Feministic study of "The Da Vinci Code"

 Name: Gohil Khanjaniba Mahipatsinh.

Roll No: 13.

Class: MA (Part-2).

Semester: 4^th.

Subject: The New Literature (3202).

Topic of the Assignment: Feministic study of the text “The Da Vinci Code”.

Enrollment no: PG13101009.

Suggested by:  Dr. Dilip Barad.

Dedicated to: The Department Of English,

                          Maharaja Krishnakumarshihji Bhavnagar University,

                          Bhavnagar.

Email_id: khanjani.gohil1993@gmail.com

                      Feminism in the “New Literature”

             “There never will be complete equality until women themselves help to make laws and elect lawmakers”

                                                                                                                        – Susan B. Anthony.

                   When a literature is portrayed as the narrative of male domination in regard to female bodies by exploring the economic, social, political, and psychological forces embedded within literature.

          According to Lisa Tuttle feminist theory is like this “New questions of old texts”. The goals of feminist criticism are as under: 

·        To develop and uncover a female tradition of writing.

·        To interpret symbolism of women’s writing so that it will not be lost or ignored by the male point of view.

·        To rediscover old texts.

·        To analyze women writers and their writings from a female perspective.

·        To resist sexism in literature and

·        To increase awareness of the sexual politics of language and style.

        Meanwhile in the 21^st century the most influential topic of literature was ‘Feminism’.

                                        Male Written Texts and Subjectivity

                        “The Da Vinci Code” is a male-written text and has destruction of the myth. According to the subjectivity of History, in this text it is well reflected that the history is written by winners not by defeaters. Thus here we can judge that because of supremacy of a particular gender (male) has changed the system which is lacking behind our belief with regards to humanity, which does not exists now days in any compartment of reality.

                     When Sophie was asked about belief or trust in God, she denied to believe in God and also she said that she believes in humanity because humans can be helpful not a religion. In other words religion makes debates and fights between people not peace and help in positive manners. It seems that she is non-believer of God and spirituality but here her views are more practical and realistic in comparison to Faith in idols. Thus we can say that she tries to break the ideal women’s situation and psychological boundaries which is actually unbreakable because it is constructed in mind previously, nobody can think beyond those boundaries and it proven by the end of the text that women is as a mute and silent human being. She can’t do anything without man’s help and access in their life. The end is satirical in itself and as a writer of the text he is also showing his own psychology indirectly over female rights. Let’s do the theoretical study of the text:

                                    Theoretical study of the text “The Da Vinci Code”

The Catholic Council of Nicaea, led by Emperor Constantine wanted male leadership. So Jesus intended for Peter to be the head of the church, they denied the canonicity of scriptures that contradicted their views and then rewrote the rest of the Bible to confirm to their views.

                 So here the supremacy (the power position) in the religiosity goes to so called male power or to the patriarchal society, then its development. As there is a line written by one of the Marxist that:

                                “The rich became richer and the poor became poorer”

                  Same like this the society has been constructed under the male dominancy. It is favorably claimed by men. Another reference is related to that ‘How Christianity has removed one religion and how the killings happened on the name of God?’’ How female were treated during the emergence of new religion and power?’

                “The Da Vinci Code” is the fictional story about the myth of Holy Grail and Feminine sacredness. Here Dan Brown’s approach towards the study of gender biases and other so called deconstruction of the myth and beliefs indirectly reflected in his writings. Mostly in the new literature we could not say that the issues regarded to feminist reading of the text has lesser importance in comparison to the other studies of the text like religious, aesthetic, unaesthetic, etc.

                    Recently there was a speech delivered by Emma Watson (about equality for women): ‘’ Fighting for women’s rights has too often become synonymous with man-hating…This has to stop…..For the record, feminism by definition is: ‘The belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities’”. This speech was delivered on 20^th September, 2014. 

Gnosticism: A religious orientation advocating Gnosis as the way to release a person’s spiritual element; considered heresy by Christian Churches.

