Connection Between the U.S. and Masons

A prevalent theme throughout this novel is the connection between the Masons and the founding of America. While many believe America was founded on the idea of religious freedom, it appears the forefathers really had in mind a country in which the people were free to pursue scientific thinking and be open-minded. Proof of the importance the founding fathers put on science as well as the rituals of the Masons can be found in the buildings and artwork of our nation’s Capitol city.

As Langdon is on his way to Washington, he thinks about the way that the Masons were instrumental in the design of that city. “This city had been conceived and designed by Master Masons — George Washington, Ben Franklin, and Pierre L’Enfant — powerful minds who adorned their new capital with Masonic symbolism, architecture, and art” (32). The...