The Dan Brown Enigma

by Graham A Thomas

  Brown’s claim that much of the book is real can be seen at the very beginning when he puts in a Fact page as he did with The Da Vinci Code – even though since that book was published, reams of books, websites and articles have claimed that the facts he put in it were wrong. ‘The reality in this book [The Lost Symbol] is that all the science is real, all the locations are real,’ Brown explained. ‘The Masonic history is real. There is no Peter Solomon, there is no Zachary Solomon and there is no Robert Langdon, so these characters and their back stories are all fiction. There really is a museum support centre that has a giant squid. You can go and see it.’[266]

  One of the things Brown found fascinating when he was researching The Lost Symbol was The Apotheosis in Washington. ‘This idea that in the very centre of America, the top of the Capitol building, is a painting that shows George Washington ascending as a god to me was absolutely shocking and was part of the genesis of this novel.’

  Brown admits he is a very sceptical person and that he has to understand and believe in what he is writing about for it to be believable to his readers. That understanding and belief is the framework for the structure of the novel.

  Even so Brown once again blended fact with fiction to a point where some might find it hard to tell the difference. That, of course is his skill or genius, but just how real is it?

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  * * *

  THE LOST SYMBOL

  One thing I love to do is to get people to see things through a slightly different lens.

  DAN BROWN

  In the middle of what most people think of as a modern city stands an eerie, strange temple with a huge entrance guarded by massive stone sphinxes. Inside, the walls are adorned with strange symbols, mystical numbers and ancient inscriptions that date back to the ancient Egyptians and before. This all leads into a room shaped like a pyramid, with a large altar in its centre and an eye that points up to the heavens. Powerful and influential men are gathered in this room, adorned in ceremonial costume. They are overseeing the initiation of a new member, enacting an ancient ritual where the new member drinks blood-red wine out of a human skull.

  This ritual takes place in the opening chapter of The Lost Symbol and Dan Brown claims it is real. It takes place in the Masonic House of the Temple, only a few blocks from Capitol Hill in Washington D.C.[267]

  In this book Brown raises many questions about the power of the human mind – for example, about the rituals and philosophy of the Freemasons, about George Washington and about people becoming gods. These are provocative questions. ‘It doesn’t matter to me if someone agrees or disagrees with what I say,’ Brown said. ‘But I’d like them to at least think about it.’

  That no backlash materialised as it did with The Da Vinci Code may be because the Masons opened up to some public scrutiny. As we saw in the previous chapter, the language of their website about The Lost Symbol is calm, matter-of-fact and certainly not hysterical in the way that the Catholic Church responded to Brown’s fourth novel.

  Strip away all the philosophy and weird New Age science and what you have is a chase through the streets and famous landmarks of Washington DC. In this race against time Langdon has to work his way through puzzles and secret codes, and move from landmark to landmark to uncover clues as he delves into the dark corners of history. On the way, we discover that George Washington was a Mason and that Benjamin Franklin used his own printing press to publish a book on Freemasonry. It turns out also that the Declaration of Independence was signed by nine Freemasons, including John Hancock, who has the biggest signature on that document.

  Because of Masons’ secrecy, conspiracy theorists have seen shadows in every corner of Freemasonry. The brotherhood have been accused of secretly controlling the American government, of murder, even of Devil worship and much more. On the Great Seal on the back of the US dollar, a five-pointed Star of David can be drawn, with one of the points touching the all-seeing eye. Look at the other points of the star and you can see there are five letters which spell out M.A.S.O.N.

  This could just be a coincidence but Brown doesn’t believe in coincidences, or does he? Perhaps, that’s the enigma of the man. He has this persona of being an average guy but secret organisations, no matter who they are, will always be fascinating to him. ‘Any time you have powerful people who aren’t telling you what they’re doing – you’re going to assume the worst,’ he said.[268]

  Yet Brown did not treat the Freemasons badly in the book, as some have claimed he did or feared he would. ‘There’s a point in the book where Langdon makes the point that misinterpreting people’s symbols is often the root of prejudice, and part of what I hoped to do with this book is shed some light, from my perspective, on Masonic symbolism and Masonic ritual.’

