Symbolism In The Da Vinci Code

Decent Essays
There are thousands of books that are available in the world that fit into a multitude of different genres. Many seem to overlap into multiple different genres, but the reader may interpret the book in a different category than the author had intended. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown is a book that fits into this case. The book is a fictional piece of literature, but it does contain some information that is factual. Many things are presented as fact to the reader, but there is no source to support many of the claims. This can cause the reader to become confused if they are unable to differ between the factual and fictional text. Although Dan Brown 's The Da Vinci Code is a fictional piece written for enjoyment, it is necessary for the …show more content…
The main character, Robert Langdon, is very well rounded on symbols and uses his knowledge on them throughout the plot. His extensive involvement in symbols also leads to him getting dragged into the main conflict in the first place. On many occasions, the meaning of a symbol is explained in the novel to express the characters’ knowledge and to give some insight to the reader. These explanations can prove helpful to the reader throughout the story, but it is not apparent how much of the information that is presented is true. The book makes these out to be fact, yet there is no source to prove that they may be credited. One example of this is shown in the explanation of a crucifix that Fache wears. “The symbol was known as a crux gemmata- a cross bearing thirteen gems- a Christian ideogram for Christ and His twelve apostles,” (Brown 26). There is no source put into the book to prove this fact and the thirteen gems could possibly mean anything in that situation without being credited. Langdon had extensive knowledge on these things so he could have easily cited any of his sources. Also, some of the explanations that the text offers are based on conspiracies that have not been proven to be true or false. This leads to a disconnect between the reader and the other side of the argument that the conspiracy offers. “Dan Brown 's The Da Vinci Code, while not quite as erudite as some reviewers have claimed, is based on a well-documented conspiracy based on a French organisation called the Prieure de Sion,” (Lewis). It is important for the reader to not take every bit of information as fact. The book is a fictional novel and it is pertinent to have that in mind while trying to understand the events that take

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