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Pitaram Panthi (Second)
Pitaram Panthi (Second)
Pitaram Panthi (Second)
destroyed by the virus created by Bertrand Zobrist, a mad scientist who wants to cure
overpopulation by infecting 1/3 world population into sterile virus. There’s a man-
made super-virus hidden somewhere, and only by solving a series of clues left in
classic works of art can Langdon track it down before the virus wipes out half the
planet.
The novel 'Inferno' describes the journey of Robert Langdon with Dr. Sienna
Brooks and Elizabeth Sinskey in finding the hidden plague created by Bertrand
Zobrist. Harvard professor Robert Langdon is hired by the World Health Organization
(WHO) to help find a lethal pathogen in Dan Brown's novel Inferno. Bertrand Zobrist,
overpopulation, is thought to have developed the virus. Zobrist had misled WHO
Zobrist had fooled WHO Director Elizabeth Sinskey into thinking he had created a
virus to wipe out the population. Sinskey hoped to track down and contain the virus
before it spread too far. Sinskey's plan for Langdon to assist in the hunt for the
pathogen was rapidly thwarted when he was apprehended by the provost, a man who
had provided Zobrist with a safe haven. They told him he was suffering from
retrograde amnesia as a result of a gunshot wound to the head, and they gave him an
They persuaded Langdon that the people sent by Sinskey to find him were
trying to kill him, and they told him he had retrograde amnesia caused by a bullet
Panthi 2
wound to his scalp. Langdon and his new friend Sienna Brooks tracked the virus to
Istanbul using cryptic clues left by Dante enthusiast Zobrist. Langdon and Sienna
were separated until they could fly to that city when Langdon was kidnapped by
Sinskey's men. After the provost showed Sinskey a chilling video Zobrist had
demanded to be released to the media, Sinskey and the provost persuaded Langdon
that no one was trying to kill him and that they were all on the same side.
hospital in Florence, but after an attempt on his life, he quickly has to make an escape
with the help of doctor Sienna Brooks. Little by little, and with constant references to
Dante's life and works – with his portrayal of hell – as well as to Malthus's ideas on
population, Langdon and Brooks discover that they must save the world from a plague
created by Bertrand Zobrist. While struggling to find out the virus, he activated the
projector and described to Sienna how the levels of hell had been shuffled around.
When they were in the correct order the letters spelled out the words “cerca trova”
(127). These words mean seek and you shall find, the same words Langdon heard the
Florence and Venice, while other chapters allow readers to explore Zobrist's mind and
the reason why he has created his plague. Zobrist’s threat is directed towards Elisabeth
Sinskey, head of the World Health Organization. Zobrist blames the W.H.O for
looking the other way by denying the massive acceleration of the human population.
Panthi 3
After WHO was contacted, they found his safe house and discovered he had “created
some kind of highly contagious pathogen and hidden it somewhere else” (433).
Langdon must follow clues related to 14th Century Italian poet Dante and his epic
The hero and the heroine are being chased at a frantic pace and are, at the
same time trying to solve a riddle using Dante Alighieri's literary work 'Inferno' and a
modified version of the “painting” by Botticelli known as the 'Map of Hell' which is
When Sienna eventually came to a halt in her search of Langdon, she told him
that the bag had already burst when she arrived. She knew what kind of virus Zobrist
had created and had hoped to prevent it from being published. Langdon convinced
Sienna to cooperate with Sinskey and the WHO to help them understand and cope
We know for sure that new viruses will be introduced into humans at regular
intervals. Just look at HIV which came from the chimpanzees and SARS which
perhaps came from bats and then disappeared not to be seen in the last 10 years. The
new Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) is the latest example of a new virus
previously unknown to humans suddenly appearing. This new virus has animal
reservoirs and bats and camels may be implicated but the situation is still uncertain.
Conspiracy theory defines an outbreak of any actions that affects the general
plan to achieve some goal. Its members are known as conspirators like the member of
The Consortium. Moreover, it is a theory that explains an event as being the result of
theories begin with disagreements about what constitutes a conspiracy theory and
what does not, it is important to define some key words first. To begin, we describe a
"conspiracy" as a hidden plot involving two or more powerful actors (Keeley, 1999;
Pigden, 1995). With profound insight into the theory of conspiracy criticism, the
researcher displays the act of hidden organization to find the virus creating the
masterplan as Sianna Brooks plays the role of fake doctor in the novel Inferno. This
novel is attempted to analyse through the theory of Mike Adams and Joseph Uscinski.
circumstances that cites as a main causal factor a small group of powerful persons
acting in secret for their own benefit and against the common good." (48)
that the viruses are created intentionally as a biowarfare weapon. It further says,
"nearly three-in-10 Americans believe that COVID-19 was made in a lab" either
intentionally or accidentally. COVID-19 can also be related with the virus, inferno,
created by Zobrist.
