Analysis of Elements of Plot in Tom Clancy's 'Rainbow Six'.
ABSTRACT
Dalam tugas akhir ini saya membahas tentang elements of plot dalam
novel yang berjudul Rainbow Six karangan penulis berkebangsaan Amerika
Serikat, Tom Clancy. Saya memilih untuk menganalisis buku ini karena menurut
saya novel ini merupakan contoh novel bergenre thriller yang baik. Dalam sebuah
novel thriller yang baik, akan terdapat unsur-unsur suspense dan surprise yang
baik pula, ditunjang dengan artistic unity yang menyatakan bahwa unsur suspense
dan surprise dalam novel tersebut masuk akal dan bisa diterima secara logis.
Rainbow Six bercerita tentang sebuah tim anti-teror beranggotakan orangorang pilihan yang berasal dari berbagai macam negara. Mereka harus
menghadapi sebuah ancaman yang berasal dari seorang ilmuwan yang ingin
menghancurkan seluruh umat manusia. Unsur suspense begitu terasa dalam novel
ini karena pembaca akan dibawa dalam ketegangan akan sepak terjang tim antiteror tersebut dalam menghadapi serangkaian serangan teroris yang berujung pada
sebuah ancaman yang sebenarnya yaitu adanya semacam senjata pemusnah masal,
begitu pula dengan unsur surprise yang ada dalam novel ini dimana pembaca akan
mendapati beberapa kejadian yang terjadi ada diluar harapan para pembaca yang
dikemas dengan alur cerita yang apik dan masuk akal sesuai dengan teori artistic
unity.
ii
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................
i
ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................
ii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study ....................................................................
Statement of the Problem ..................................................................
Purpose of the Study ..........................................................................
Method of Research ...........................................................................
Organization of the Thesis .................................................................
1
3
3
3
4
CHAPTER TWO: ANALYSIS OF ELEMENTS OF PLOT
IN TOM CLANCY’S RAINBOW SIX ............................................
5
CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION ........................................................
19
BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................................................................
23
APPENDICES
Synopsis of Rainbow Six ....................................................................
Biography of Tom Clancy ..................................................................
25
26
i
Maranatha Christian University
APPENDICES
Synopsis of Rainbow Six
A mysterious incident happens in New York, when some homeless people
are taken by some volunteers from a medical corporation named Horizon
Corporation. The homeless people are taken to some kind of facility and they
become the test subjects of a new virus called Shiva.
Meanwhile, CIA’s operatives John Clark, Domingo ‘Ding’ Chavez and
Alistair Stanley (a SAS officer), move from the United States to Hereford,
England, to join an elite and multinational counter-terrorist team named Rainbow.
Soon after Clark, Chavez, and Stanley have been introduced to the team, Rainbow
Team immediately has to go on a mission. A bank in Bern, Switzerland, has been
robbed by a group of terrorists. Rainbow Team under Chavez’s command
disguises as Swiss police and successfully takes down the terrorists. Another
mission for Rainbow Team to take is to free an Austrian businessman who has
been kidnapped by German terrorists, who believe that the Austrian has a special
code that can lead to an international trading market, which is believed to be held
by elite capitalists. Again, Rainbow Team successfully takes down the terrorists.
The real threat comes from a radical nature worshipper named John
Brightling. His plan is to wipe out the entire human race, except the conspirators,
25
using Shiva through the Olympic Games in Sydney. Horizon’s CEO, John
Brightling, hires an ex-KGB officer, Dimitriy Popov, to extinguish the Rainbow
Team’s existence. After Dmitry Popov fails to beat the Rainbow Team, he learns
that he indirectly helps the extinction of human beings including himself and
decides to help Rainbow Team to catch John Brightling. Rainbow Team manages
to defeat the terrorists in their hideout deep inside a Brazilian rain forest.
Biography of Tom Clancy
Tom Clancy was born Thomas Leo Clancy Junior. Born on April 12th
1947, he graduated from Loyola High School in 1965. He then continued his
study in Loyola College in Baltimore and graduated four years later with a degree
in English Literature. Tom married his first wife, Wanda, in 1970. His marriage
failed and after his divorce with Wanda, Tom married Alexandra Marie Llewellyn
at the age of 52. His first debut in literature was his famous novel The Hunt for
Red October in 1984. The novel gained immense popularity and so did the author.
