What would you do if you had a huge secret to hide? In the book Cross Fire, James Patterson demonstrates a secret that needs to be hidden for some time. Within doing this he also demonstrates a good example of a complete plot. On the other hand the book is mostly written in first person point of view. This has a major effect on the book, in the way it is used.
In this complete plot there are five key elements. The first of these five elements is exposition. This is what happens first in the story and is what gives the reader key components. In Cross Fire the exposition includes the characters who are Max Siegel, Alex Cross, Kyle Craig, Bree Stone, Mitch, Denny and many other minor characters. The setting however is different within almost every chapter because, of others talking; they are obviously in different places so it changes quite often. The second of these five elements is the rising action. This is when things just get started and things begin to escalate. In Cross Fire the rising action is after Kyle Craig is introduced. It was also after Kyle killed Max and made himself look like Max. It was when Kyle revealed himself to Alex; and showed him that for all this time he hadn’t really been working with Max, but his enemy. An example of this from the story is when Alex stated “It felt as if my heart stopped and then started up again. My mind was racing. Kyle must have had some kind of major procedure.” (Patterson 327). What makes this part of the book so suspenseful is that the reader doesn’t know what to expect to happen next. It is also keeping the reader on the edge of their seat which helps with the sense of suspense that is created.
The third piece of these five elements is the climax. The climax is when ther...
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...racter is usually a stereotype and uses “repeated use in particular types of stories” (Bernardo “Types of Characters in Fiction”) Stock characters are also usually not minor characters. He is a stock character rather than a foil character because, of the fact that he is not a minor character. Therefore he could not be a foil character because, he is the main character.
In Cross Fire Alex Cross is the main character and is also a vital element to the story. He helps make the story come to life and the reader can honestly say that the story would not be the same without him. In other words, his name is not in the title for nothing he really does mean a lot to the story as a whole.
Works Cited
Bernardo, Karen. "Types of Characters in Fiction." Types of Characters in Fiction.. Web. 05 Dec. 2013.
Patterson, James. Cross Fire. London: Century, 2010. Print.
Conroy displays his life through his novel, The Lords of Discipline, to give readers a visual demonstration of how life connections can transform the entity of a novel. Conroy's attendance to the Citadel, his family, and the South helped influence his innovative writing style.
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