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  THE MESSAGES AS REVEALED BY THE MAIN CHARACTERS AND THE CONFLICTS OF DAN BROWN’S THE DA VINCI CODE

  AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters

  By

  MM. DIAN NUGRAHENI P

  Student Number: 014214008

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2008

  THE MESSAGES AS REVEALED BY THE MAIN CHARACTERS AND THE CONFLICTS OF DAN BROWN’S THE DA VINCI CODE

  AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters

  By

  MM. DIAN NUGRAHENI P

  Student Number: 014214008

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2008

  Ask, and it shall be given you; Seek, opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; And he that seeketh findeth;

  And to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

  (Matthew 7:7-8)

  This undergraduate thesis is dedicated to: My beloved late Father in heaven, My beloved mother, My beloved loyal soul mate,

  My special sister, My funniest niece and nephew.

  

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  I realize this thesis could not have been finished without the helps of many people who really care about me. Therefore, it is necessary for me to express my gratitude. Firstly, I would like to thank Jesus Christ who gives me His blessing and a change to experience this wonderful life. My sincere gratitude goes to my advisor, Drs. Hirmawan Wijanarka, M.Hum., for his brilliant ideas and his patience during the consultation. Then the gratitude goes to my co-advisor, Elisa Dwi Wardani, S.S., M.Hum for the comment and suggestion.

  I also would like to thank my parents, my late father Martinus Mulyono and my mother Margaretha Djumiati for their unconditional love, support, attention and understanding; my sister Valentina Dian Ayuningtyas for her love, and togetherness.

  I must thank my beloved boyfriend, Charles for his loyalty, never-ending prayer, attention, support, and his unlimited love. I thank all my friends in English Letters of USD, especially Putri, Kristy, Ayu and Ririn for their spirit and endless friendship. I also thank all of my friends in my boarding house at Kepuh GKIII/809, especially mbak Sri for sharing happy and difficult moments.

  Last but not least, I give my gratitude to all of my friends, Andreas, Lestarie, and they who I cannot mention one by one, for their lovely friendship that make my life colorful and even I never feel lonely.

  

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  TITLE PAGE ……………………………………………………………….. i APPROVAL PAGE ……………………………………………………….. ii ACCEPTANCE PAGE ……………………………………………….. iii MOTTO PAGE ……………………………………………………………… iv DEDICATION PAGE ………………………………………………………. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ………………………………………………… vi TABLE OF CONTENTS …………………………………………………… vii ABSTRACT ………………………………………………………………… ix ABSTRAK ………………………………………………………………….. x CHAPTER I : INTRODUCTION ………………………………………….

  1 A. Background of the Study ……………………………………

  1 B. Problem Formulation ……………………………………

  5 C. Objective of the Study ………………………………………

  6 D. Definition of Terms ……………………………………..

  6 CHAPTER II : THEORETICAL REVIEW …………………………………

  9 A. Review of Related Studies ………………………………

  9 B. Review of Related Theories …………………………….

  10 1. Theory of Character and Characterization ………….

  10 2. Theory of Conflict …………………………………..

  13 3. Theory of Message ………………………………….

  14 C. Theoretical Framework …………………………………

  16 CHAPTER III : METHODOLOGY ………………………………………..

  18 A. Object of the Study ……………………………………..

  18 B. Approach ……………………………………………….

  19 C. Method of the Study …………………………………...

  20 CHAPTER IV : ANALYSIS ……………………………………………….

  21 A. The Characteristics of Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu … 22

  1. The Characteristics of Robert Langdon ………………… 22

  2. The Characteristics of Sophie Neveu …………………… 28

  B. The Conflicts Revealed in Robert Langdon’s and Sophie Neveu’s Characters …………………………………………………… 35

  1. Robert Langdon’s and Sophie Neveu’s Internal Conflict … 35

  2. Robert Langdon’s and Sophie Neveu’s External Conflict .. 42

  C. The Messages as Revealed by the Main Characters and Conflicts ……………………………………………………………… 51 CHAPTER V : CONCLUSION ……………………………………………..