The novel made him the no.1 New York Best-Selling Author. Tom Clancy is
well-known for his espionage and techno-thriller genre. Some people call him
Master of Techno Thriller. His intelligent and detailed description on the military
writing has made him a famous author. Some of his works have been adapted to
films such as The Hunt for Red October starred by Sean Connery and Alec
Baldwin, Patriot Games starred by Harrison Ford, and The Sum of All Fears in
2002 starred by Ben Affleck and Morgan Freeman. His works were adapted not
only to films but also to video games and until now the franchise is still growing
with huge fanbase throughout the world such as Rainbow Six, Splinter Cell, and
26
Ghost Recon. Tom Clancy is also known as a defender of Moslems’ rights after
the 9/11 tragedy. Tom Clancy died on October 1st, 2013 at the age of 66.
Sources: “Tom Clancy Biography and Notes”, “Tom Clancy”
27
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Thriller is “a work of fiction or drama designed to hold the interest by the
use of a high degree of intrigue, adventure, or suspense” (“Thriller”). Thriller has
many subgenres such as psychological thriller and crime thriller. In the late
1980’s, a new subgenre in thriller emerged and it was called the techno-thriller.
Techno-thriller means “a thriller whose plot relies on modern technology”
(“Techno Thriller”). Techno-thriller novels usually contain military technology
“as the ‘techno-thriller’ label makes clear, these were thrillers in which the
‘techno’ was central, in particular high-technology military weapons systems that
were either very new, or believed likely to be available in the near term”
(Elhefnawy) within the story.
Techno-thriller genre is sometimes associated with an author named Tom
Clancy; some people call him “the wizard inventor of the techno-thriller” (Ryan).
Tom Clancy himself refuses to be called the inventor of techno-thriller. He says,
1
Maranatha Christian University
“if anybody invented the techno-thriller, what about Crichton?” (Ryan)
Tom Clancy is a popular novelist in the United States of America. His
novels are mainly about political and military worlds. His popularity is growing
larger because he “has written fifteen #1 New York Times bestselling novels”
(“Tom Clancy”) and his works are popular not only in the world of the reader but
also “in the US military and intelligence agencies” (“Tom Clancy”). His “military
plotting and scenarios are considered so plausible” (“Tom Clancy”) that he
becomes known as one of the best authors in “thriller” genre, especially “technothriller”.
Rainbow Six is one of the most popular works of Tom Clancy. I have
chosen to analyse this novel because it is a good example of techno-thriller novel
and “this novel has everything that techno thriller readers love” (Roby), and I am
also curious about some reviews which mention that “some sections were real
page turners” (Louis). The strength of thriller genre lies in the fact that the story
makes the readers continue to flip over the pages, and that is why I am interested
to find out about the elements of plot in this novel which is significant in this kind
of genre.
Elements of plot consist of suspense, surprise, and artistic unity; Suspense
is one of the elements of plot that gives us a sense of curiosity when we read a
novel. “Suspense is the quality in a story that makes the reader ask ‘What’s going
to happen next?’ or ‘How will this turn out?’ and impels him to read on to find the
answers to these questions. Suspense is greatest when the reader’s curiosity is
combined with anxiety about the fate of some sympathetic character” (Perrine 45).
Another element is Surprise. It is the answer to the suspense and it “is
2
Maranatha Christian University
proportional to the unexpectedness of what happens” (47), while the last element,
Artistic Unity, is a “condition of a successful literary work whereby all its
elements work together for the achievement of its central purpose” (“Artistic
Unity”). All of the events that happen in the story can build a great plot if they are
logical and likely to happen in real life and have an Artistic Unity.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The problems analysed in this thesis are:
1. What is the suspense in the novel?
2. What is the surprise in the novel?
3. How is the artistic unity presented in the novel?
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
Based on the statement of the problem, the purposes of the study are:
1. To show what the suspense is in the novel.
2. To show what the surprise is in the novel.
3. To show how the artistic unity is presented in the novel.
METHOD OF RESEARCH
I use library research in writing the analysis of the novel. After reading
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six as a primary text, I collected data from various
Internet sites and other sources from the library. Then I analyse the elements of
plot in the novel. In the end, I draw conclusion from what I have analysed in the
novel.
