The introduction of the story contains explicit allusions to other realist texts such as The Runaway Jury. Everything in such a story can conceivably have happened to people in reality, in contrast to fantasy, where impossible happenings are made to appear quite plausible, even though they are not possible.
Deception Point parodies the conventions of contemporary realism. Instead of coming from the lower socioeconomic groups, the characters are political savvy and speak critically. Set in the White House, it is harsh for the politicians to secure power in high positions. There is the use of colloquial language and changes in mode and attitudes that does not end happily.
Plot Development:
Accompanied by a team of experts, Rachael uncovers evidence of scientific trickery.
The meteorite was indigenous and was inserted into the glacier by drilling beneath the frozen sea. It was a bold deception that threatens to plunge the world into controversy. The content was honestly presented. It avoided sensation and capitalization on the novelty of the subject.
But before Rachael can contact the President, she and Michael are attacked by the Delta Force, a private team of assassins controlled by a mysterious powerbroker who will not give up in hiding the truth. Fleeing for their lives in an environment that is desolate and lethal, they had to find out who is behind this masterful ploy.
Meanwhile, the discovery of life from outer space had crippled Sexton's campaign.
Rising Tension:
Rachael was trapped in a sinking sub while Tolland became vulnerable to the soldier’s attacks.
It turned out to be Pickering who created the meteorite deception to help save NASA. His actions in killing them were shocking, and significantly alter our perception of his character. ‘You faked the meteorite and killed innocent people?’ The sudden intrusion of an unexpected dialog makes us reassess the narrative’s focus. ‘Pickering had to see the importance of this discovery. He had to forgive certain choices made in desperation.’ Perhaps he is not merely the innocent character he first appeared to be.
Apparently trapped, Rachael had no one to turn to but her father. She faxed him evidence of the meteorite being placed under the ice in the hopes that she could be rescued in return. Unfortunately for Rachael, Sexton was prepared to risk his daughter’s life in order to be first to announce the NASA fraud. His attitudes had changed to ego.
Climax:
As soon as they were rescued onboard a helicopter, the megaplume had reached the surface of the sea. Pickering was still on the ship when it was being sucked down into the spiraling water. He was power positioned to a hopeless end because he had killed innocent people and plunged everyone into controversy.
Resolution:
With the rising population of the Senate’s anti-NASA rhetoric, NASA was desperate for a triumph. Pickering was engaged in illegal activities on the President’s behalf in an attempt to save the President’s floundering campaign.
The story revealed how the senate’s overt expression of power might have changed.
With evidence of NASA’s fraud, his goal was to finish off the President. The situation backfired when the press published the senate’s sex scandals.
After the Senate’s corruption, the President announced the meteorite disappointment to the world. Therefore, this story is an examination of the role of control and power in the political arena. The story exposed personal and social values central to the culture of developed nations.
The story follows a typical narrative pattern of stasis, disruption, resolution and return to stasis. It allows readers to draw personal conclusions from the evidence as well as understanding adult sophistication.
Issues explored:
The text’s perspective on reality in effect amounts to cynicism aroused by governmental scandals. Sex scandals and bribery were cancers in Washington.
It is said that ‘In politics, your world can change in an instant.’ Politicians would exercise power over their opponent by blackmailing, coercing, or talking them down. In many cases, the White House staffs would ply their opponent with scandals produced by their desktop publishing computer. The President had many powerful allies who could gather internal documents to sue the opposition. Deception and the desire for power are aspects of coping with the human condition.
In the author’s view, cynicism is a negative for the country. It implicates dozens of private companies, many of which are made up of innocent people. It besmirches the office of the politician and is bad for the country’s morale. ‘Dishonest politicians hurt all politicians.’ Americans need to trust their leaders.
The author draws us to the conclusion to avoid cynicism. The people we elect should consider the government’s well being before his personal gain. We should build up a trustworthy government.
The text reveals America’s current assumption about space exploration. The White House had always vetoed the Space Commercialization Promotions Act and private sectors are taking its toll. There are petitions from space hotels and tourist attractions whose proposed operations include ejecting their trash into the void of space and creating orbiting trash heaps. There is the proposal of launching the deceased into orbit, causing our telecommunication satellites to collide with dead bodies. It is an abominable idea and the White House is the only barrier against privatization and anarchy in space.
Throughout history, NASA’s pioneers had attempted the impossible, accept failure, and then ‘go back to the drawing board’ while the rest of us stand back and criticize. The author’s ideology is that we should truly comprehend NASA’s academic benefits to the country and not misuse it as a commercial promotion.
Context
To read in intertextual conjunction with other Brown novels dealing with the same theme, Deception Point helps to understand the sophistication of politics in Washington; it visualizes our view of American leadership; which involves deception and counterattacks to gain power, the effect of which, in the wake of America’s scientific discoveries and brilliant deceptions, is an event that is likely to happen in the modern world. As an American critic put it, the novel is ‘A big yet believable story with convincing settings that mediates the political arena.’