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LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN

PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS

  Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma : Nama : MM. Dian Nugraheni P.

  Nomor Mahasiswa : 014214008. Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma skripsi/karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul : The Messages as Revealed by The Main Characters and The Conflicts of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, me- ngalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di Internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.

  Demikian pernyataan ini yang saya buat dengan sebenarnya. Dibuat di Yogyakarta

  th

  Pada tanggal : January 29 , 2008 Yang menyatakan ( MM. Dian Nugraheni P )

  

ABSTRACT

  MM. Dian Nugraheni P (2008). The Messages as Revealed by the Main Yogyakarta: Characters and the Conflicts of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University.

  The object of this study is the novel by Dan Brown entitled The Da Vinci The novel was first published in March 2003.The purposes of this study are Code. first,; explaining the main characters, Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu,; Second, explaining the conflicts revealed by Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu and shows the messages as revealed by the main characters and their conflicts.

  This study applies the objective criticism as the approach to analyze this novel that was emphasized on the literature it self, that is from the intrinsic elements. This study analyzes the messages that can be taken from the intrinsic elements that are the main characters and the conflicts. The dominant theory that was used in analyzing this study is theory of character and characterization, because by knowing the characteristics of the character, it will be easier to find out the conflict and the message inside the story.

  The findings of the analysis are as follows. There are two main characters of the story written by Dan Brown. They are Robert Langdon, a professor of religious symbology, Harvard University, and Sophie Neveu, a French cryptologist and a granddaughter of Saunière, a curator of Louvre Museum. Langdon was accused as a murder of Jaques Saunière. Both of them have to solve the clues to get a proof that Langdon is not guilty about the murder and also both of them try to know the truth that was mean by Saunière. If failed, the explosive, ancient truth will be lost forever. It was not only many clues and polices that they faced, both of them also have to face the conflicts against the betrayals of Andre Vernet, a bunker, also Silas the albino, the monk and the murder, Rémy Legaludec, Leigh Teabing’s servant, and also the real murder or the head of the murder, Leigh Teabing. The inner conflicts also have to be faced by Langdon and Sophie. Langdon has to face his phobias, his surprised being suspected as a murder, his feeling of guilt, because he brings Sophie to Leigh Teabing, the betrayal. Sophie also has to face her inner conflict, by reminding her bad experience, and faced the betrayal. By analyzing the novel, the writer can find some messages; First,; everyone should have self-confidence in their ability. Second, people should be responsible for what they have bring so that people will trust on them. Third, every religion helps people be a better people. Fourth, it is necessary to be open - minded. And last, people will repay on what they did.

  ABSTRAK

  MM. Dian Nugraheni P (2008). The Messages as Revealed by the Main Yogyakarta: Characters and the Conflicts of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Facultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma.

  Obyek dari studi ini adalah novel karya Dan Brown berjudul The Da Vinci Novel ini pertama kali diterbitkan pada bulan Maret tahun 2003.Tujuan dari Code. studi ini adalah pertama, menjelaskan karakter tokoh utama, Robert Langdon dan Sophie Neveu. Kedua, menjelaskan konflik – konflik yang ditampakkan dalam diri tokoh utama, dan menunjukkan pesan – pesan yang dinyatakan dari karakter dan konflik – konflik tokoh utama.

  Studi ini menerapkan kritik obyektif sebagai pendekatan untuk menganalisa novel ini yang menekankan pada karya sastra itu sendiri, yaitu dari unsur – unsur intrinsik. Studi ini menganalisa pesan – pesan yang dapat diambil dari unsur – unsur intrinsik yaitu tokoh utama dan konflik – konflik. Teori yang dominan digunakan dalam menganalisa studi ini adlah teori sifat dan pelukisan watak, karena dengan mengetahui sifat dari carakter tokoh, akan memudahkan untuk menemukan konflik dan pesan di dalam cerita.

