The Analytical Essay:

Fiction can change our life

  The Da Vinci Code is a thriller novel by the American author Dan Brown. The novel is based on the controversial premise that there is a  within the  to cover up the true story of . The text is constructed to position readers through characterization and narration. The story explores the issues of the false conflict between faith and knowledge.

  Sophie’s plans for Langdon and her to escape from the crime scene suggest that this is a thriller story. This similarity with action thrillers creates expectations about the plot. Thriller stories become personal where the crime draws in aspects of the protagonists life to change the plot from a professional action to a personal quest. This is taken even further when the protagonist becomes the victim.

  The event of the stunning historical truth about to be lost forever provokes reactions in the characters. In the scene where Silas threatens to kill Sauniere, he said ‘tell me where the secret is, there is nothing you can do.’ This creates a mixed sense of anticipation and foreboding. The behavior of the characters encourages us to develop our response to them. The monk’s cruelty reduces our sympathy for him and we feel the dread of Opus Dei, the Christian organization which he follows. We identify with the victim because we know something terrible is about to happen and there is nothing we can do about it. As well as this empathy with the victim, we’re also tempted to emphasize with the antagonist. Therefore, the thrill of thrillers comes from this generated attitude of the modern western world.

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  The protagonists’ sudden realization that they are in the mercy of Teabing was shocking, and will significantly alter our perceptions of Teabing’s character. Any re-reading of the story will be affected by our knowledge of his actual identity. Using Sophie as hostage, he threatens to kill her if Langdon does not let him know the resting place of the grail. This makes us aware of the description of his character, whose motives appeared to be parallel to those of the . We realize that as well as a welcome benefactor for the protagonists, Teabing also has all the characteristics of ...

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