The Lost Symbol

The Lost Symbol

Name: Chng Zhi Wei

Class: K3A

School No. : 09079

Book Title: The Lost Symbol

Author: Dan Brown

Book Call No.: F BRO

Setting: The story is set in modern-era Washington D.C, which is not only the capital of the United States, but home to many of the world’s buried secrets. The plot mainly revolves around famous buildings such as United States Capitol, Smithsonian Institution and House of the Temple.

Summary: Famed Harvard symbologist , Robert Langdon isn’t prepared for what’s in store for him when he was invited to give a lecture in Washington D.C-including finding a severed hand of his mentor’s (Peter Solomon) in the middle of the Capitol Rotunda. An unexpected turn of events has led Langdon to flee from the police. Suddenly finding himself wanted by the CIA and haunted by a fanatical madman (Mal’akh), Langdon has to join forces with a Noetic Scientist, Katherine Solomon, and race against time as they try to rescue Peter from Mal’akh, solve the mystery of the Lost Symbol, and uncover a terrifying truth buried all these years.

Note: The story mainly relies on Freemasonry (a fraternal organisation) and may contain religious elements.

Characters:

Robert Langdon

The main protagonist of the novel. He is a professor teaching symbology in Harvard University. He has a mentor, Peter Solomon who is a Freemason. Langdon refused to join Freemasonry despite being invited by Peter as he prefers to discuss Freemasonry openly with his students, which Freemasons cannot do so freely.

Mal’akh (a.k.a Dr. Christopher Abaddon, Andros Dareios/ Zachary Solomon)

He is the main antagonist of the story. He is a Mason whose body is covered with tattoos and prefers Dark Arts to good religion.  He is revealed at the end of the story to be Zachary Solomon, the estranged son of Peter Solomon, who was believed to be dead long ago as a result of being bludgeoned by an inmate in Soganlik Prison, Turkey. After escaping from prison, he changed his name to Andros Dareios and moved to the Greek Islands, where he led a carefree life. Nonetheless, an excessive use of steroids had led to a change in his appearance, thus causing his family unable to recognise him. When he began to be involved in Black Arts, he changed his name to ‘Mal’akh’ which means ‘angel’ in Hebrew. In the story, he killed a lot of people for personal gains, including his own grandmother, Isabel Solomon (mother to Katherine and Peter Solomon).

Peter Solomon

A Smithsonian Secretary. Father to Zachary Solomon, brother to Katherine Solomon and mentor to Robert Langdon. He is a Freemason and a billionaire philanthropist who believes strongly in Freemasonry. His kidnap by Mal’akh led Langdon and Katherine to find the Mason’s Pyramid and the Lost Word.

Katherine Solomon

A Noetic Scientist. Sister to Peter Solomon and aunt to Zachary Solomon. She is also a close friend of Langdon’s prior to the story. Unexceptionally bright and rational, she helped Langdon to uncover the Lost Word and solve the mystery.

Director Inoue Sato

Much-feared Japanese director of CIA. A fearsome specimen, she is cold, calculating, merciless, possess off-the-chart IQ and chillingly accurate instincts.

Warren Bellamy

Fellow Freemason to Peter Solomon. He is an African American and is the Architect of the Capitol. He manages to help Langdon escape from the Capitol building but was in turn caught and interrogated by Director Inoue Sato in ‘The Jungle’.