3
Maranatha Christian University
ORGANIZATION OF THE THESIS
This thesis consists of three chapters preceded by the Table of Contents
and the Abstract. Chapter One is the Introduction, which consists of the
Background of the Study, the Statement of the Problem, the Purpose of the Study,
the Method of Research and the Organization of the Thesis. Chapter Two is the
analysis of suspense, surprise and artistic unity in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six.
Chapter Three is the Conclusion. The thesis ends with the Bibliography and the
Appendices, which consist of the Synopsis of the Novel and the Biography of the
Author.
4
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER THREE
CONCLUSION
After reading and analysing Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six, I come to the
conclusion that the novel is a good thriller novel because the elements of plot in
the novel are very well presented. The Suspense in the novel makes the reader feel
excited while they are reading the novel. Besides, the use of the main plot and the
sub plot makes the reader well-informed of what happens in the story. It also
intensifies the suspense that the reader experiences. The Surprise also makes the
reader really surprised because what happens in the novel is beyond the reader’s
expectation. I also think that the story is well built because every event in the
novel is plausible according to the element of Artistic Unity.
Tom Clancy is good at presenting suspense in Rainbow Six, and the
example can be seen from the fourth suspense in the novel when Dmitry Popov is
curious about John Brightling’s purpose. Tom Clancy makes the reader feel
curious about John Brightling and his real purpose when he keeps ordering
Dmitry Popov to make chaotic situations in Europe. Later in the story, the reader
19
Maranatha Christian University
wants to know whether Rainbow Team can stop John Brightling’s ultimate plan,
knowing that John Brightling is a smart and well-prepared man who has many
backup plans. Tom Clancy makes the reader keep reading because the element of
suspense in this novel is very intense. I think the way Tom Clancy delivers the
suspense in Rainbow Six is so wonderful that the reader feels thrilled.
The element of surprise is also well presented. Tom Clancy makes the
reader feel surprised at the events in the novel. The example can be seen when the
reader finds out that the chaotic situations in Europe are closely connected with
John Brightling’s ultimate plan. At first the reader does not think that these
chaotic situations are just a diversion for John Brightling’s biggest plan, which is
to destroy mankind. The reader feels surprised because the purpose of the
diversion is to make everything easier for John Brightling to smuggle Shiva to the
Olympics Games through his security company. This situation is really beyond
the reader’s expectation. I think Clancy succeeds in delivering the element of
surprise in the novel. Tom Clancy successfully gives the reader a real surprise in
the story.
The elements of suspense and surprise would not be regarded to be
plausible if they were not well connected. In my opinion, Clancy succeeds in
arranging the events in the novel brilliantly. The example of the plausibility can
be seen from the fourth suspense and surprise that I have analysed, namely when
the chaotic situations in Europe turn out to be a diversion for John Brightling’s
bigger plan. It is plausible because it can make people, especially the Olympics
Games committee becomes aware of such threat. Then it makes the committee
look for a security consultant company that can provide safety during the
20
Maranatha Christian University
Olympics Games. John Brightling establishes a big security consultant company
called Global Security. The Olympics committee is likely to hire Brightling’s
company because it is the biggest security consultant company in the world.
Signing the contract with the committee means John Brightling has only one more
plan to carry out, which is to bring Shiva to the Olympics Games and then to
spread it from there. The other plausibility can be seen from the third suspense
and surprise, when the IRA’s plan is ruined because their communication is
intercepted by the software used by the Rainbow Team and in the end the IRA
cannot survive. It is plausible because the mission cannot be accomplished
without having a good communication. When the IRA cannot establish a good
communication between them, they all become scattered and do not know what
they have to do next. Tom Clancy successfully makes the suspense and surprise in
the novel well connected. In other words, he manages to create a plausible plot.
In my opinion, the strongest element in this novel is the suspense because
it really makes the reader eager to know more about the subsequent event and
what will happen to the protagonist. In addition, the surprise and the artistic unity
are also very significant in the novel. Tom Clancy presents the suspense in various
ways so that the reader who likes reading thriller novels feels satisfied with the
suspense in the novel. Tom Clancy successfully makes the reader feel tense
because of the suspense.
