77 pages • 2 hours read
Dan BrownThe Lost Symbol
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2009A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
Freemasons are an integral part of the plot of this novel. Were you surprised to learn that America’s founding fathers were a part of this organization? How do you think the founding fathers’ beliefs were inspired by Freemasonry, and how did those beliefs impact the basic building blocks of the current American government and political system?
Langdon discusses at length the idea that Washington, DC, was originally intended to be a new Rome. Why do you think the founding fathers would choose Rome as their model? How does the founding of the United States compare with the rise of the Roman Empire?
Family relationships are explored at length in this novel, particularly the relationship between Peter and his son, Zachary. How do parent-child relationships form the adult that the child will become? Is Peter truly responsible for what Zachary became and what he did? Use examples from the text to prove your point.
Noetic Science is the study of mental activity or intelligence. Why is Noetics represented as being controversial? How does Katherine’s research support the beliefs of the Freemasons? Why do you think Brown used Noetics as Katherine’s science of choice in this particular novel?
Mal’akh reflects that with goodness comes evil, and that what one person perceives as good another will perceive as evil. How does this point of view express Mal’akh’s core beliefs and support his actions in this novel?
Mal’akh spends most of the novel attempting to unlock the Ancient Mysteries, and the CIA and Freemasons spend the novel trying to keep it hidden. Should great knowledge be hidden from society as a whole? How can knowledge be dangerous? How do Mal’akh’s actions lend support to the idea that humankind is not ready for the knowledge the Ancient Mysteries are meant to reveal?
Langdon spends most of the novel arguing that the Ancient Mysteries are a myth and that the Lost Word does not exist. Why does Langdon struggle to believe in Peter’s theories? What does the epilogue imply about Langdon’s acceptance or understanding of the Ancient Mysteries?
Compare and contrast Langdon’s understanding of science with Katherine’s Noetic perspective of science. How are they similar? How are they different? Can they find common ground? Use specific examples to support your position.
Langdon reflects several times in the novel that outsiders to Freemasonry see it as some kind of cult or religious organization cloaked in secrecy. What is Langdon’s theory on why people see Freemasonry this way? What is Freemasonry? How has it changed since the time of the founding fathers?
Architecture is a major theme of the novel. How does Brown use architecture both literally and metaphorically? How does the architecture of the iconic buildings in Washington, DC, reflect the philosophical “architecture” of the United States as a nation? Use examples from the novel to support your discussion.
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