In a previous post entitled "Characterization of Mal'akh" I wrote about how the character Mal'akh was a KEY component to the progression of the book The Lost Symbol's plot and how he had undergone many changes throughout the book. Upon completing the book, I realized that I had not even scratched the surface of the complexity of the character Mal'akh. This single quote was an EXTREME revelation to me as I was reading;
(*SPOILER!) "'I know everything!' Mal'akh fired back. 'I was there. You claimed you were trying to help him. Were you trying to help him when you offered him the choice between wealth or wisdom? Were you trying to help him when you gave him the ultimatum to join the Masons? What kind of father gives a child the choice between 'wealth or wisdom' and expects him to know how to handle it! What kind of father leaves his son in a prison instead of flying him home to safety!' Mal'akh now moved in front of Peter and crouched down, placing his tattooed face only inches from his face. 'But most important... what kind of father can look his own son in the eyes... even after all these years... and not even recognize him!'"
That quote was probably the single most unexpected dialogue ever thought to have taken place between Peter and his captor. If there were a time-line that consisted of only his actions that played a role in the book, THIS moment would definitely qualify as the climax.
To summarize Zachary's major character transformations (for more detail, see my post entitled "Characterization of Mal'akh"), I think it is important to re-visit every key part of his life; the life that eventually led him to his *untimely death. As he realizes what his son has become after all these years, Peter began to recall his son Zach's early years, from his infancy to his younger years.
"The massive tattooed creature before him had begun life as a tiny, precious infant... baby Zach curled up in a wicker bassinette... taking his first fumbling steps across Peter's study... learning to speak his first words,"
Peter, as anyone would expect, has a terrible time imagining how Zachary could have possibly become this terrifying creature that stood before him; and how he had could have become so evil corrupt in the years since his apparent death. And, deep down, he slowly began to once again feel a renewed sense of responsibility and guilt about what had happened to his son; even though at the same time he was having great difficulty trying to comprehend how this had ever happened.
"The fact that evil could spring form an innocent child in a loving family remained one of the paradoxes of the human soul,"
To continue on in Zach's life, as he grew older it was clear to Isabel Solomon, Peter's mother and his Grandmother that he was not yet mature enough to be given his inheritance on his 18th birthday, which was a Solomon family tradition. Peter however refused to deny his son this "age-old" Solomon family tradition, and so Zach was given his piece of the family wealth; unfortunately it did not, as Peter had hoped it would, push him toward being more mature and responsible.
"The moment Zachary got his money, he broke from the family... He surfaced a few months later in the tabloids: TRUST FUND PLAYBOY LIVING EUROPEAN HIGH LIFE... the photos of their wayward teen turned from tragic t frightening when the papers reported Zachary had been caught carrying cocaine across a border in Eastern Europe: SOLOMON MILLIONAIRE IN TURKISH PRISON, "
This prison is where Peter Solomon made the critical choice to not bail Zachary out right away, and by doing so he unknowingly alienated his son from himself and the rest of the Solomon family forever. It was here that Zach paid off the prison warden to invent the story of his death in prison, in exchange for a handsome reward. This was, as Zachary called it, the beginning of his "new life". He Deserted his name on took on a new one; Andros.
"Inmate 37 was a free man again-a free man with a massive fortune... There was nothing money couldn't buy- new identities, new passports, new hope. He chose a Greek name- Andros Dareios- Andros meaning "warrior", and Dareios meaning "wealthy"... 'I am Reborn',"
He the proceeded to live in Greece for many years, and then eventually returned to the Solomon home to retrieve the once-promised pyramid that supposedly would lead him to great wisdom. Un-recognizable to his family, the Solomon's simply thought him a robber, and never knew that he was truly their beloved son, nephew and grandson. After his failed attempt to retrieve the pyramid, he began a new quest; a quest that would prepare his body to be the ultimate sacrifice that would be pleasing enough to elevate him to the rank of a god. As part of this said preparation, he changed his identity yet again to Mal'akh, s part of his new journey towards becoming a god.
Zachary Solomon/Andros Darios/Mal'akh's development throughout the book has been the major underlying story that has propelled the book's plot in it's entirety. His own personal vendetta along with his ick obsession was the driving force that set the entire chain of events into motion. Also, his great revelation was as I said before a major climax in the book, as well as a VERY unexpected twist. Needless to say, without him,, there would simply be no plot. And, in order to fully understand the book, and the dynamics behind the main conflict, you have to understand the life that began as that of the Solomon Heir.
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