Last but not least, Tom Clancy brilliantly uses the elements of military
technology; especially the modern and cutting edge technology in the novel as it is
a Techno-Thriller novel. Some of the gadgets used in the novel are very modern,
for example, the newest version of DKL people-finding system; this gadget tracks,
21
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“the electromagnetic field generated by the beating of the human heart” (876).
They also have a modern viewing system, “This was a lens, roughly the shape of a
cobra’s head, but only a few millimeters across, which led by fiber-optic cable to
a TV camera set in his black bag around the corner” (76). These gadgets are also
significant in the plot of the novel.
Accordingly, I can draw the conclusion that Rainbow Six is one of the best
thriller novels ever written because of the elements of plot in the story and also it
is one of the best techno-thriller novels because the use of the modern gadgets in
the story is used not only as a cosmetic to make the story beautiful but also as a
significant part of the plot. It is no wonder that Tom Clancy has become one of the
best-selling authors in the USA.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Text:
Clancy, Tom. Rainbow Six. New York : Penguin Group, Inc., 1999. Print
References:
“Artistic Unity.” HumanitiesWeb.org. 2013. Web. 4 Dec. 2013.
Elhefnawy, Nader. “The Rise and Fall of the Military Techno-Thriller.” Irosf.com.
2009. Web. 9 May 2012.
Louis, Lynn Nicole. “Rainbow Six, by Tom Clancy.” Sfreader.com. 2012. Web.
21 Mar. 2012.
Perrine, Laurence. Story and Structure. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich,
Inc., 1974. Print
“Rainbow Six.” Barnesandnoble.com. 2012. Web. 21 Mar. 2012.
Roby, William. “Tom Clancy Books – Techno Thrillers.” Askdeb.com. 2012.
Web. 9 May 2012.
Ryan, William. “The Techno-Thriller.” Vqronline.org. 2012. Web. 9 May 2012.
“Techno Thriller.” Merriam-Webster.com. 2012. Web. 9 May 2012.
“Thriller.” Merriam-Webster.com. 2013. Web. 4 Dec. 2013.
“Tom Clancy Biography and Notes.” Biblio.com. 2012. Web. 21 Mar. 2012.
23
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“Tom Clancy.” Nndb.com. 2013.Web. 11 Oct. 2013.
“Tom Clancy.” TomClancy.com. 2012. Web. 21 Mar. 2012.
24
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Dalam tugas akhir ini saya membahas tentang elements of plot dalam
novel yang berjudul Rainbow Six karangan penulis berkebangsaan Amerika
Serikat, Tom Clancy. Saya memilih untuk menganalisis buku ini karena menurut
saya novel ini merupakan contoh novel bergenre thriller yang baik. Dalam sebuah
novel thriller yang baik, akan terdapat unsur-unsur suspense dan surprise yang
baik pula, ditunjang dengan artistic unity yang menyatakan bahwa unsur suspense
dan surprise dalam novel tersebut masuk akal dan bisa diterima secara logis.
Rainbow Six bercerita tentang sebuah tim anti-teror beranggotakan orangorang pilihan yang berasal dari berbagai macam negara. Mereka harus
menghadapi sebuah ancaman yang berasal dari seorang ilmuwan yang ingin
menghancurkan seluruh umat manusia. Unsur suspense begitu terasa dalam novel
ini karena pembaca akan dibawa dalam ketegangan akan sepak terjang tim antiteror tersebut dalam menghadapi serangkaian serangan teroris yang berujung pada
sebuah ancaman yang sebenarnya yaitu adanya semacam senjata pemusnah masal,
begitu pula dengan unsur surprise yang ada dalam novel ini dimana pembaca akan
mendapati beberapa kejadian yang terjadi ada diluar harapan para pembaca yang
dikemas dengan alur cerita yang apik dan masuk akal sesuai dengan teori artistic
unity.
ii
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................
i
ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................
ii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study ....................................................................
Statement of the Problem ..................................................................
Purpose of the Study ..........................................................................
Method of Research ...........................................................................
Organization of the Thesis .................................................................
1
3
3
3
4
CHAPTER TWO: ANALYSIS OF ELEMENTS OF PLOT
IN TOM CLANCY’S RAINBOW SIX ............................................
5
CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION ........................................................
19
BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................................................................
23
APPENDICES
Synopsis of Rainbow Six ....................................................................
Biography of Tom Clancy ..................................................................
