From the very first page of The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown, I was hooked. The writing style of Dan Brown is very distinct--informative, descriptive, knowledgeable, and thorough. The style of writing is in third person, however the story often ventures into the minds of both Langdon and Sophie. In the introduction to The DaVinci Code, we are introduced to a sinful character who murders people for what we can assume as pleasure. Being in constant contact with a person named The Teacher and Bishop Aringarosa, this man whom was given a new name of Silas decides to follow every act that the Bishop and The Teacher place upon him. This reads disparity to me. He wants to please--please by murder.
My first impression of the Bishop was that he was selfish. "Only those with a keen eye would notice his 14-karat gold bishops ring with purple amethyst, large diamonds, and hand-tooled mitre-crozier applique." (page 31) Whether that be his thought or Dan Browns elaboration of his appearance, I have yet to determine. A little later on in the novel, the menacing character and nature of the Bishop is confirmed. "As the jet passed over the coast of Portugal, the cell phone in Aringarosa's cassock began vibrating in silent ring mode. Despite the airline regulations prohibiting the use of cell phones during flights, Aringarosa knew this was a call he could not miss. Only one man possessed this number, the man who had mailed Aringarosa the phone." (page 33) My suspision about the quote is that The Teacher man mailed the phone to Aringarosa to inform him that Silas has murdered, and hence done his job. The Teacher is the head of all murder operations in this book, even ahead of the omniscient Bishop. Even more hazy a character is The Teacher. Following that quote was one more that intrigues the reader to continue reading. "He felt a renewed confidence that the Teacher and Silas would not fail. Money and faith were more powerful motivators. Is is known that through the Bishop he speaks, and with great respect. Who would follow orders from a person whose name remains a mystery? Not me!
The setting plays a dramatic role in The DaVinci Code. If this took place in Wyoming or some place out in the middle of nowhere, there would be nothing to go off of. Being in Paris and having the Louvre as an intense and intimate setting (especially during night hours) brings more knowledge and intensity to Dan Browns work. In my opinion, he did a great job plotting the location, and the time of day that all hell breaks loose for Langdon.
Kai--what were your first impressions of Bezu Fache? Positive, negative, or neutral?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I have fallen into an easy read because I already like this book from the beginning. I think that books that are fun make them easier for me to read. I like Dan Brown’s writing in the Da Vinci Code because it flows, although sometimes a paragraph or two will be a little confusing. I also like that he explores the characters minds even though the book is third person. I like this because you can learn more about a character if you know what they are thinking. I was wandering why the book had not connected very much to Leonardo Da Vinci in the first few chapters and then Brown revealed that Jacques Sauniére had positioned himself just like Leonardo’s vitruvian man drawing. That is when I found out why the book was named the Da Vinci Code. To connect to the book I feel that after being at one of the most famous art museums in the world I can visualize what the Louvre might look like and I recognized every artist that Dan Brown mentioned.
ReplyDeleteMy first thought about the case was that Robert Langdon was just there to decipher the symbols, so when I learned that Fache was actually trying to get Langdon to confess I was really surprised. I was also surprised that Sophie Neveu, whom Langdon did not know, was wanting to help him. I would like to know how she knew he was not guilty and if there are more motives for her to save Langdon than him not being guilty. In the side story about Silas, Aringarosa, and “the teacher” I felt bad for Silas because he grew up in an abusive home and that drove him to being violent; furthermore he is albino and many people made him an outcast. Although I feel bad for him I also know that he is a bad person now. I agree with you Lauren, about Bishop Arnigarosa being kind of crazy for following someone who he doesn’t even know. Lastly to answer your question, my first impression about Bezu Fache was that he truly needed Langdon for answers, but that he was a mean person as well. I was wrong about him needing Langdon, but I was definitely correct about him being mean.