene type: Setup
Summary: Marjorie shows Gabrielle photos of secret meetings in the van, the old man, who is from the Space Frontier Foundation. Tench wants Gabrielle to admit she had affair with Sexton (has photos also).
Read on? Will Gabrielle do what Marjorie wants?
Scene: 47
Setting: Arctic, on the ice
POV: Mike
Scene type: Setup
Summary: They head out in a certain direction, leaving behind breadcrumbs so they can find their way back.
Read on? What will they find?
Scene: 48
Setting: Marjorie’s office
POV: Gabrielle
Scene type: Setup
Summary: Gabrielle makes for the exit. Marjorie wants a signed confession so they can pressure Sexton for a withdrawal.
Read on? Is Sexton finished?
Scene: 49
Setting: Arctic, on the ice
POV: Rachel
Scene type: Action
Summary: Rachel, Norah, Mike, and Corky see Ming’s body in the shaft by using their equipment. Norah yells about the data and Delta Force is listening.
Read on? Will Delta Force kill them?
Scene: 50
Setting: Arctic, on the ice
POV: Mike
Scene type: Action
Summary: Data shows someone has drilled up under the ice shelf to insert the meteorite, i.e., the setup is faked. Norah is shot in the head, Corky in the shoulder, by assailants in the distance.
Read on? Will they all die?
(This is what Bell would call Doorway 1–the one-way door through which the characters are propelled, and they can’t go back even if they wanted. You could also call it the end of Act 1, the scene that spins us off into a new direction for the book, and launches us into the middle.)
Moving Along
Now we’re moving! Go, DB, go! We’ve crashed through Doorway 1 (the end of Act 1) and are now hurtling into the middle of the book. The subplot in Washington, D.C., has heated up nicely as well. In the next and last post, I’ll summarize the entire novel, without spilling the beans about the story.
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