25
26
i
Maranatha Christian University
APPENDICES
Synopsis of Rainbow Six
A mysterious incident happens in New York, when some homeless people
are taken by some volunteers from a medical corporation named Horizon
Corporation. The homeless people are taken to some kind of facility and they
become the test subjects of a new virus called Shiva.
Meanwhile, CIA’s operatives John Clark, Domingo ‘Ding’ Chavez and
Alistair Stanley (a SAS officer), move from the United States to Hereford,
England, to join an elite and multinational counter-terrorist team named Rainbow.
Soon after Clark, Chavez, and Stanley have been introduced to the team, Rainbow
Team immediately has to go on a mission. A bank in Bern, Switzerland, has been
robbed by a group of terrorists. Rainbow Team under Chavez’s command
disguises as Swiss police and successfully takes down the terrorists. Another
mission for Rainbow Team to take is to free an Austrian businessman who has
been kidnapped by German terrorists, who believe that the Austrian has a special
code that can lead to an international trading market, which is believed to be held
by elite capitalists. Again, Rainbow Team successfully takes down the terrorists.
The real threat comes from a radical nature worshipper named John
Brightling. His plan is to wipe out the entire human race, except the conspirators,
25
using Shiva through the Olympic Games in Sydney. Horizon’s CEO, John
Brightling, hires an ex-KGB officer, Dimitriy Popov, to extinguish the Rainbow
Team’s existence. After Dmitry Popov fails to beat the Rainbow Team, he learns
that he indirectly helps the extinction of human beings including himself and
decides to help Rainbow Team to catch John Brightling. Rainbow Team manages
to defeat the terrorists in their hideout deep inside a Brazilian rain forest.
Biography of Tom Clancy
Tom Clancy was born Thomas Leo Clancy Junior. Born on April 12th
1947, he graduated from Loyola High School in 1965. He then continued his
study in Loyola College in Baltimore and graduated four years later with a degree
in English Literature. Tom married his first wife, Wanda, in 1970. His marriage
failed and after his divorce with Wanda, Tom married Alexandra Marie Llewellyn
at the age of 52. His first debut in literature was his famous novel The Hunt for
Red October in 1984. The novel gained immense popularity and so did the author.
The novel made him the no.1 New York Best-Selling Author. Tom Clancy is
well-known for his espionage and techno-thriller genre. Some people call him
Master of Techno Thriller. His intelligent and detailed description on the military
writing has made him a famous author. Some of his works have been adapted to
films such as The Hunt for Red October starred by Sean Connery and Alec
Baldwin, Patriot Games starred by Harrison Ford, and The Sum of All Fears in
2002 starred by Ben Affleck and Morgan Freeman. His works were adapted not
only to films but also to video games and until now the franchise is still growing
with huge fanbase throughout the world such as Rainbow Six, Splinter Cell, and
26
Ghost Recon. Tom Clancy is also known as a defender of Moslems’ rights after
the 9/11 tragedy. Tom Clancy died on October 1st, 2013 at the age of 66.
Sources: “Tom Clancy Biography and Notes”, “Tom Clancy”
27
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Thriller is “a work of fiction or drama designed to hold the interest by the
use of a high degree of intrigue, adventure, or suspense” (“Thriller”). Thriller has
many subgenres such as psychological thriller and crime thriller. In the late
1980’s, a new subgenre in thriller emerged and it was called the techno-thriller.
Techno-thriller means “a thriller whose plot relies on modern technology”
(“Techno Thriller”). Techno-thriller novels usually contain military technology
“as the ‘techno-thriller’ label makes clear, these were thrillers in which the
‘techno’ was central, in particular high-technology military weapons systems that
were either very new, or believed likely to be available in the near term”
(Elhefnawy) within the story.
Techno-thriller genre is sometimes associated with an author named Tom
Clancy; some people call him “the wizard inventor of the techno-thriller” (Ryan).
Tom Clancy himself refuses to be called the inventor of techno-thriller. He says,
1
Maranatha Christian University
“if anybody invented the techno-thriller, what about Crichton?” (Ryan)
Tom Clancy is a popular novelist in the United States of America. His
novels are mainly about political and military worlds. His popularity is growing
larger because he “has written fifteen #1 New York Times bestselling novels”
(“Tom Clancy”) and his works are popular not only in the world of the reader but
also “in the US military and intelligence agencies” (“Tom Clancy”). His “military
plotting and scenarios are considered so plausible” (“Tom Clancy”) that he
becomes known as one of the best authors in “thriller” genre, especially “technothriller”.
