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 : Tragedy
Anticipation Stage:
Mr. Verloc runs a pornography shop, which is a front for his activities as a secret agent. He loves his job, since its not hard like other types of labor. Basically, he's paid very good money to sit around with anarchists and pretend to be friends with them. It's a really good gig, but he's not all that happy when his new boss, Mr. Vladimir, tells him that he needs to do more to earn his money than send reports.
He actually needs to get up and do something, like plant a bomb to make the anarchists look bad. The thought of having to do something active scares Verloc… but not as much as the thought of losing his cushy job.
Dream Stage:
Next thing we hear, there's been an explosion in Greenwich Park. Someone has blown himself by accidentally detonating a bomb. At this stage in the plot, were not quite sure who the victim of the bomb was. Ooh, a juicy mystery.
Frustration Stage:
Back at the shop, Verloc is overcome with nervousness, and Winnie doesn't know why. Verloc's worst fears come to pass when the Assistant Commissioner of Police shows up at his shop. Verloc has no clue how the police were so quickly able to connect him to the dead bomber in Greenwich. He feels as though the world is closing in on him, and thinks about maybe leaving the country. Then he dismisses this idea and decides that he's going to take down his bosses at the foreign embassy, seeking revenge for being put in such a difficult position.
Nightmare Stage:
Winnie finds out about her innocent brother Stevie being killed in the blast. At this exact moment, the tragic figure of the book switches from Verloc to Winnie. The book completely drops Verloc as it transitions into telling us about Winnie's inner turmoil. She refuses to speak to Verloc and is overcome with grief. Finally, when she can't bear to hear Verloc justify what he's done any longer, she grabs a kitchen knife and stabs him in the chest, Psycho-style. Now it's Winnie who must live with the nightmare of avoiding a murder charge and execution. She stumbles into Comrade Ossipon in the street and pleads with him to help her.
Destruction Stage:
Ossipon steals all of Winnie's money and leaps from a train, leaving her with no one to help her and no money to go anywhere. As we discover in the final chapter, Winnie was so overcome by this betrayal that she committed suicide by jumping off the boat that was supposed to take her out of England. She leaves behind her wedding ring as a sign of her broken bond with Verloc.