7.2 Epiphany as a driver of plot

In this guide, we’ll be giving a brief overview of epiphany, and explain what it can do for the plot of a work at large.

What is Epiphany?

Epiphany is a sudden realization that a character has about some aspect of the story so far. It’s the “holy heck*”* (and all its less school-friendly variants) moment. 

An epiphany can be caused by nearly anything: a plot point, an object, another character, and so on and so forth.

• • Plot Point: Character A realizes they're in love with Character B because they're horrified when Character B starts dating someone else.
• • Object: Detective SH realizes the answer to a mystery because he sees something that leads him to make a new connection.
• • Other Character: Character A realizes that they have been terribly wrong about something after Character B points out the errors in their logic. An epiphany is characterized by its suddenness. We wouldn't call a character gradually changing their mind an epiphany.

Why do Epiphanies Matter?

To begin with, an epiphany allows a character to see past events in the narrative in a new light. For example, after Scrooge's epiphany about the error of his ways towards the end of A Christmas Carol, he sees all the past events of his life in a different light: he realizes that his miserly ways were wrong. 

An epiphany can also allow the reader to see past events in a new light if the character is having the revelation at the same time as the reader. For example, let's say that Character B has an epiphany where both they and the reader discover that Character C is secretly their long lost mother! As readers, we now see all of Character C's actions in the entire book in a different light because of this new information. 

An epiphany is often directly related to something central to the narrative itself. It wouldn't make sense for a character to have the sudden dramatic realization that... they should have eaten bacon for breakfast this morning! In a romance focused novel, this epiphany might be about the main character's romantic relationship. In a mystery, this epiphany will likely relate to the identity of the culprit of the mystery at hand.

Finally, an epiphany may affect the plot because characters often act on their sudden realization, causing new events to be set into motion. After discovering that Character A is in love with them, for example, Character B might decide to dramatically confront them. After Detective SH realizes something about the case, he might rush to confirm his suspicions by investigating or asking questions. Epiphanies have a tendency to happen at the last minute (before a love interest leaves town, for instance, or before the killer is about to make a dramatic escape), so they can be a source of drama and plot progression!

That's epiphanies in a nutshell. In the next guide, we'll be discussing the relationship between characters and groups.