The Important Role of Women Reflected by the Da Vinci Code

“If the Bible teaches the equality of women, why does the church refuse to ordain women to preach the gospel, to fill the offices of deacons and elders, and to administer the Sacraments”. (Elizabeth Cady Stanton) In society, obstacles facing women have limited their movement from stereotypical roles. Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code gives a great amount of insight into this argument. Throughout the novel Brown puts Robert Langdon and Sophie, up against a series of problems to try and save a truth referred to as the Holy Grail. In The Da Vinci Code the roles of males and females are put to many tests. Brown promotes the idea of elevating woman to an equal or greater position to man; this is demonstrated through the power of female intelligence, the important roles, and the inventive actions women perform.

In Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code the intelligence women demonstrate clearly illustrates how women superior to men. A clear depiction of this intelligence is given on the airplane from France to England.

“I’m astonished,” he said. “This language looks like nothing I’ve ever seen!” Langdon slumped. “Might I see it? Sophie asked. Teabing pretended not to hear her. …. “Aah,” Sophie said seconds after examining the box. “I should have guessed.” Teabing and Langdon turned in unison, staring at her. (299)

This shows that even when the two men were out of ideas they still would not give Sophie a chance at the clue and, she had to plea with them to see it. Furthermore Sophie was the one that solved the puzzle that Sauniere left as a clue to the grail. Events like this were a constant demonstration of female intelligence. An additional demonstration of female intelligence occurs when Sophie and Robert are initially fleeing from the police after being cornered in the museum. Sophie had the idea to throw the police officers off their trail by buying tickets at the train station, giving the police the idea that they are using a train, then actually taking a cab to their next location. This was a very clever move; Sophie’s quick thinking consequently confused the police, even though they were quickly caught up to again. Brown is constantly showing how when men are not sure of how to approach or solve a challenge, women exceed societies expectations using their superior creative problem solving ability to accomplish the tasks at hand.

In addition, women prove their equality to males, by persevering in the face of difficult circumstances. Mary Magdalene’s role is one of the most influential female symbols. Mary and her family represent the Holy Grail, which is hunted by the predominantly male Catholic Church. This is significant because it shows that despite the resources that the male Catholic Church has, they are unable to solve the problem at hand. Their problem suggests that they are not quite as influential as they appear in modern society. This further empowers the symbol of Mary Magdalene and the sacred feminine mystique. Another female with a very powerful role is Sophie’s long lost grandmother, Marie Chauvel. She has a very important role in the book that does not get introduced until the very end of the novel. Marie Chauvel’s character in the novel is an equal to Jacques Sauniere, the difference between them is that the church was unaware of Marie’s existence, and relationship with the royal bloodline. Yet again this is further support the truth that women are taken too lightly, and should be looked at as equal or more intelligent then males. If the church had thought that Sauniere and Sophie were the last connection to the Grail, and had eliminated them in order to protect their ideas of