AP Writing Prompts

Digital Fortress

From a novel or play of literary merit, select an important character who is a villain. Then, in a well-organized essay, analyze the nature of the character's villainy and show how it enhances meaning in the work. Do not merely summarize the plot. 

In Dan Brown’s Digital Fortress, the character Hulohot serves as a most villainous creature. He is portrayed as a thing instead of a person throughout most of the book, and is referred to as “The figure in the wire-rimmed glasses.” In each chapter that involves this assassin, the author never describes Hulohot in detail, it is almost as if the chapter is written in the victim’s eyes, and the only part about the killer that the victim remembers is his wire-rimmed glasses.

In addition to being a cold blooded murderer, Hulohot is hauntingly described at the end of many chapters as a stalker. He follows one of the main characters- David Becker- around the entire book waiting for his chance to kill him. “The passenger in the wire-rim glasses gazed through the plate glass windows of the well lit terminal.” The most haunting part of Hulohot’s character is that he is deaf, leaving no chance for his victims’ to bargain with him.

If Hulohot just killed his victims in an ordinary way, and the same way each time, the book would have no fun thrills. Hulohot kills four people in text, and “The list [goes] on.” He is called a genius by Commander Strathmore, but is finally outsmarted in the end by his “prize,” David Becker. On top of being terrified Hulohot was extremely arrogant. He sent to his handler a message over his minicomputer that stated, “Subject: David Becker—terminated,” before he had even made the kill. I believe that Hulohot’s arrogance is what got him killed, because he flowed David Becker into a tower because he thought that he had him trapped, and it came back to bite him. The way that Dan Brown formed the character of Hulohot, through textual pictures, gave the story and terrifying murders depth and style.

In a literary work, a minor character, often known as a foil, possesses traits that emphasize, by contrast or comparison, the distinctive characteristics and qualities of the main character. For example, the ideas of behavior of the minor character might be used to highlight the weaknesses or strengths of the main character. Choose a novel in which a minor character serves as a foil to a main character. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the relationship between the minor character and the major character illuminates the meaning of the work. 

In Dan Brown’s Digital Fortress the use of minor, foil, characters is used in order to influence the main characters actions. In the novel the deputy director of the NSA, Commander Strathmore, is a minor character who puts pressure on his head cryptographer, Susan Fletcher. It is told that the commander “always had a soft spot for Susan,” which made Susan feel like she owed something to the commander, which ends up getting her into big trouble.

At the end of the novel Commander Strathmore reveals that he had plotted against the government to help himself, and make himself look good. When he begged Susan to join him and not tell anyone, she was forced to make a quick decision. Strathmore betrayed his country and Susan who trusted him.

After killing Greg Hale and making it look like a suicide, Commander Strathmore professed his love to Susan. Susan was in love with the man that Strathmore had sent to Spain to be murdered. While Susan thought that Strathmore was trying to “save the world,” it turned out that he was just plotting against everything that Susan loved just so that she would for some reason like him. Obviously Commander Strathmore didn't know that you can’t win love by killing everybody and everything that a person loves.