  Brown believes that Freemasonry provides us with a perfect framework for ‘universal spirituality’ because it is an organisation that embraces people from different religions to worship with them. The only caveat is that every member or initiate that comes into the brotherhood believes in a god. ‘They’ll all stand in the same room and proclaim their reverence for a god,’ Brown said during an interview with Matt Lauer.

  But Brown has always said that he is a sceptic when it comes to the more alternative views of science and religion. His leading character is a sceptic as well. In Angels & Demons it took Langdon a long time to accept the idea of the Illuminati and antimatter, and in The Da Vinci Code it took him even longer to accept the theories being promoted by Teabing. In The Lost Symbol he takes some time to accept noetic sciences. ‘I think one of the reasons these books have found a mass appeal is that he’s diving into these conspiracy theories from the standpoint of somebody who doesn’t believe them.’[269]

  Brown also wants to take his readers on a journey of discovery along with Langdon. ‘You can be an intelligent reader and say, “Well, I’m sort of interested in this, but I really doubt it’s real.” And at every point Langdon is right there with you, doubting it’s real.’[270]

  When you go through the plot line or a synopsis of a Brown novel, it will often sound preposterous, unreal and completely implausible. But when you start reading the book you are propelled into the world of Robert Langdon, following him on a race against time, on an adventure where failure means death. You get too lost in the action, in the chase and in the hunt to think about the implausibility of the plot.

  ‘What no one could guess, despite all advance hints about setting and subject matter, was whether Mr Brown could recapture his love of the game,’ said Janet Maslin of the New York Times. ‘Could he still tell a breathless treasure-hunt story? Could he lard it with weirdly illuminating minutiae? Could he turn some form of profound wisdom into a pretext for escapist fun? By now his own formula has been damaged by so much copycatting that it’s all but impossible for anyone to get it right.’[271]

  In fact, The Lost Symbol is the first of Dan Brown’s books to have a single villain. There is no criminal mastermind controlling a killer or killers – this time the mastermind and the killer are one. Mal’akh has infiltrated the Freemasons because he believes they have the key to a great secret that will make him a god and enable him to carry out his evil plan. Mal’akh is covered from head to toe with tattoos of occult symbols. For example, on his chest he has a large double-headed phoenix. Mal’akh is searching for the last piece of the puzzle known as the lost word.

  While Mal’akh searches for this word to turn himself into a demon, he also has a twisted belief that by showing the American public that many of its top-ranking officials are Freemasons practising strange rituals, he can bring down the government. Would being a Freemason in real life bring down a president? One has to wonder if anyone would really care. Still, it’s part of the motivation in Mal’akh’s twisted mind and Langdon must stop it from happening to save the life of his old friend and mentor, Peter Solomon, who comes from an extremely wealthy but philanthropic family. He has to find the lost word or symbol before Mal’akh does.

  After the o
pening ritual, the actual story of The Lost Symbol begins with Langdon heading for Washington, ostensibly to give an address to several of Peter Solomon’s colleagues and friends, many of who are Masons, as is Peter. At the same time Brown introduces us to his younger sister Katherine Solomon, who has a connection to Mal’akh that helps to push the story forward. It is also in these opening chapters that Brown brings in noetic science, of which Katherine is one of the leading lights.

  Langdon is drawn into Mal’akh’s web through the discovery of the severed and bloody right hand of Peter Solomon, which is tattooed with mystical symbols. Solomon has been kidnapped by Mal’akh so that Langdon will do his bidding, to find the answer he searches for that will make him god-like.

  Solomon is a 33rd degree Mason of the Scottish Rite and much of the action takes place in the headquarters of the Scottish Rite Freemasons in Washington. The 33rd degree is an honorary office for Scottish Rite Masons who have made a significant contribution to society or to Masonry in general. (However, 33rd degree Mason is not considered to be a high-ranking Mason simply by virtue of his degree number.)[272]

  Solomon is also head of the Smithsonian Institute. The summons that Langdon gets he believes comes from Solomon, but it turns out to be a fake. Standing in the Rotunda, staring down at the severed hand, Langdon’s cellphone suddenly goes off and he learns the sickening truth. The call is from Solomon’s private cellphone and is from Solomon’s executive assistant but during the call the voice changes to an eerie whisper telling Langdon that he has been chosen.

