A Review on Dan Brown’s ‘The Da Vinci Code’
“Everyone loves
a conspiracy” and so do I. ‘The Da Vinci Code’ is an astounding thriller in 450
pages, set in a time which is contemporaneous with its publication in 2003, by
Anchor Books. Dan Brown is a gifted writer, and the author of numerous bestselling
novels of which ‘The Da Vinci code’ has become one of the unsurpassed novels of
all time as well as the subject of intellectual debate among readers and
scholars. Brown’s novels feature the lead character Robert Langdon, a professor
of Religious Symbology at Harvard University and it includes Christianity as
motif which has generated controversies. Brown, to Catholics seems to be
Devil’s advocate in this novel, wherein the concepts described goes against the
Christian Doctrine and detaches the divinity associated with Jesus Christ by
blending in facts and fiction making it blasphemous. Nevertheless ‘The Da Vinci
Code’ is a page turner and each page contributes to the unravelling of the
greatest conspiracy of the past 2000 years. Brown is a pure genius moulding the
history and combining science with art, cryptology, and religion and paves way
to a broader mind. Thereby it’s “hard to put the book down and impossible to
forget.” It entertains and educates simultaneously.
The Louvre
Museum in Paris, France is where the renowned curator Jacques Saunière is murdered by a mysterious albino
monk and the story begins. “He was
trapped inside the Grand Gallery, and there existed only one person on earth to
whom he could pass the torch. The desperate task before him, he knew would
require every remaining second of his life.” Saunière lies dead in a
strange
position bearing a resemblance to Da Vinci’s famous painting ‘The Vitruvian man’, lying completely naked besides certain codes written
with his own blood and an additional note that says “P.S find Robert Langdon.” Langdon
is thus suspected by the French Judicial Department.
As one says
‘curiousness kills’ is evident in the powerful beginning of Brown’s Novel.
Readers are tortured with a plethora of questions, why did Saunière
write Langdon’s name when he doesn’t know him? Why was he murdered? What does
the code suggest? What is the secret Saunière is trying to pass on? Endless questions pounds in our heads wanting
to break free and a surge to find out, causes an adrenaline rush, making us
ready to face fight, flight, and fear along with the leading characters Robert
Langdon and Sophie Neveau,
the granddaughter of Saunière, a French police officer and a
cryptologist, as they solve the mysteries left behind by Saunière one by one
which ultimately leads them to the mystery of the Holy Grail. Readers become imprisoned in this novel from the very
beginning and the magnitude of curiosity aroused is immeasurable.
The
novel sprints from a third person narrative point of view, giving the reader a
space to form insights rather than being manipulated by the narrator. As a
first time reader of Dan Brown, I felt the novel was very descriptive with a
convoluted plot and a language quite for the adults. A dictionary beside the reader
could increase the comprehensibility of the words and the procedure of looking
up words only adds to the joy of reading in this case. A strong structure with
solid vocabulary and multiple uses of the French words and dialogues places the
novel at a high standard level. Within the
novel there are specific terms such as the sangreal, Priory of Sion, Opus
Dei which are new concepts and it surprises the reader to know that these
are facts. The incidents take place in a linear time, in the real world, moreover
the atmosphere created is very strenuous and employs a serious tone throughout
the novel. Inspite of the complicated plot, the descriptive style of Brown
makes us seep into the novel and transports us to France, London, Edinburgh and
Scotland along with Langdon and Sophie, breaking our heads to crack the codes.
The reading pace is kind of proportional to the rash search that the characters
are involved in.
The clues left
behind by Saunière leads Langdon and Sophie to various
mysterious circumstances and the codes are related to the paintings of Da
Vinci, and thus the title “The Da Vinci Code”. The book exposes the readers to
a secret society called The Priory of Sion which has kept an age old secret,
which if out can be dangerous. The book claims that a relationship existed between
two unexpected Biblical characters. Due to which the novel has turned out to be
highly controversial as it opposed the Christian Church’s disciplines.
As a Christian it struck me as a thunder while reading,
but a profound observation proves that the author has not intended to be
impious. Brown has just combined fact and fiction along with art and science to
create an unbelievably seeming real story. A wavering Christian might rethink
about his faith in his religion. Especially with lines such as “The Bible
did not arrive by fax from heaven. The Bible is the product of man, my dear.
Not of God.” A man will no longer look at the last supper painting in the
same way as before. Brown totally changes our perceptions and affects the
reader to an extent, proving himself to be a persuasive and confident author
ready to face any challenges. Though a
number of biblical scholars have written explicitly to discredit the novel, I
believe that it is a must read especially for Christians, as it provides them
an alternate view of their faith, and increases their accommodative capacity as
human beings. If at all a person loses his faith reading this novel, I would
rather say he never knew what strong faith is and is just a weakling with a
lacunae of ignorance.
On a personal note the novel has been a spectacular
ride, with so many twists and turns, thrilling all along the way. Packed with
action, the book is unique, informative and riveting which makes it a must read
on my book list.
- Helen Ann Joseph
