Angels and Demons #2

Angels and Demons – Entry #2.

I have read up till page 140 in the book Angels and Demons and I obviously didn’t get much clues or answers to the questions I had asked last week about the book. Up till now, what happened is that someone, (assumed to be the Illumnati), had stolen the canister that held antimatter, which was invented by Leonardo Vetra. Vittoria is baffled because no one was supposed to know where the canister located and how to get access to it except her. She is confused about who might’ve taken the canister, and simultaneously she is infuriated by the fact that someone murdered her beloved father. She is psychologically undergoing a hard time, and Robert Langdon remains tacit trying to solve the mystery. There is a report that the canister has been located in Vatican City, so Langdon and Vittoria fly to Vatican City to find the canister of antimatter in 24 hours to prevent disaster from the explosion of it.

I want to comment on Maximillian Kohler, who is the head of the CERN. Personally, I dislike the character. One thing I like about him is his logic. Whatever he says, he says in very logical ways supported with reason and evidence. I like his eloquent speech. However, I dislike his cold heart. Isn’t it the priority to report a death case to the police when such brutal murder occurs? Even though one of his colleagues was bloodily murdered in his company, Kohler insisted on not reporting for he fears that the reputation of CERN will depreciate. However, if Kohler is a sympathetic and caring person, he would’ve listened to Vittoria’s suggestions. Vittoria, who is Leonardo Vetra’s daughter, is extremely shocked and sad with his father’s death and she suggested calling the police; but Kohler’s immediate reaction was holding her back. Besides this, Kohler is too cold and logical in any circumstances. It seems to me that he has no emotions towards anything and I detest that kind of character. I myself am very sympathetic towards others and I dislike when people react with bluntness and indifference to circumstances. If I were Kohler, I would first try to comfort her instead of immediately warning her not to tell this incident to anyone.

Besides the plot, characters, and other literary elements of the book, the portion I read this week made me recollect my past memories of my trip to Vatican City. Two years ago, my family traveled to Rome and Pompeii, Italy and Vatican City. While I was reading this portion, I had a hard time focusing on the plot because I kept reminiscing my vacation at Vatican City. So I decided to pause reading and just call back the past memories at Vatican. When Langdon and Vittoria arrived near the St. Peter’s Basilica, I remembered myself amazed over the grand and unique architecture of it and the elaborate and detailed structure and design of the interior. I also recalled the beautiful clouds that day outside of the Basillica. In addition, I recollected the fatigue I underwent due to walking over 4 hours to tour and look at all the art works, sculptures, and more in Vatican City Museum. I was glad to recollect the good memories of my trip at Vatican City.

Angels and Demons #1

Angels and Demons – Entry #1.

My first novel that I’m reading this year is Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. So far, I’ve read up till page 82. In terms of the plot, I already read the exposition and now I’m entering the rising action. There are several characters in this novel. Some of them have distinct and apparent characteristics, while others are mysterious. Robert Langdon is the protagonist of the story; he is a professor at Harvard University who studies religious iconology. The man who calls Langdon into adventure is Maximillian Kohler, who is the head of Counseil Europeen pour la Recherche Nucleaire (CERN). The victim of the conflict is Leonardo Vetra, a theophysicist at CERN. Vittoria Vetra is Leonardo’s adopted daughter. It is assumed, or I should rather say, I assume that the organization who murdered Leonardo Vetra would be the antagonist.

The major outbreak of the novel is the murder of Leonardo Vetra. Frankly, I am still not 100 percent sure of what the conflict is. However, I think the conflict is men vs. men: between Langdon and the murderer. Langdon is called by Kohler because Kohler seeks help from Langdon to solve the inexplicable murder. The peculiarity of the murder is that the killer imprinted a mark “Illumnati” on Vetra’s chest and took one of Vetra’s eyeballs. When Langdon confronts the dead body of Vetra, he is extremely surprised. What stuns him the most is the mark “Illumnati,” which is an archaic code that signifies Satanic. It also used to refer to an ancient group that was strongly against Christianity. Step by step, Langdon strives to solve the mystery, and slowly he uncovers some evidence. In the process, he figures out that Vetra is a theophysicist and his recent research and discoveries. Though he is a scientist, his goal in his life is to use science to prove God’s existence. Thus, Vetra had been conducting an experiment and discovered the truth of the origin of the world. However, the mystery here is that Vittoria was the only one that knew about her father’s research and results. Besides, the only way to get access to Vetra’s lab that contains his research was through Vetra’s retina. This shocks Langdon because of the possibility that the “Illumnati” still exists. The part that the murderer took Vetra’s eye tells that the murderer knows about Vetra’s research; however, the only person who is supposed to know is Vittoria. Langdon continues to struggle to figure out the solution to the mystery…

So far, I find this novel EXCITING! I love the mystery in it and I love how Dan Brown writes in such an enigmatic manner. Angels and Demons is like a labyrinth. As I continue reading it, I feel like I know what will happen afterwards, I know what the next sentence will be, I know what evidences will be revealed, and more. However, almost every guesses that I make are off the tangent. This is what I love about this book. It makes me ask numerous questions and predict what will happen next. However, it surprises me all the time. For example, one thing that surprised me was that Leonardo Vetra is a theo-Physicist. Previous to figuring that out, I wondered why would (if the “Illumnati” still exists”) the “Illumnati” kill a normal physicist. I kept questioned myself why would that particular group want to kill a scientist. I asked, “Wouldn’t the Illumnati rather like Vetra since he is a scientist and he believes in the Big Bang Theory?” But when it turned out that Vetra was an unusual figure who believes in both creation and evolution, I was shocked and astonished. I didn’t expect that at all and I never heard of a scientist who simultaneously supports evolution and creation. Like this, I look forward to continue reading Angels and Demons and encounter more surprises!