And those who question official histories have recently received vindication,
though not in the areas they hoped. While no truth has ever been proved in the
anticipated and understood the mindset of the 21st century, in which citizens would
come to suspect that every stone had something hidden under it and would be justified
population to 9.5 billion by 2050 which will ultimately result global collapse. Dan
Brown’s Zobrist has a neat solution to demographic catastrophe through the release of
a clever virus, Inferno, which would humanely reduce the global population by
making one in three people sterile. And the scary thing about it is that Brown’s head
Though Brown has brought many historical references in the novel but in
Inferno, there is no historical conspiracy. Instead, Langdon has to stop a new plague
being unleashed by scientific genius Bertrand Zobrist, who believes the only way to
save the world from the consequences of rampant overpopulation is to finish a large
"I want to stress that this is not an activist book," Brown says. "But
Most of the scientists are deeply concerned that overpopulation is the issue to
which all of our other environmental issues are tied such as ozone. Where we get our
clean water, starvation, deforestation are considerable problems. But they're really
In the story, Langdon and Zobrist both believe they are saving the world in a way.
Panthi 6
name has been changed for considerations of security and privacy. The shadowy
Consortium and its key member 'The Provost' are invisible as iconic as some of
Brown’s villains. There’s a veiled Stieg Larsson reference with Vayentha, a spiky
After its publication in 2013, Inferno received very favorably by both readers
and critics thereby enriching and broadening its literary opulence. It is described
differently by different people in different context. Hub Zwart analyzes the novel
through the insight of Lacanian perspective to highlight its cultural relevance. Zwart
on an ancient relief. He dreams about her, and decides to go and look for her
in Pompeii. In one of his dreams he witnesses how, during the fatal 79 A.D.
eruption, her living body is covered with ashes and gradually transformed into
marble. What he finds particularly fascinating about her is the way she strides
and moves her feet, and he decides to call her Gradiva. (380)
releases a preventive vector virus which would enforce random sterility on one-third
of the world population. The paper probes into the reason behind Zobrist's
bioterrorism and the ethicality, or the lack of it, entailed in his entire approach. It also
shows that unlike the advocates of Deep Ecology, Zobrist's concern is ultimately
Panthi 7
anthropocentric as he cannot think beyond human concern while engaging in the act
At the end of the thriller, the vector virus is released despite the combined
efforts of WHO, a secret society called Consortium, Robert Langdon and his
mysterious accomplish Sienna Brooks. The virus infects all the humans of the
world and it is estimated that one-third of the random human population will
the human genes must be seen as an act of bioterrorism. Langdon was appalled by this
act of genetic terrorism which attempts to change the basic nature of human species
forgotten in national policies and international debates despite its relevance for the
stocks and desertification (Bryant et al.). All these issues have a direct impact
on the availability of food, and are they are an important part of the general
Muhammad Reza analyzes the life and suicide of Bertrand Zobrist in Dan
Brown’s Inferno through existential perspective. Zobrist creates a virus that will make
1/3 of population infertile. His action to release the virus shows that he is a man of
action. However, by committing suicide before he sees the result of his action, he
contradicts his initial action. In the notions of existentialism, his action to release the
virus shows that he is an existentialist hero. Zobrist’s suicide, moreover, gives a new
When Zobrist commits suicide, he justifies his action by saying that he creates
the virus for men’s greater good and for God. Zobrist believes that there is
nothing wrong with his decision. He believes that the final goal of his mission
is to see the creator Himself. However, it is unfair to simply judge a man like
Although all the critics have examined the novel Inferno differently, none of
them dwelt upon the issues of conspiracy of The Consortium and the humanity crisis
emerging in the modern state. The issue of searching conspiracy in the novel is
distinct and new topic, which is not hinted by any film critics and reviewers.
