A Tongue Tweetster

When a tweeter tweets his tweet with wit, and the tweet gets re-twitted by a twit, does the twice twitted tweet, carries twice the wit or does the wit in the tweet gets tweaked?

The Lost Symbol By Dan Brown

“The Lost Symbol” was engaging and that much is true. “The Lost Symbol” was also entertaining, well paced, and stimulating. In short, it was a good read. What “The Lost Symbol” isn’t though…is controversial. At least not as controversial as “The Da Vinci Code” was. Dan Brown almost seemed restrained, or better yet, anxious to showcase the “secret” organization known as the Freemasons with such reverence and respect. A stark contrast to Brown’s extremely unkind portrayal of “Opus Dei” in the previous book. Could Brown be a “Mason” himself? I will not be the first person to ask this question, or the last.

The events depicted in the novel occurs in one day (as was the case with the previous two Robert Langdon stories), however the similarity ends there. “Angels & Demons” and “The Da Vinci Code” both followed the same formula, more or less. Depending on which book you read first, that will end up being your favorite.

There were several key plot elements in both that were disappointingly similar, and one of it being the age old plot device that (almost) all mystery thrillers and whodunits (be it in print, celluloid or any other media) uses most of the time effectively - that which is “often the most unsuspected character (or believed to be the most unlikely character to have committed the crime) happens to be the villain. A good example of this would be Kevin Spacey’s character “Verbal Kint” in the movie “The Usual Suspects”, or even the classical twist in “Star Wars” concerning Darth Vader’s identity (who, incidentally, gets a mention in “The Lost Symbol” in the most bizarre way) that made me think that maybe…just maybe… Brown was actually inspired by George Lucas. Obviously, that statement would make sense once one completes the book.

It was smart of Brown to have stepped away from the formula (albeit just slightly) and give us a different twist (which some claim to have been so obvious that they saw it coming from miles away). Obviously, I didn’t…and perhaps only because I was so sure that Brown would follow the other two books and kept thinking the real villain to be someone else. A small triumph for Brown, well played indeed.

As was with “The Da Vinci Code”, “The Lost Symbol” is scattered with facts and trivia on many things which we possibly have taken for granted. One of the most enjoyable scene in the book depicts (in a flashback) Langdon challenging a student to join a cult in which he himself is a member of:

“Well, if you were to ask a Mason, he would offer the following definition: Masonry is a system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols.”

“Sounds to me like a euphemism for ‘freaky cult.’ ”

“Freaky, you say?”

“Hell yes!” the kid said, standing up. “I heard what they do inside those secret buildings! Weird candlelight rituals with coffins, and nooses, and drinking wine out of skulls. Now that’s freaky!”

Langdon scanned the class. “Does that... sound freaky to anyone else?”

“Yes!” they all chimed in.

Langdon feigned a sad sigh. “Too bad. If that’s too freaky for you, then I know you’ll never want to join my cult.”

Silence settled over the room. The student from the Women’s Center looked uneasy. “You’re in a cult?”

Langdon nodded and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Don’t tell anyone, but on the pagan day of the sun god Ra, I kneel at the foot of an ancient instrument of torture and consume ritualistic symbols of blood and flesh.”

The class looked horrified.

Langdon shrugged. “And if any of you care to join me, come to the Harvard chapel on Sunday, kneel beneath the crucifix, and take Holy Communion.”

The classroom remained silent.

Langdon winked. “Open your minds, my friends. We all fear what we do not understand.”

It is for these kinds of insights that many have become Dan Brown’s fan. If nothing else, he seems to be encouraging us to acknowledge that not everything we do not understand is bad, and that sometimes what we take for granted might seem unusual to others. This is also one of the key plot elements of “The Lost Symbol”. The Masons have a secret initiation ritual, and they do seem barbaric. However, each ritual has a meaning and should not be taken at face value. Could this actually be an allegory to depict how sometimes, certain religious practices or rituals seems odd to those who are not a practicing member of that religion? The Jainist Digambaras, Islamic Niqabs, Hindu Firewalking, or even the Jewish Kaparot?

On a different level, “The Lost Symbol” challenges you to not take religious teachings literally. The Book of Revelation apparently does not really talk about the end of days as was generally perceived. In fact, it is about a time when mankind will leave behind an age of ignorance and enter a golden era of wisdom and a better understanding of the universe. There are secrets, knowledge which our forefathers knew but were lost along the ages. These secret are hidden in plain sight and the rediscovery of this knowledge signifies the entrance of mankind into a new era. Intrigued? Maybe…maybe not! A chilling, yet interesting experiment in order to prove the existence of the human soul is described in the book. “The Lost Symbol” will also perhaps spark an interest in Noetic Science.

“The Lost Symbol” is an easy read. Some of the chapters are just one page long. Somewhere on the Internet, some literary critic is not happy with Dan Brown’s relentless use of italics in this book. Some just couldn’t care less. There were also mentions of ridiculous usage of similes (e.g. “The revelation crashed over Langdon like a wave.”). If you look hard enough, there’s definitely a lot to complain about but sometimes it just pays to ignore them and lose yourself in the chase. Sure enough, in “The Lost Symbol” (much like “The Da Vinci Code”), the ending just fizzled out and did not do justice to the overall story. However, do remember that this story is all about the journey and everything you learn along the way and never about the destination itself. All the fun and excitement is in the middle, so don’t expect an explosive finale in which everything is tied up and packaged neatly, and handed to you in a silver platter. There just isn’t one.

“The Da Vinci Code” did wonders to France’s tourism industry, and rightfully so because it took us on a whirlwind tour to some of the most colorful locales in the region. “The Lost Symbol”, however is firmly set on just a few specific locations in Washington D.C. Will “The Lost Symbol” generate enough curiosity and do the same thing it did for France? That remains to be seen. What’s true though is that I will definitely not look at the Capitol Building and the Washington Monument (much like “The Last Supper”), in the same way, ever again!