Christopher Booker is a scholar who wrote that every story falls into one of seven basic plot structures: Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, the Quest, Voyage and Return, Comedy, Tragedy, and Rebirth. Shmoop explores which of these structures fits this story like Cinderella’s slipper.
Plot Type : The Quest
The Call
The Gun Club is in a bind: Nobody is fighting a war right now, and given that these guys make weapons for a living, this is a huge bummer. Fortunately, President Barbicane has a ground-breaking idea. He wants to build a cannon that can fire a shot all the way to the moon.
The Journey
Psyched by the idea, the Gun Club begins planning. They coordinate with the Cambridge Observatory to determine whether their project is even feasible, and after settling the technical details and acquiring financing, the crew heads down to Florida to begin construction,
Arrival and Frustration
The work is hard and progress is slow, and since they have a limited amount of time to complete the cannon, everyone is a little stressed out. That's when the universe throws a curveball their way in the form of a Frenchman named Michel Ardan who wants to ride inside the cannon-ball. Although this will require some extra work, Barbicane agrees.
The Final Ordeals
Things are going well until a Gun Club meeting is interrupted by Barbicane's rival, Captain Nicholl. Nicholl challenges Barbicane to a duel, but Ardan rushes over upon hearing the news and convinces the men to make amends. Phew. Ardan also has another idea: He wants both of them to join him on his lunar voyage. Shockingly, they're down.
The Goal
Finally, the date of the launch is here; an eager crowd is waiting with bated breath. The shot fires successfully, but it also causes some crazy weather that makes it impossible to track the capsule's path. After the clouds clear up, the Gun Club discovers that the capsule has missed its mark and is currently orbiting the moon.