Panthi 9
Exploration of Conspiracy
Conspiracy is seen in most of the parts of the novel while going through it. Most of
the episodes are guided by conspiracy. The role of secret organization, Consortium,
and its officials, the provost, and its objective clearly shows that conspiracy is the
It is first necessary to define some key terms since many arguments about
conspiracy theories originate with disputes over what counts as a conspiracy theory
and what does not. First, we identify a “conspiracy” as secret plot by two or more
powerful actors (Keeley, 1999; Pigden, 1995). Conspiracies typically attempt to usurp
Langdon was now fully awake. Crouched beside Marconi’s body, Dr. Brooks
kept searching for a pulse as tears welled in her eyes. Then, as if a switch had
been flipped inside her, she stood and turned to Langdon, Her expression
transformed before his eyes, her young features hardening with all the
me,’ she commanded. Dr. Brooks grabbed Langdon’s arm and pulled him
across the room. The sounds of gunfire and chaos continued in the hallway as
Langdon lurched forward on unstable legs. His mind felt alert but his heavily
drugged body was slow to respond. Move! The tile floor felt cold beneath his
feet, and his thin hospital gown was scarcely long enough to cover his six-foot
frame. He could feel blood dripping down his forearm and pooling in his
palm. Bullets continued to slam against the heavy door-knob, and Dr. Brooks
pushed Langdon roughly into a small bathroom. She was about to follow when
Panthi 10
she paused, turned around, and ran back toward the counter and grabbed his
The conspiracy in the novel Inferno begins from here. A woman arrives at the
finish with Langdon. Agent rushes into the chamber, but Siena has led Langdon out
through the emergency exit. The agent shoots, but Langdon and Sienna have time to
leave by taxi. Dr. Brooks took Langdon's arm in his and dragged him around the
room. As Langdon lurched forward on trembling legs, the sounds of shooting and
confusion continued in the corridor. His mind was sharp, but his drugged body was
slow to respond. Make a move! His thin hospital gown was barely long enough to
cover his six-foot frame, and the tile floor felt cold under his feet. . Blood was
dripping down his forearm and collecting in his hand. Dr. Brooks shoved Langdon
into a small bathroom as bullets began to bang against the heavy doorknob. She was
about to follow when she came to a halt, turned around, and dashed back to the
The other tortured and genius woman is the head of the World Health
Organisation, Elizabeth Sinskey, who is chasing after Zobrist because the madman
has left clues that he is willing and able - and eager - to reduce the world population
by a significant amount. It sounds more interesting than the way it has been presented
in Inferno, and it is presented very badly there. Enough support has been provided for
the argument that the world is reaching a crisis through over-population, but not
enough debate is generated between the characters about sustainable growth on the
basis of equitable resource distribution (tax those rich bastards!). But then, Inferno is
“Conspiracy theories” are attempts to explain the ultimate causes of significant social
and political events and circumstances with claims of secret plots by two or more
head wound and cannot remember anything. He was at Harvard, but now he realises
emergency after being grazed by a bullet, which gave him a concussion. Vayentha,
an assassin who had been following Robert, breaks into the hospital, shooting a
doctor. Sienna grabs Robert, and they run to her apartment. In a hidden pocket in
Robert’s jacket, they find a biohazard container, which holds a small medieval bone
cylinder fitted with a hi-tech projector that shows an altered version of Botticelli’s
Map of Hell. This is curious enough, but soon soldiers break into the apartment
For example, Brotherton et al.’s (2013) scale includes statements like “A lot of
where participants rate the likelihood of each statement being true from 1 (definitely
not true) to 5.
overpopulation. He wants to find a way to keep it in size, and discusses it with the
World Health Organization chief Elizabeth Sinskey. The WHO boss agrees that the
rate of global population growth needs to be checked. But she is not convinced by
Zobrist’s argument that no less than the planet’s fate is on the line. So the billionaire
Panthi 12
scientist decides to deploy his own resources to do something about it, and hires a
secretive group, The Consortium, to hide him from the world for a year.
that would infect everybody on the planet within a week. By setting the plot in
Florence, the hometown of great medieval poet Dante Alighieri, and drawing on
Divine Comedy’s first chapter, Inferno, Brown expertly leads readers into an
impending gloom. Enter the Black Death and the beaked masks that doctors wore in
the 14th century when a third of Europe died of plague. It is likely that the virus being
developed by the scientist, a death doctor of sorts, will cut world population to four
billion.
scientist talks of the perils of overpopulation: “Those who have never considered
stealing will become thieves to feed their families. Those who have never considered
killing will kill to provide for their young. All of Dante’s deadly sins—greed,
gluttony, treachery, murder, and the rest—will begin percolating … rising up to the
People have a strong need to feel positive about the groups they belong to as
well, such as their nationalities, political parties, and religious groups. A conviction
that others conspire against one’s group is more likely to emerge when the group
2014).
