By analyzing how the Opus Dei is represented in the novel, it reveals the ideology of the book which represent such description.
The Da Vinci Code is thriller history essentially uncover Vatican conspiracy for centuries which hidden about the marriage of Jesus and Maria Magdalena and his
descendent. Based on the view, The Da Vinci Code which is believed as literary work
that has controversial issues of Opus Dei, So the writer is interested toward Opus Dei sect to be used as object of this research in writing his thesis.
B. Focus of the study
The writer analyzes an issue of The Da Vinci Code that connecting with a field of the literature namely Opus Dei, which is recognized controversial religion
sect, included in the novel.
C. Research Questions
To make more convenient and simply in analyzing the novel; the writer focuses on the content of the novel which is dealing with Opus Dei and construct it
into the following questions: 1. How is Opus Dei represented in the Da Vinci Code?
2. What kind of ideology carried by the novel?
D. Significance of the Study
Through this research, the writer hopes this research can develop our knowledge in literary work, so that more variety and change than before. Besides
that, the writer hopes this research can be used and gives the detail information about the representation of Opus Dei and also the reader understand about the
ideology of the novel The Da Vinci Code. Then, it will stimulate us in learning literature and also make everyone think that the novel are exciting thing to
analyze.
E. The Methodology of the Research
1. The Objectives of Research The research has the following objectives:
a. To know how the novel represent Opus Dei. b. To know what ideology is carried by such representation.
2. The Method The research applies the qualitative method in analyzing the novel. The writer
tries to describe the data analysis having correlation with the method and research questions.
3. The Technique of Data analysis The writer attempts to describe The Representation of Opus Dei in the Da Vinci
Code with the following steps: 1 the writer reads the novel accurately 2 noting the contents or messages that
deal with research data, 3 concerning to the representation of Opus Dei that
become the core of the data, 4 the completed data are analyzed by correlating it with the contexts and the relevant theories
4. The Unit of Analysis
The unit of analysis of the research is The Da Vinci Code, written by Dan Brown
published by Corgi Book, 2004.
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
A. Representation A.
The concept of representation has come to occupy a new and important place in the study of culture. Representation
means using language to say something meaningfully about, or to represent the world meaningfully, to other people. Representation is an essential part of the process by
which meaning is produced and exchanged between members of a culture. It does involve the use language of signs and images, which stand for or represent things.
The word ‘represent’ have three possible meanings:
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1. To ‘represent’ meaning to stand in for, as in the case of singing a nation’s anthem in the Olympiad 2008 where every nation’s anthem will be sung to indicate that
country is in participated. 2. To ‘represent’ meaning to speak or act on behalf of. A person who represents a
group in this sense may also serve a symbolic function. An example might Soekarno - Hatta, who speak and act on behalf of the Indonesia community.
3. To ‘represent’ meaning to re-present. In this sense, an artist can re–present a society in a novel, film, drama
B. The writer uses the last definition
‘represent’ which meaning is presented again. There are two systems of representation, involved. First, there is a ‘system’ by which all sorts of objects people
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Hall, Stuart. Representation Cultural Representation and Signifying Practices, Sage Publication, 1997, P. 57
and events are correlated with a set of concepts or mental representations, which the author carry around in the reader’s minds. Without them, we could not interpret the
world meaningfully at all. In the first place, then, meaning depends on the system of concepts and images formed in our thoughts which can stand for or ‘represents’ the
world, enabling us to refer to things both inside and outside our heads. The example is simple enough to see how the author might form concepts for things we can
perceive-people or material objects like chairs, tables, and desks. But we also form concepts of rather obscure and abstract things, which we cannot see in any simple
way, feel, or touch. Think, for example of our concepts of war, or death, friendship or love.
C. The second system of representation
is language involved in the overall process of constructing meaning. Our shared conceptual map must be translated into a common language, so that the reader can
correlate the author’s concepts and ideas with certain written words, spoken sounds or visual images. The general term the author use for words, sound images which
carry meaning is signs. These signs stand for or represent the concept and the conceptual relations between them which the author carry around in the reader’s
minds and together they make up the meaning system of the reader’s culture. D.
There are three approaches relate to the representation; reflective approach, intentional approach and Constructionist
approach. The writer uses Constructionist Approach which has purpose to construct the meaning of Opus Dei in the Da Vinci Code novel. Constructionist
recognizes public, social character of language. Things don’t mean: we construct
meaning, using representational system – concepts and signs. It is social actors who use the conceptual system of their culture and the linguistic and other
representational system to construct meaning, to make the world meaningful and to communicate about that world meaningfully to others.
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E. Representation of social groups
raises political questions about oppression and dominance. Who represent whom, where and how determines the representations available for us to look at and read,
but people do not necessarily make sense of these representations in terms of the preferred or intended meaning. As Dyer points out,
The Prestige of high culture, the centralization of mass cultural production, the literal poverty of marginal cultural production: these are aspects of the power relations of
representations that put the weight of the heterosexual. Acknowledging the complexity of viewingreading practices in relation to representation does not entail
the claim that there is equality and freedom in the regime of representation.
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F. The relation of representation to the
lives and experiences of people in the real social world is complicated as Dyer insist,
How social groups are treated in cultural representation is part of how they are treated in life, that poverty, harassment, self-hate, and discrimination in housing, jobs,
educational opportunity and so on are shored up and instituted by representations.
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5
Ibid. p. 25
6
Op. Cit., p. 80
G. From the explanation above is
concluded that representation is the production of meaning through language. In representation, Constructionist argue, the author use signs, organized into languages
of different kinds, to communicate meaningfully with others. Language can use sign to symbolizes, stand for or reference objects, people and events in the so-called ‘real’
world. But they can also reference imaginary things and fantasy world or abstract ideas, which are not in any obvious sense part of our material world. Meaning is
produced by the practice, the ‘work’ of representation. It is constructed through signifying-i.e. Meaning-producing-practices.
B. Content Analysis
