Da Vinci Code; The Side Face

As we have given a movie viewing task of the novel 'The Da Vinci Code' here is my response to some of the questions asked in post-viewing task. To see the original task blog click here.

 

1. (If)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?

In The Holy Bible there is The First Book of Moses, called Genesis. Here we came to know how God has created the whole Earth, Heaven and the Mankind.

{1:1} In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
he name of the first
{2:7} And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of; and man become a living soul.

Paradise Lost by John Milton, the poem concerns the Biblical story of the Fall of Man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden.

'The Da Vinci Code' by Dan Brown is focusing on the search of Holy Grail and the last keeper of the Holy Grail.

# Three of them are based on the main source Bible. First two has not changed the original theme of Jesus but the last one by Dan Brown has deconstructed the theme and raised a question at last that really Jesus was married or not. If yes then why the theist want to hide the reality from the world. Da Vinci Code's story is most appealing to the young generation because it has raised a question on the presence of God in History. In the modern world of Science Da Vinci Code is appropriate from the point of view of an atheist.

2. 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?

Milton's Paradise Lost focuses on the Fall of Men, and also says that it was caused by the mistake of Eve. Who has disobeyed the commond of God. So the all over suffering of Mankind is because of a Woman. So this creates negative image in one's mind about a woman.

The Da Vinci Code is a novel which is directly theist. Protagonist Langdon is a believer of God. Some of the characters like Silas and Bezu Fache has blind faith. Silas believe that he is a "Faristaah". And God has send him, he has right to kill person. And after killing he gives himself punishment. So this also can cause theist damage to the humanity.

3. What difference do you see in the portrayal of 'Ophelia' (Kate Winslet) in Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet, 'Elizabeth' (Helena Bonham Carter) in Kenneth Branagh's Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or 'Hester Prynne' (Demi Moore) in Roland Joffé's The Scarlet Letter' and 'Sophie Neuve' (Audrey Tautau) in Ron Howard's The Da Vinci Code? How would justify your answer?

Ophelia in Hamlet:Soft, grown without mother, follows the commands of her father and brother. Not free thinker.

Elizabeth in Frankenstein :

Very minor character, born to die, no roll in the novel, just name is used, not personal identity.

Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter: 

Brave and ideal woman, faced all the problems one handed, saved her lover as well as her daughter from rude society.

Sophie Neuve in Da Vinci Code: 

Intelligent, brave, modern, ideal character for the woman of 21st century. Proves herself equal to man.

This are the main difference among all four characters of different time's novels. All represents the qualities of women and their role in society of their own time. Sophie is a modern character which represents the 21st century woman.

4. 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?
 

If we do Theist reading of the novel or Traditional reading of the novel, we found Langdon as a protagonist. He is a believer.

But if we read the novel from the point of view of Atheist, we found Leigh as the protagonist. In the time of science and technology it is necessary to doubt everything instead of Blind Faith. Leigh is doubting the possibility of Holy Grail as a 'Thing' and he also argues very logically that Holy Grail is a woman who was the wife of Jesus. But the believer of Jesus don't want to reveal this truth and thus they have done many crimes to hide this truth from people. He shows Da Vinci's painting of 'The Last Supper' and identifies the wife of Jesus beside him. So because of the qualities of a Historian, and because of his logical power to explain everything clearly, I think he can be the protagonist of the novel.

Thank you.