Novel:
The Lost Symbol
PLOT:
Harvard symbologist Robert
Langdon is summoned to give a lecture at the United States Capitol, with the
invitation apparently from his mentor, a 33rd degree Mason named Peter Solomon,
who is the head of the Smithsonian Institution. Solomon has also asked him to
bring a small, sealed package which he had entrusted to Langdon years earlier.
When Langdon arrives at the Capitol, however, he learns that the invitation he
received was not from Solomon, but from Solomon's kidnapper, Mal'akh, who has
left Solomon's severed right hand in the middle of the Capitol Rotunda in a
recreation of the Hand of Mysteries. Mal'akh then contacts Langdon, charging
him with finding both the Mason's Pyramid, which Masons believe is hidden
somewhere underground in Washington D.C., and the Lost Word, lest Solomon be
executed.
Langdon is then met by Trent
Anderson, head of the Capitol police, and Inoue Sato, the head of the CIA's Office
of Security. Examining Solomon's hand, they discover a clue leading them to a
Solomon's Masonic altar in a room in the Capitol's sub-basement, where they
find a small pyramid lacking a capstone, with an inscription carved into it.
Sato then confronts Langdon with
the security x-ray taken of his bag when he entered the Capitol, which reveals
a smaller pyramid in the package Langdon brought in response to the request by
the kidnapper posing as Solomon. Because the package had been sealed for years,
Langdon was unaware of its contents, but Sato, dissatisfied with this, attempts
to take Langdon into custody. Before she can arrest him, however, she and
Anderson are assaulted by Warren Bellamy, the Architect of the Capitol and a
Freemason, who then flees with Langdon during the melee.
Mal'akh is a Freemason with
tattoos covering almost his entire body. He infiltrated the organization in
order to obtain an ancient source of power,[8] which he believes Langdon can
unlock for him in return for Peter Solomon's life. As Langdon deals with the
events into which he has been thrust, Mal'akh destroys the
Smithonsonian-sponsored laboratory of Dr. Katherine Solomon, Peter's younger
sister, where she has conducted experiments in Noetic Science. Mal'akh is also
being pursued by Sato in the interests of National Security.
Mal'akh captures Langdon and
seriously injures Katherine Solomon. He places Langdon in a tank of breathable
oxygenated liquid, from where Langdon unlocks the code at the Pyramid's base
for Mal'akh, who then flees with Peter Solomon to the Temple Room of the
Scottish Rite's House of the Temple. Langdon and Katherine are eventually
rescued by Sato and her staff who race to the House of the Temple where Mal'akh
threatens to release a heavily edited video showing government officials
performing secret Masonic rituals. Mal'akh, who turns out to be Peter's
long-believed dead son, Zachary Solomon, forces the Word—the circumpunct—out of
his father and tattoos it on his head on the last portion of unmarked skin on his
body. Mal'akh then orders Peter to sacrifice him, as he believes that it is his
destiny to become a demonic spirit and lead the forces of evil. Director Sato,
however, arrives at the Temple in a helicopter, which smashes the Temple's
overhead glass panel, the shards of which fatally impale Mal'akh. The CIA then
thwart Mal'akh's plan to transmit the video to several leading media channels
using an EMP blast, disabling a cell tower in the network path leading from
Mal'akh's laptop computer.
Peter informs Langdon that the
circumpunct Zachary tattooed on his head is not the Word. Deciding to take
Langdon to the true secret behind the Word, Peter leads him to the room atop
the Washington Monument and tells him that the Word—a common Christian Bible,
the "Word of God"—lies in the Monument's cornerstone, buried in the
ground beneath the Monument's staircase. Langdon realizes that the symbols on
the pyramid's base spelled out the words Laus Deo which translate to Praise
God. These words are inscribed upon the small aluminum capstone atop the
Monument, which is the true Masonic Pyramid.
Peter tells Langdon that the
Masons believe that the Bible is an esoteric allegory written by humanity, and
that, like most religious texts around the globe, it contains veiled instructions
for harnessing humanity's natural God-like qualities—similar to Katherine's
Noetic research—and is not meant to be interpreted as the commands of an
all-powerful deity. This interpretation has been lost amid centuries of
scientific skepticism and fundamentalist zealotry. The Masons have
(metaphorically) buried it, believing that, when the time is right, its
rediscovery will usher in a new era of human enlightenment.
CRITICISM:
Deconstruction
is a kind of literary criticism that gives you the exact opposite of what it
means, The Lost Symbol is a sequel of Dan Brown’s novel Angels and demons which
is also considered to be deconstructive in form this is because all Dan brown’s
novel give hints and clues about their search into some hidden symbols and treasures
and yet in the end the symbols and clues presented is far from the real place
and time where the treasure or secret is actually hidden.
The
Lost Symbol is very similar to his previous books, in that it has the same
formulaic plot, structure, and theme, only this time it takes place in
Washington, D.C. and involves the Freemasons instead of the Knights Templar.
Just like in the Da Vinci Code, Langdon is called to Washington at a friend's
request, only to find him missing, and spends the rest of the book chasing
clues throughout the city and trying to outwit a new villain who is seemingly
as smart as he is.
The
novel starts off pretty well. Having read both his thrillers The Da Vinci Code
and Angels and Demons the novel offers the same kind of medieval symbols plot.
The build up about the secret The Freemasons keep and national security crisis
does help to not keep one’s hands off the book. Robert Langdon’s character as
usual is brilliant. Stays calm during crisis situation and never panics. But
the final revelation is disappointing. It fails to keep up to the expectation.
Less than captivating denouement.
Unfortunately,
the characters in The Lost Symbol are just as formulaic. They each have one
personality trait that overshadows any others, making them less like people and
more like puppets in a medieval play. Mal'akh, in particular, comes off as a
one-trick pony. What should be a shocking revelation about him is anything but
surprising. As the book progresses, he becomes less menacing and more
laughable, an almost comic villain, which is a shame. Had Mal'akh been handled
differently, he could have been one of the stronger antagonists in fiction
today. What we're left with, however, is a lot of wasted potential.
Brown
wallpapers over his formulaic plot and characterizations with elements any
student of “conspiracy theories” will instantly recognize. Readers who aren't
familiar with these “conspiracy theories” may be amazed at what they see as
Brown's originality and praise his skill as a writer. But for people who know
anything about the conspiracy subculture won't find anything original in
Brown's work. His real talent is found in his ability to write strong, exciting
scenes. He's great at infusing his plots with tension that keeps the reader
engaged, even if the story seems all-too-familiar.
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