  Somewhere, Solomon hovers between life and death while the man who holds his life in the balance, Mal’akh, is charging Langdon to find the Mason’s Pyramid. It is hidden somewhere in one of the many underground tunnels and rooms in Washington DC, but this is not the only task that Mal’akh charges Langdon with. He must also find the Lost Word and if he doesn’t do these things, Solomon will die.[273]

  At the Rotunda, the Capitol police and the CIA arrive, brought there by Mal’akh. On security TV the chief of the Capitol police, Trent Anderson, sees a bald-headed man leave the building and goes rushing after him only to find him gone, directed down a corridor by a blond man who turns out to be Mal’akh in disguise.

  Anderson heads back to the security centre and is surprised to find the elusive Inoue Sato, the head of the CIA’s Office of Security, taking over the investigation. For her, this is all about national security, although she won’t say why, believing that she is dealing with people so far beneath her that they have no reason to know anything.

  Sato wants to know what Langdon knows but he doesn’t know what she’s talking about. But he does tell them about the tattoos on the severed hand. They find a clue that leads them into the Capitol’s sub-basement, where they discover a small pyramid in Solomon’s altar room. But the pyramid isn’t complete – it’s missing a capstone – but it does have an inscription carved into it.

  When Langdon first came into the Capitol building he put his bag through X-rays as he went through security. In that bag he was carrying – in response to the kidnapper’s demands – is a package that Solomon had entrusted to him many years ago, but Langdon has no idea what is in it. Sato does and confronts him with an X-ray of the bag showing a smaller pyramid in the package.

  Langdon tries to explain his innocence but Sato doesn’t believe him and tries to have him taken into custody. Her arrest goes awry when she and Anderson are attacked by the Architect of the Capitol, Warren Bellamy, who is also a Freemason. He and Langdon manage to get clear of the authorities and once again, Langdon finds himself running from the police.

  While Langdon flees the scene, Mal’akh is at the lab where Katherine Solomon has been conducting her noetic science research. Her lab has been sponsored by the Smithsonian – indeed her older brother helped her set it up – but now Mal’akh destroys it. Before he does he kills her assistant Trish by throwing her into a massive tank that has a dead squid in it. She drowns in the poisonous embalming liquid.

  Langdon and Katherine are captured by Mal’akh, who seriously injures Katherine. It’s at this point that we find out what Mal’akh wanted Langdon for. Mal’akh places Langdon into a tank that slowly fills with water and threatens to drown Langdon if he doesn’t unlock the code at the base of the pyramid. Langdon does unlock it and gives it to Mal’akh who takes the ailing Peter Solomon to the Temple Room of the Scottish Rite’s House of the Temple, leaving Langdon and Katherine to drown in the tank.

  They are rescued by CIA personnel led by Sato and they race to the House of the Temple. Langdon arrives ahead of Sato and discovers that Mal’akh is still holding Solomon hostage. He tells Langdon that he is going to release a heavily edited video showing government officials carrying out bizarre, secret Masonic rituals that will bring down the government. We discover that Mal’akh is Peter Solomon’s son, Zachary, who everyone thought was long dead.

  Mal’akh forces his father to tell him the Word and this he tattoos on the last remaining patch of bare skin, on top of his head. He then orders his father to sacrifice him, because it is the only way that he will become a demon and lead the forces of darkness. But just as he is forcing Solomon to do this, the Temple’s overhead glass panel is smashed as Sato arrives in a helicopter. Shards of glass thunder down and Mal’akh is fatally impaled, but the video release has been put in motion and the CIA rush to stop it from being broadcast to the nation.

  Solomon now tells Langdon that the Lost Word that Zachary tattooed on his head is not the real Word. He takes Langdon to a room on top of the Washington Monument where the true secret of the Word lies. In the Monument’s cornerstone Langdon sees the symbols that spell out the words Laus Deo which means ‘Praise God’. These same words are carved on the capstone at the top of the Monument that is the true Masonic Pyramid.