      Pagan Goddess Worship, Gnosticism, Feminism and “The Da Vinci Code”

                  Mostly not only in Christianity or in Paganism but also in others religions, there is an existence of female’s adventures and Goddesses. So we could not say that it is removed so politely. It happened in other religions too but by forcing them well. There are many wars and debates and fights took place for this single issue about the theme of Feminine Sacredness and feminism in the religion. Behind the name of religion we fought to each other and bloodshed happened so violently.

        In the movie “The Da Vinci Code”, when Sir Leigh Teabing and Robert Langdon were talking about history of the paganism and the mysteries about the Holy Grail, Robert Langdon speaks these lines during the talk: “Sex begot new life – the ultimate miracle and miracles could be performed by a God. Those women who were thinking freely and having some intelligence in comparison to males it was hardly impossible to explain the truth. Religious people have killed many women in this wrong belief because they were not ready to give rights to speak to women and they marginalized them. Voice of women became mute or unknowingly unheard to religiosity.

                    The Neo Pagan groups have referred to the feminine sacredness as well as female worship in their religion. In the new literature we can say that there are debates regarding feministic reading of the text and has a narrowed way of looking at the new literature. Here Dan Brown focuses on feminine sacredness and also gives hints about the past wars about Paganism and Christianity. Generally religion, science, super power or super naturalism of human has many issues and it can be presented with the help of fictional or imaginational characters. Thus Dan Brown indirectly has emphasized on the present days issues regarding religion and position of female and its importance in the society.

                              In the modern Roman Catholic Church there are delusion stories regarding feminine sacredness. In the movie and also in the text, Sophie Neveau’s struggle for her identity is symbolic. But actually her mother and father were killed by Opus Dei’s people; it was not merely an accident. So because of that incident, she lost her family and lived with Jacques Sauniere. He has never revealed that who is she and what actually happened to her parents. Thus here also we can see that the power or strength over female.

                          Mary Magdalene was treated by Jesus very differently. As she was his one of the disciple and he also used to come across to her. So their relations were presented as normal meeting as Jesus used to do with his other disciples. Once Jesus also tells her, “You are whose heart is more directed to the kingdom of heaven than all your brothers”.

                      Although their relation was mostly undermined by other disciples in other powerful scriptures. Jesus tells to Mary Magdalene that, “Excellent Maria. Thou art blessed beyond all women upon the earth because thou shalt be the pleromas of all pleromas and completions”. After that we can got conclusion of this statement that Mary Magdalene has also confessed her resurrection act with Jesus and it is noted that Mary Magdalene has all the knowledge of the world what Jesus knew. We can completely say that including this act that Jesus was not only the father of the Church as he was entrusted in Mary Magdalene, but never scripted anywhere else.

                     However if we look into the New Testament, it is clearly embedded that in all Gospels there Mary Magdalene’s reference comes eleven times and it also preferred that the repetition has its importance. Although where Sir Leigh Teabing and Pro.Robert Langdon were discussing about feminine sacredness, they talked about this matter that women could not write Gospels. As Sophie also objected that Mary Magdalene may have written those Gospels. But Langdon refuses her approval that he told to her that Women can’t write and Sophie after hearing this she speaks that there are possibilities that those Gospels were written by Mary Magdalene herself.

                       According to Nag Hammadi, the Gnostic gospels have revealed that Mary Magdalene was intended to be the leader of the Christian movement, and suddenly people are faced with ‘One tradition where Peter plays role tremendous and significance and Mary is on the margins, while in another tradition, Mary is the significant figure and Peter is the suspect”.

                   If we talk about suspect that suspects are unrevealed and mysterious. The sexual rituals in the text and also in the movie were treated as suspects only, and with mysterious behind its knowledge about a kind of religion or a kind of ritual in itself.

          In the conclusion part of this assignment topic “Feministic reading of the text “The Da Vinci Code””, that Mary Magdalene and Sophie Neveau are the real feministic heroes.