The other tortured and genius woman is the head of the World Health
Organisation, Elizabeth Sinskey, who is chasing after Zobrist because the madman
Panthi 13
has left clues that he is willing and able - and eager - to reduce the world population
by a significant amount. It sounds more interesting than the way it has been presented
in Inferno, and it is presented very badly there. Enough support has been provided for
the argument that the world is reaching a crisis through over-population, but not
enough debate is generated between the characters about sustainable growth on the
basis of equitable resource distribution (tax those rich bastards!). But then, Inferno is
Some studies have attempted to chart the social characteristics of those prone
to conspiracy theories. In the United States, Uscinski and Parent (2014) found that
higher levels of conspiracy thinking correlate with lower levels of education and
lower levels of income. A recent study analyzing historical survey data found further
this study, conspiracy believers were more likely to be male, unmarried, less
group, and have weaker social networks. Similar relationships were found in a large
theories.
Robert and Sienna head towards the Old City, where they believe they might
find out more about the cylinder and its connection to Dante, but are intercepted by
Venice police and more soldiers. They must sneak carefully through the city. Sienna
and Robert, who spent a significant amount of time in Venice, now are in possession
of Dante’s Death Mask with a mysterious riddle on the inside of it. Bertrand Zobrist
is a billionaire geneticist who previously owned the mask at the Florence Baptistery.
Sienna explains that Zobrist advocated for a halt to humanity’s growth due to the
with his genetic expertise, using an engineered disease. Jonathan Ferris shows up,
saying he is from the World Health Organization, and has come to help them escape
the soldiers. He has a severe rash on his face and a large bruise on his chest, but he
hides the latter from Robert and Sienna. The three follow the riddle to Venice, but
Ferris falls unconscious suddenly. Sienna says he is bleeding internally, and Robert
Uscinski et al. (2018) argue that for several reasons, the Internet may not
countries, websites with the most traffic are not devoted to conspiracy theories, and
conspiracy theory websites are not highly visited. Mainstream sources of news far
outpace conspiracy sources in terms of reach and audience. There are many websites
dedicated to conspiracy theories, but it is likely that the only people seeking out these
websites are those who are already predisposed. Second, in terms of the online
information environment, Uscinski and Parent (2014) examined news and blog posts
over the course of a year to see how the Internet discusses conspiracy theories. Much
of the content was negative, suggesting that if one were to simply seek out news from
the Internet, one would get a negative vision of conspiracy theories. Third, there is no
evidence that people are more prone to conspiracy thinking now than they were prior
to the invention of the Internet. Thus, it cannot be asserted that there has been an
overall rise in conspiracy theorizing or that the Internet is responsible for such a rise
in a straightforward way.
So this is what they did. They hired eleven translators, gave them one laptop
each (screwed permanently on the workstation), provided only one computer for
Internet use (supervised only), confiscated their mobile phones, and let them read and
work on Brown’s Inferno all day, every day, seven days a week for two months. They
Panthi 15
were allowed go to the bathroom, eat at the common canteen, take cigarette breaks
(but not too long) but everything must be logged in. Should they encounter a
Mondadori employee while dining they were all ready with a cover story to tell.
Needless to say, they were directed not to reveal any information on the plot
whatsoever. The bunker was guarded by armed security personnel and the
manuscripts were locked in a safe when the translators were not working on them.
dominance hierarchies and query the actions of powerful groups. One positive
or official versions of events may open up issues for discussion that would otherwise
be closed, and may even uncover real conspiracies (Swami & Coles, 2010).
The most prominent characteristic of conspiracy theorists is that they are often
part of various groups that distrust the government and the way most of us live today.
These individuals tend to believe more easily in conspiracies like immigration, Jewish
dominance, Muslims or the like, and this preference is a little stronger in men.
"If you belong to a group that already believes in doomsday scenarios and a future
often live in societies that have less successful democracies, which influences trust in
others and in the authorities. Furthermore, it belongs to groups that feel they should
have more power and influence. It also belongs to special political organizations or
Panthi 16
religious groups a little more often. Conspiracy theories see connections more often
than most people do, also where such connections do not exist, and they are more
likely to see intention as the cause of events. They more often obtain their information
group of soldiers, but Sierra escapes. Robert is brought to Elizabeth Sinskey, the
director-general of the WHO. She explains that Zobrist committed suicide a week
previously, but he had been a brilliant geneticist and Dante fanatic. He had
apparently developed a plague that would kill off a large portion of the world.
Elizabeth raided Zobrist’s safety deposit box, finding the cylinder, then flew Robert
WHO shortly after, and they suspected he had changed sides. The soldiers were
actually the WHO’s emergency response team and meant no harm. Zobrist paid a
consultation group called The Consortium to protect the cylinder, but only until a
certain date. He left a disturbed video with Dante imagery, showing a picture of the
plague underwater in a slowly dissolving bag. The video claims the whole world
will be changed after the next morning. Elizabeth says they were then obligated to
protect whatever it was the bone cylinder had been pointing to. All events of the
novel to this point have been staged by the WHO; Robert was drugged with
benzodiazepine drugs to erase his short term memory, and then given a fake head
wound to confuse him and motivate him to solve the mystery. Sienna, Vayentha,
change conspiracy.