  So how does The Lost Symbol fare when compared to The Curzon Group’s five principles of thriller writing?

  Does The Lost Symbol entertain the reader? The answer lies in the quotes from reviewers and from the readers that are listed below. They will also give us the answers to how well The Lost Symbol stacks up against the rest of the thriller-writing criteria.

  In its review of The Lost Symbol, the New York Times praised the book, saying that one had to read it from cover to cover in one sitting. Brown, reviewer Janet Maslin said, ‘enlivens his story with amazing imagery. Some particular hot spots: the unusually suspense-generating setup for Katherine’s laboratory, the innards of the Library of Congress, the huge tank of the architeuthis (giant squid) and two highly familiar tourist stops, both rendered newly breathtaking by Mr Brown’s clever shifting of perspective.’ [274]

  However, not everything was to Maslin’s liking. She noted Brown’s habit of using too many italics to emphasise a character’s thoughts. Indeed, the book is filled with them. She also asked what would happen if suddenly phrases such as ‘What the hell?’ ‘Who the hell?’ and ‘Why the hell?’ no longer existed because he uses these phrases so often, Maslin wonders how Brown would cope if they weren’t there. Even so, she concluded that Brown had sexed up a genre that had all but withered away.

  Maslin also had some reservations about plausibility – ‘Mal’akh’s story is best not dissected beyond the facts that he is bad, self-tattooed, self-castrated and not Langdon’s friend’ – but in the end it didn’t matter. ‘Within this book’s hermetically sealed universe, characters’ motivations don’t really have to make sense; they just have to generate the non-stop momentum that makes The Lost Symbol impossible to put down.’[275]

  On the other side of the country the Los Angeles Times published a review that was largely positive but said that while Brown’s narrative moved like an express train, it often got bogged down in ‘the moments when people sound like encyclopaedias.’

  The review ended with the speculation that people are not likely to be standing up and debating freemasonry in Washington after reading Brown’s novel ‘the way people did Brown’s radical vision of Jesus and Mary Magdale
ne in Code. That book hit a deep cultural nerve for obvious reasons; The Lost Symbol is more like the experience on any roller coaster – thrilling, entertaining and then it’s over.’[276]

  Newsweek called the book contrived. ‘You have to swallow a lot of coincidences. You have to believe that a man will board a private jet and fly from Boston to Washington DC on a moment’s notice without once speaking to the man who asks him to make the flight. You have to buy into the idea that fathers do not recognise sons. You have to accept that people do not talk as they do in life but instead converse in whole paragraphs in which they exchange large clumps of abstruse information.’

  Indeed the review also said Brown doesn’t care much about the normal conventions of fiction. ‘He doesn’t care about things that occupy most novelists – realistic dialogue, characterisation and apparently neither do his legions of readers.’ Complaining about this is the same as complaining that BMW isn’t a good car manufacturer. It’s not important. Brown, according to the review, ‘is a maze-maker who builds a puzzle then walks you through it. His genius lies in uncovering odd facts and suppressed history, stirring them together into a complicated stew and then saying, what if?’

  Ultimately the review also praises the novel as being a fun read. ‘Brown may not be much as a conventional novelist, but he knows how to make you keep turning pages.’[277]

  The opinion in The National Post was not enthusiastic. The reviewer, Robert Wiersema, believed it was wrong to stack Brown’s books up against other novelists: ‘any new work from Dan Brown needs to be evaluated on its own terms, and in the context of his other works.’ Evaluating it in this way, Wiersema found The Lost Symbol to be ‘a staggering disappointment’.

  Wiersema felt that the new book lacked what was unique about his previous work. ‘Mal’akh, for example, is a psychotic villain straight out of B-movie central casting, always implausibly one step ahead of Langdon and his cohorts. He also bears an uncomfortably close similarity to Francis Dolarhyde, the tattooed, Blake-obsessed, apotheosis-seeking killer in Thomas Harris’ Red Dragon.’