Book Notes

Book Notes Summary 

I have finished reading the first 300 pages of The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown and will now provide an analysis of the settings, characters, conflicts and themes present in the first half of this book.

Settings 

This novel takes place in Washington D.C, the capitol of the United State of America. Some places in particular are:

The Smithsonian Institute

The U.S Capitol Building 

Harvard University

The setting in the first half of the novel switches between where Langdon and Katherine are, until they eventually meet up. This shows the similarity between Katherine and Langdon by showing their similar interests.

The Smithsonian Institute = This is the institute that Peter is responsible for and Katherine does her research at. Peter and Katherine Solomon have a special brother/sister bond and this setting represents that bond. Every week they would meet up to discuss Katherine’s discoveries in Noetic Science, and Peter would present his thoughts and help Katherine move forward.

The U.S Capitol Building = This is where Robert Langdon’s story began. He originally was called over to give a “speech” for a bunch of freemasons that Peter was supposedly in charge of; however, it was a trap. Mal’akh, the antagonist of this novel, had tricked him in to arriving by disguising himself as Peter over the phone. This is where Langdon discovered Peter’s severed hand on the floor of the Rotunda building and Langdon met Sato, the head of the CIA.

Harvard university = This is where Robert Langdon teaches and during the novel he has many flashbacks of instances when he was teaching. This is significant because many people took his class because they were interested in the crazy secret conspiracies that were going on in the government and in our past. Langdon however, is a man who believes in what he sees and gets amused by the theories of his student. This is what separates Langdon from Mal’akh.

Characters 

I have already given an update of the main characters in one of my previous posts, but I will give a brief overview of some of the characters in The Lost Symbol.

Robert Langdon = Robert Langdon is the protagonist in The Lost Symbol. He plays a Harvard University professor who is an expert in iconology and symbology. Personally, I get the impression that Robert Langdon is a very grounded individual who only believes in what is evident. One would not think this to be true, considering Langdon's field of expertise; however, it seems as if Robert Langdon has made himself famous by chance. He is always very skeptical of all this conspiracy non-sense until people practically push him in to believing.

Peter Solomon = The man who is currently in purgatory. He was kidnapped by Mal'akh and now is now caught in the middle of a twisted game of chess. His hand was cut off in order black mail Langdon. There isn't a ton of information given on Peter in this book, but he is described through the eyes of his sister. Katherine thinks the world of his brother and describes hows intelligent he is when remembering all the times they spent together in the novel.

Katherine Solomon = This is Peter's sister, Katherine, who is the head researcher in advancing Noetic Science. She is attached to her brother because they have a special bond, being that they’re related and have such similar interests.

Mal’akh = Mal’akh is the antagonist in the novel. From what I have read so far, I get the impression that he is an extremely dedicated individual, being that he goes to extreme lengths to get what he wants. He is very faithful because in the novel he is sure that this portal, to the Lost World exists; however, there is no solid evidence that it does. This is what separates Mal’akh from Robert Langdon. It is clear to see the contrast and yet similarities between the two.

Conflicts

- -Robert Langdon is insistent on finding out Mal’akh’s true identity


- -Mal’akh has Peter Solomon captive


- - Katherine Solomon wants to find her brother; Robert Langdon wants to find his friend


- - Mal’akh wants to find this portal to “The Lost World”


- - Sato tried to take Langdon in to custody because of a similar artefact that he possesses to Mal’akh.

Themes

Secrecy = In The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, Brown analyzes the secrets that the church and government keep from society. In the midst of all this mess all the secret service is trying to do, is contain this incident so no one finds out about it. Not to mention that it seems like the church wanted nobody finding out about this portal if it really does exist.

Conspiracy = In the Langdon series, there are groups that conspire against society. In Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code, it is the illuminate. In this novel, it seems as if the Masons and Smithsonians have a big role in this novel.

Faith Vs. Reality= In The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown usually contrasts Langdon, who acts on fact and rarely on impulse or faith, with someone who will sacrifice their life for something they believe in. In The Da Vinci Code it was the Illuminati and in The Lost Symbol it is Mal'akh

Good vs. Evil: Finally, good vs. evil is always an important and classic theme present in all books; however, in Brown's books the line separating good from evil is much more vague. Where the antagonists usually have a different view of what is good and evil. It is usually just a different perception of the world. In The Da Vinci Code the Illuminati and Silas who are hunting down the Last Templars believe that the Holy Grail needs to be kept a secret in order for society to remain peaceful and loyal to Christianity and are willing to do anything to keep it that way.

On another note I would like to present some literary devices that I had noticed were frequently used in Brown’s writing, and give an example or two for each. I will start adding to these every post.

Similes/Metaphors:

"The revelation crashed over Langdon like a wave"(Brown 101)


“Then, like an oncoming truck, it hit her”(Brown 214)

Imagery

“"Langdon instantly saw all the pieces fall into place. Within seconds, he was certain he knew exactly how to decipher the pyramid."(Brown 254)

Contrast

There is a frequent use of contrast in The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. This becomes evident when switching between the point of views of Mal’akh and Robert Langdon. It makes the book very interesting to read because the mood switches from dark imagery to light imagery frequently.

Work Cited:

Brown, Dan.The Lost Symbol. New York: 2008. 634.