Rainbow Six is one of the most popular works of Tom Clancy. I have
chosen to analyse this novel because it is a good example of techno-thriller novel
and “this novel has everything that techno thriller readers love” (Roby), and I am
also curious about some reviews which mention that “some sections were real
page turners” (Louis). The strength of thriller genre lies in the fact that the story
makes the readers continue to flip over the pages, and that is why I am interested
to find out about the elements of plot in this novel which is significant in this kind
of genre.
Elements of plot consist of suspense, surprise, and artistic unity; Suspense
is one of the elements of plot that gives us a sense of curiosity when we read a
novel. “Suspense is the quality in a story that makes the reader ask ‘What’s going
to happen next?’ or ‘How will this turn out?’ and impels him to read on to find the
answers to these questions. Suspense is greatest when the reader’s curiosity is
combined with anxiety about the fate of some sympathetic character” (Perrine 45).
Another element is Surprise. It is the answer to the suspense and it “is
2
Maranatha Christian University
proportional to the unexpectedness of what happens” (47), while the last element,
Artistic Unity, is a “condition of a successful literary work whereby all its
elements work together for the achievement of its central purpose” (“Artistic
Unity”). All of the events that happen in the story can build a great plot if they are
logical and likely to happen in real life and have an Artistic Unity.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The problems analysed in this thesis are:
1. What is the suspense in the novel?
2. What is the surprise in the novel?
3. How is the artistic unity presented in the novel?
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
Based on the statement of the problem, the purposes of the study are:
1. To show what the suspense is in the novel.
2. To show what the surprise is in the novel.
3. To show how the artistic unity is presented in the novel.
METHOD OF RESEARCH
I use library research in writing the analysis of the novel. After reading
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six as a primary text, I collected data from various
Internet sites and other sources from the library. Then I analyse the elements of
plot in the novel. In the end, I draw conclusion from what I have analysed in the
novel.
3
Maranatha Christian University
ORGANIZATION OF THE THESIS
This thesis consists of three chapters preceded by the Table of Contents
and the Abstract. Chapter One is the Introduction, which consists of the
Background of the Study, the Statement of the Problem, the Purpose of the Study,
the Method of Research and the Organization of the Thesis. Chapter Two is the
analysis of suspense, surprise and artistic unity in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six.
Chapter Three is the Conclusion. The thesis ends with the Bibliography and the
Appendices, which consist of the Synopsis of the Novel and the Biography of the
Author.
4
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER THREE
CONCLUSION
After reading and analysing Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six, I come to the
conclusion that the novel is a good thriller novel because the elements of plot in
the novel are very well presented. The Suspense in the novel makes the reader feel
excited while they are reading the novel. Besides, the use of the main plot and the
sub plot makes the reader well-informed of what happens in the story. It also
intensifies the suspense that the reader experiences. The Surprise also makes the
reader really surprised because what happens in the novel is beyond the reader’s
expectation. I also think that the story is well built because every event in the
novel is plausible according to the element of Artistic Unity.
Tom Clancy is good at presenting suspense in Rainbow Six, and the
example can be seen from the fourth suspense in the novel when Dmitry Popov is
curious about John Brightling’s purpose. Tom Clancy makes the reader feel
curious about John Brightling and his real purpose when he keeps ordering
Dmitry Popov to make chaotic situations in Europe. Later in the story, the reader
19
Maranatha Christian University
wants to know whether Rainbow Team can stop John Brightling’s ultimate plan,
knowing that John Brightling is a smart and well-prepared man who has many
backup plans. Tom Clancy makes the reader keep reading because the element of
suspense in this novel is very intense. I think the way Tom Clancy delivers the
suspense in Rainbow Six is so wonderful that the reader feels thrilled.
The element of surprise is also well presented. Tom Clancy makes the
reader feel surprised at the events in the novel. The example can be seen when the
reader finds out that the chaotic situations in Europe are closely connected with
John Brightling’s ultimate plan. At first the reader does not think that these
chaotic situations are just a diversion for John Brightling’s biggest plan, which is
to destroy mankind. The reader feels surprised because the purpose of the
diversion is to make everything easier for John Brightling to smuggle Shiva to the
Olympics Games through his security company. This situation is really beyond
the reader’s expectation. I think Clancy succeeds in delivering the element of
surprise in the novel. Tom Clancy successfully gives the reader a real surprise in
the story.