Conspiracy theories have also been linked to political attitudes and behaviors.
Jolley and Douglas found that participants who were exposed to antigovernment
information— showed less intention to vote in the next election. Another negative
theories negatively affected trust in government and institutions, even when the
institutions were not connected to the allegations. Further, Butler et al. found that
participants who had viewed the conspiracy film JFK showed lower intentions to
and Parent also showed that people higher in conspiracy thinking were less likely to
register to vote, to actually go out and vote, to donate money to candidate, or to put up
political signs at their homes. In different contexts however, conspiracy theories may
be associated with intentions to engage in political action against elites. Imhoff and
phase-out following the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster in 2011, by showing
conspiracy thinking was significantly and positively associated with the intention to
are correlational, they suggest that conspiracy theorizing may sometimes trigger
The Consortium realizes that she is a secret supporter and lover of Zobrist.
She finds out where the bag is being kept after Robert solves the riddle, and gets
herself a private jet. She tries to get it before anyone else, but Robert, the WHO, and
The Consortium team together to stop her. They think the location hinted at in
Zobrist’s video is the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, but realises it is actually in the
Cistern, where Sienna is. Robert chases her until she gives up, and soon after, she
starts to sob and tells Robert everything about the plague. Robert persuades her not
to run away, so she can tell Elizabeth everything she knows. Sienna agrees, and does
just that. Elizabeth decides to let Sienna help her answer the many questions that
will soon arise from world leaders everywhere. Robert and Sienna say their
behavior. Bartlett and Miller analyzed the content of a broad range of extremist
groups and found that conspiracy theories are not only prevalent throughout, but that
there is a great deal of overlap between the conspiracy theories mentioned, even
across extremist groups at opposite ends of the political spectrum. This evidence is
consistent with van Prooijen et al.’s analysis. For instance, they found that anti-Jewish
capitalist conspiracy theories were features of both right- and left-wing extremist
groups. Bartlett and Miller argued that conspiracy theories play important social and
multiplier” (4) that contributes and reinforces the ideologies and psychological
Sienna glanced over at him, her face softening. ‘Robert, look, I’m not saying
Zobrist is correct that a plague that kills half the world’s people is the answer
saying is that our current pat is a pretty simple formula for destruction.
finite space and limited resources. The end will arrive very abruptly. Our
experience will not be that of slowly running out of gas… it will be more like
remembers her encounter with the brilliant scientist-geneticist. He believed that the
planet's overpopulation would lead to humanity's extinction, and that the "human
herd" would be wiped out by a plague outbreak. Sinskey recognizes that mankind will
soon exhaust the planet's wealth, but she disagrees with the strategy. Sinskey accepts
that humans will quickly deplete the planet's wealth, but she disagrees with the
scientist's methods. However, he is assured that birth comes after death, and that in
problems in the coming days. The scientists are also worried about the consequences
of the overpopulation. After reading the novel, we can say that some of the secret
organizations might have been working to create such viruses to control the
It’s a virus intentionally designed to install genetic information into the cell it’s
attacking human cell. A vector virus is something rather than killing its host cell, it
genome (528). Government agencies are the last entities on earth that should have
Panthi 20
somehow right to seek assistance from the government. In reality, we can believe our
government could be trusted to destroy such a virus, or they would likely weaponize it
instead. ‘The Consortium’ is a private organization with offices in seven countries. Its
name has been changed for considerations of security and privacy. The organizations
mentioned in the book include the Consortium, the World Health Organization, the
Council on Foreign Relations, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. They all seem
something doing secret activities for their personal benefits. Through the eye of
This thesis is worth reading to get the clear view of the involvement of secret
Most of the features of conspiracy theory have been found in the texts are really
remarkable for the whole world. This is the novel that shows us the hidden reality of
every incidents that have been happened in our life because of the conspiracy theory.
Panthi 21
Works Cited
Uscinski, Joseph, and Joseph Parent. American Conspiracy Theories. 1st ed., Oxford
Den of Geek. “Ron Howard Interview: Inferno, Conspiracy Theories.” Den of Geek,
conspiracy-theories.
McDonagh, Melanie. “Dan Brown's Latest Conspiracy Theory - and the Powerful
People Who Believe It: The Spectator.” Dan Brown's Latest Conspiracy Theory
- and the Powerful People Who Believe It | The Spectator, www.spectator.co.uk/
Brown, Dan. Inferno: the New Robert Langdon Thriller. Random House Large Print,
2013.