Da Vinci Code By Dan Brown

This blog is part of thinking activity given by Dr.Dilip Barad on a novel Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. To view this activity Click here.

• Brown states on his website that his books are not anti-Christian, though he is on a 'constant spiritual journey' himself, and says that his book The Da Vinci Code is simply "an entertaining story that promotes spiritual discussion and debate" and suggests that the book may be used "as a positive catalyst for introspection and exploration of our faith." (His official website is http://danbrown.com/) 

Ans. This novel by Dan Brown has became best selling novel of all the time as well as subject of intellectual debate among readers and scholars. The text is not anti-christian if we see it from the perspective of Protagonist, Robert who is believer because of his childhood experience with God when he fell down in the well like Pi has same experience with God who help him to survive in 'Life of Pi'. So, we can say that it's the spiritual journey of Robert but when we see from perspective of Leigh Teabing, antagonist text will be anti-christian because he wants to destroy the blind faith and bring freedom from Christianity. The hero/Protagonist of the novel is the Robert not Teabing that's why we can say that a novel is not anti-christian and as a positive catalyst for introspection and exploration of our faith.

• You have studied ‘Genesis’ (The Bible), ‘The Paradise Lost’ (John Milton) and ‘The Da Vinci Code’ (Dan Brown). Which of the narrative/s seem/s to be truthful? Whose narrative is convincing to the contemporary young mind?

Ans. Among all the three, Da VInci Code can be more convincing in the contemporary young mind who wants sufficient evidences to believe in truth which is there in the novel but in the end when Robert can't reveal the secret of the Sarcophagus of Mary Magdalene and became himself the secret keeper, it is problematic to believe in truth and a novel is a fiction. In documentary that is made on this movie discussed that novel is based on parchment which is incomplete that's why we can't rely on the facts that is missing from parchment, 

picture of last supper that is also not reliable because there are many photos of last supper when we see other one there is young disciple St. John who had feminine figure, it's not Mary Magdalene, but Da Vinci has removed aura of the all disciples and make them more human than divine. Priory of Sion is also fabricated idea from mount Sion, these all are prove that what is shown in movie is not truthful. While other two 'Genesis' as its connected to holy Bible no one ask for evidences and 'Paradise Lost' is a poetry by Milton which is also not based on real facts but mere stories that is taken from Bible as source. So, we can say that none of three is truthful or reliable to believe.

• What harm has been done to humanity by the biblical narration or that of Milton’s in The Paradise Lose? What sort of damage does narrative like ‘The Vinci Code’ do to humanity?

Ans. While we are talking about story of 'Genesis' or Bible about Eve and Adam, it creates the typical role for men and women. Generally Bible has done big harm with women's life by make men the creator of life, once women considered as sacred who brings life but it posed the threat to the male church. So, they starts to kill free thinking women who can't raise any question to religion. Story of Eve and Adam as responsible for the fall of humanity which mostly blame Eve to entices Adam to eat an apple and that's why the great punishment has given to women in form of bitter pain during the child birth which is greater harm to humanity. In Da Vinci Code, main three aspects are there which can harm humanity that are 1) Portrayal of Sophie's character at some point when two male (Robert & Teabing) are talking about the history and some facts, shown dumb as it happens stereotypically women kept away from knowledge and logical reasoning as in case of Adam and Eve that Adam do logical thinking and kitchen work done by Eve. 2) Robert's faith in God, when at the end he come to know about secret of Mary Magdalene's Sarcophagus, he kneels down as he reaches to pilgrimage like people do in front of Christ in church which may harm humanity and 3) The murders that happens in the name of religion by Silas, a blind follower of religion and after killing does the ritual of self-flagellation. 

• Do novel / film lead us into critical (deconstructive) thinking about your religion? Can we think of such conspiracy theory about Hindu religious symbols / myths?

Ans. Yes, as a novel/movie is questioning the establishment of church or Christianity that what is the history how it change and some secret are remain and what are real facts or truth which leads towards the Sarcophagus of Mary Magdalene which is hide from people. After this such a questions arises in our mind that what our religious books or epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana said that is reliable or not like stories of Ram and Krishna that are told like myths on which we can't rely. We don't know may be there is any secrets that still hide from us or make us blind follower.

•  When we do traditional reading of the novel ‘The Da Vinci Code’, Robert Langdon, Professor of Religious Symbology, Harvard University emerges as protagonist and Sir Leigh Teabing, a British Historian as antagonist. Who will claim the position of protagonist if we do atheist reading of the novel?

Ans. From the traditional reading of the novel, Robert Langdon is a protagonist and Leigh Teabing is an antagonist because Langdon is still a believer  but if we do the atheist reading of a novel Teabing becomes protagonist because he wants to free the humanity from blind faith of church and Christianity and request Robert to reveal the secret as he knows that Robert has found the secret. Teabing said, 'you can liberate the people if you reveal the truth'. Money is a cover up and Teabing wanted to reveal truth while  Robert becomes a secret keeper as he says, 'let them keep the faith and not let know the truth' and at end by kneeling down to the Sarcophagus of Mary like he has completed his pilgrimage. 

• Explain Ann Gray’s three propositions on ‘knowability’ with illustrations from the novel ‘The Da Vinci Code’.

1) Identifying what is knowable 

2) Identifying and acknowledging the relationship of the knower and the known

3) What is the procedure for ‘knowing'? 

Ans. Four preposition of knowing are there which shows the state of knowability. It describes that how do we know things , sometimes it happens that hings are in front of our eyes but we can't identify it because we don't know what we don't know. Here, 'I don't know what I don't know' is applicable in the novel where Secret is Sophie herself but she doesn't know it and she doesn't believe in Holy Grail and about Mary Magdalene but at end she became part of the bloodline of Christ. Robert Langdon who is symbologist and has much knowledge though can't reach at the secrets and has to take help of Leigh Teabing. Teabing who is a great historian also can't know that Sophie is a secret but calls her that she is a keeper of the secret. Silas who also blindly follow the Teacher, can't know what is real truth and murders many people. Through these we can understand that how the concept of knowing the things is applicable in every character. How to know the things is very difficult one and procedure for knowing should be rational by checking the facts and evidences but somehow the novel said that sometimes intuition/inner call is also important in knowing the things.

Thanks,