The elements of suspense and surprise would not be regarded to be
plausible if they were not well connected. In my opinion, Clancy succeeds in
arranging the events in the novel brilliantly. The example of the plausibility can
be seen from the fourth suspense and surprise that I have analysed, namely when
the chaotic situations in Europe turn out to be a diversion for John Brightling’s
bigger plan. It is plausible because it can make people, especially the Olympics
Games committee becomes aware of such threat. Then it makes the committee
look for a security consultant company that can provide safety during the
20
Maranatha Christian University
Olympics Games. John Brightling establishes a big security consultant company
called Global Security. The Olympics committee is likely to hire Brightling’s
company because it is the biggest security consultant company in the world.
Signing the contract with the committee means John Brightling has only one more
plan to carry out, which is to bring Shiva to the Olympics Games and then to
spread it from there. The other plausibility can be seen from the third suspense
and surprise, when the IRA’s plan is ruined because their communication is
intercepted by the software used by the Rainbow Team and in the end the IRA
cannot survive. It is plausible because the mission cannot be accomplished
without having a good communication. When the IRA cannot establish a good
communication between them, they all become scattered and do not know what
they have to do next. Tom Clancy successfully makes the suspense and surprise in
the novel well connected. In other words, he manages to create a plausible plot.
In my opinion, the strongest element in this novel is the suspense because
it really makes the reader eager to know more about the subsequent event and
what will happen to the protagonist. In addition, the surprise and the artistic unity
are also very significant in the novel. Tom Clancy presents the suspense in various
ways so that the reader who likes reading thriller novels feels satisfied with the
suspense in the novel. Tom Clancy successfully makes the reader feel tense
because of the suspense.
Last but not least, Tom Clancy brilliantly uses the elements of military
technology; especially the modern and cutting edge technology in the novel as it is
a Techno-Thriller novel. Some of the gadgets used in the novel are very modern,
for example, the newest version of DKL people-finding system; this gadget tracks,
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“the electromagnetic field generated by the beating of the human heart” (876).
They also have a modern viewing system, “This was a lens, roughly the shape of a
cobra’s head, but only a few millimeters across, which led by fiber-optic cable to
a TV camera set in his black bag around the corner” (76). These gadgets are also
significant in the plot of the novel.
Accordingly, I can draw the conclusion that Rainbow Six is one of the best
thriller novels ever written because of the elements of plot in the story and also it
is one of the best techno-thriller novels because the use of the modern gadgets in
the story is used not only as a cosmetic to make the story beautiful but also as a
significant part of the plot. It is no wonder that Tom Clancy has become one of the
best-selling authors in the USA.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Text:
Clancy, Tom. Rainbow Six. New York : Penguin Group, Inc., 1999. Print
References:
“Artistic Unity.” HumanitiesWeb.org. 2013. Web. 4 Dec. 2013.
Elhefnawy, Nader. “The Rise and Fall of the Military Techno-Thriller.” Irosf.com.
2009. Web. 9 May 2012.
Louis, Lynn Nicole. “Rainbow Six, by Tom Clancy.” Sfreader.com. 2012. Web.
21 Mar. 2012.
Perrine, Laurence. Story and Structure. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich,
Inc., 1974. Print
“Rainbow Six.” Barnesandnoble.com. 2012. Web. 21 Mar. 2012.
Roby, William. “Tom Clancy Books – Techno Thrillers.” Askdeb.com. 2012.
Web. 9 May 2012.
Ryan, William. “The Techno-Thriller.” Vqronline.org. 2012. Web. 9 May 2012.
“Techno Thriller.” Merriam-Webster.com. 2012. Web. 9 May 2012.
“Thriller.” Merriam-Webster.com. 2013. Web. 4 Dec. 2013.
“Tom Clancy Biography and Notes.” Biblio.com. 2012. Web. 21 Mar. 2012.
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“Tom Clancy.” Nndb.com. 2013.Web. 11 Oct. 2013.
“Tom Clancy.” TomClancy.com. 2012. Web. 21 Mar. 2012.
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