Stormbreaker

What would it be like if your uncle who you’ve lived with for almost your whole life had died? In this story we meet Alex Rider. Ian his uncle was the closest thing he had to parents for a long time. Alex was lucky that the “Bank “Ian had worked for gave Jack a permanent Visa. Once the co-workers Ian had worked with came over Alex’s life changed. The tragic plotline and symbolism together with the realism of this story teach us the moral lesson of learning from our mistakes. Which previous to then Alex had a normal life and did nothing wrong.




The plotline of the story perfectly fits that of tragic literature. In the beginning the world was in conflict for Alex getting the terrible news that his closest connection had died. Once the officer had told him how he had died he had to get involved deeper. When Alex had his rise to power he was comforted by Ian’s co-workers. He had found that he would be confronted by them again talking about something that is not what he expected. Next comes his tragic flaw or human weakness. Alex figured out that his dad didn’t work for a bank but he worked for MI6 (US equivalent is the FBI with spies ). He had been asked to work on one of their special missions. He was pulled into that knowing he would get fancy gadgets and all. Alex’s Tragic fall is when he gets trapped in the huge water tank containing a killer jellyfish. The death/death symbolism doesn’t pertain to Alex but something major in the book. Herod Sayle the designer of the system was going to poison all the kids in England. One computer went to every school. Inside every computer there was pneumonia. He wanted to kill every school kid because when he was in school he was bullied by every kid. Wait it doesn’t stop there! Luckily Alex stopped him from launching the poison. Alex chased him down and from out of nowhere Yassen Gregorivich (a Russian assassin) kills Herod and Alex finds that Yassen killed his uncle and promises to kill Yassen .




In addition to the plotline fitting the tragic mode of literature, so does the symbolism found in the story. When there was conflict in the beginning there was killing which is tragic. Soon there was lying which was also very tragic because Alex deserved to know what his uncle did. Finally there were very dark people.



Finally, In the story “Stormbreaker” Alex’s life is in control and the other things in the story are realist in all ways. When Alex heard the news about the death and the lies he stayed calm and in control. Through the whole process when learning what to do, going through simulations and getting cheated he stays calm because he knows he’ll get the better in the end.




The story “Stormbreaker” portrays a broken family, finding new opportunities through hard times. Through the use of symbolism the author lets us as readers identify with the troubles that the real world brings and how we have to work together with the people we love or hate and it doesn’t solve those problems. When there is death, the tragic cycle is complete and the reader experiences disoriented and troublesome for those people involved.