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Chapter 2
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Da Vinci Code, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Conspiracies and Secrets
Art and Symbolism
Faith vs. Knowledge
Sacred Femininity and Revisionist History
Power and Manipulation
Summary
Analysis
As Collet drives through Paris, Langdon mourns Saunière, who he deeply admired. Collet remarks on Langdon’s presence in Paris as a happy coincidence given the symbolism involved in Saunière’s murder. But Langdon—who researches hidden connections and doesn’t trust coincidences—is unnerved. They pass the Eiffel Tower, which looks to Langdon like a huge phallus. The car passes into the Tuileries Gardens and through the Arc du Carrousel, from which four art museums can be seen, each at the point of a compass. They are heading east, toward the Louvre. Having previously visited the famous museum, Langdon admires once again the massive structure that houses the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo.
Langdon’s admiration of Saunière suggests the curator was also academically prestigious. Langdon’s own work with symbols leads him to believe everything is connected and he is wary of why Saunière might have died on the very night they were to meet. On the ride, Langdon perceives the world through an artistic lens, noticing cultural monuments and their unexpected symbolic associations—at least to unexpecting or unaware viewers. This habit exhibits his insatiable intellectual curiosity and vast knowledge of symbology.
Themes
Collet alerts his captain to their arrival. The gigantic plaza features a controversial modern structure: La Pyramide. Critics believe it clashes with the Renaissance courtyard, while admirers enjoy its symbolism as an ancient structure constructed by modern means. Collet asks Langdon’s opinion, but Langdon only says Mitterrand—the French president who commissioned the pyramid—was bold. The captain’s name is Bezu Fache, but everyone calls him “le Taureau”—the Bull. Collet drops Langdon at the pyramid’s entrance, where the situation begins to feel surreal. Fache welcomes Langdon into the pyramid and tells him what he saw in the photo was “only the beginning of what Saunière did.”
The Louvre Pyramid is made of glass and metal and acts as the museum’s entryway and skylight. That this art piece is controversial highlights the way modernity frequently clashes with tradition in terms of both art and philosophy. Fache’s nickname implies he is stubborn and authoritative. The captain confirms that Saunière was busy in the moments before his death, which the reader can interpret as an effort to pass on his secret knowledge.
Themes