  Temuan dari analisis adalah sebagai berikut. Ada dua tokoh utama dalam cerita yang ditulis Dan Brown, mereka adalah Robert Langdon seorang professor simbologi keagamaan, dan Sophie Neveu seorang kriptologi Perancis dan cucu perempuan Saunière, seorang curator di Musium Louvre. Langdon dituduh sebagai pembunuh Jaques Saunière. Mereka berdua harus memecahkan petunjuk – petunjuk untuk mendapatkan bukti bahwa Langdon tidak bersalah atas pembunuhan dan juga mereka berdua mencoba untuk mengetahui kebenaran yang dimaksudkan oleh Saunière. Jika gagal, kebenaran kuno yang menghebohkan akan hilang selamanya. Tidak hanya banyak petunjuk dan polisi yang mereka hadapi, mereka berdua juga harus menghadapi konflik – konflik melawan para penghianat, Andre Vernet, seorang bankir, juga Silas seorang albino, biarawan dan juga pembunuh, Rémy Legaludec, pelayan Leigh Teabing, dan juga pembunuh yang sebenarnya, pemimpin pembunuhan, Leigh Teabing. Konflik – konflik batin juga harus dihadapi oleh Langdon dan Sophie. Langdon harus menghadapi phobianya, keterkejutannya dituduh sebagai pembunuh, perasaan bersalahnya, karena membawa Sophie pada Leigh Teabing, seorang pengkhianat. Sophie juga harus menghadapi konflik batinnya, dengan mengingat pengalaman buruknya, dan menghadapi pengkhianat. Dengan menganalisa novel, penulis dapat menemukan beberapa pesan; Pertama,setiap orang harus memiliki kepercayaan diri pada kemampuannya. Kedua, Manusia harus bertanggung jawab pada apa yang mereka bawa sehingga orang lain akan mempercayainya. Ketiga, setiap agama membantu manusia menjadi orang yang lebih baik. Keempat, sangatlah penting untuk menjadi terbuka. Dan yang terakhir, manusia akan membayar atas apa yang mereka perbuat.

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study Human beings usually express their ideas and experiences through literature. It is the world of human beings because it has a close relationship with human’s life. In Literature and Life in America it is said that “Literature always deals with human

  beings” (Pooley, 1943:2). It means that it can deal with human reality in many aspects of life, such as a social condition or a political situation and personal life, human’s feelings, thought, and their act.

  Literature is a social institution that uses a social creation, i.e. language as its medium. It is the representation of life, which is in large measure, a social reality (Wellek and Warren,1956:94). Literary works can also function as a historical document that records the social realities which are artistically portrayed by their authors, who are also the part or member of the society (Wellek and Warren 1956:102).

  There are many types of literary works, one of them is novel. Novel has a great description of its elements, such as the setting, the characters, the conflicts, themes, messages, symbols, the plots, etc. In a novel, it shows the complex problems between characters and the characters’ development in the story. Those great descriptions of elements become the strength and the most important thing of the

  A novel usually shows the development of the characters or a large complex social situation or a relationship involving many characters or a complicated event covering many years, or a complex relationship among characters in detail (Stanton, 1965:44). A novel covers all the feelings, experiences, and thought of its characters.

  Therefore, it gives the reader a better understanding about life. According to Perrine, novel offers an unparalleled opportunity to observe human nature in all its complexity and multiplicity. It enables the readers to know people, to understand them and to learn compassion from them, as one might not otherwise do in real life (1974:68).

  There are many things that the readers get by reading literary works such as novel. The readers will get pleasure and lesson from the novels. Novels describe society and have certain goals, conveying a message of society’s values, shows the social and political condition of society when the novels are made, shows the background and the thought of the author, etc.

  In order to make the story flows interestingly and seems lively, there are many aspects constituting the story. One of them that become the important aspects is character. It is important because the story exist because of any characters in it, so, if there are no characters in the story, it is not a novel. Characters become the main part of the story. The characters generally express the actions and the dialogue from the beginning of the story until the ending parts. By this thesis, the writer wants to discuss the character of the story in the novel The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. The discussion will emphasize on the description of the main character through his

  The main character of the story written by Dan Brown is Robert Langdon. He is a professor of religious symbology, Harvard University, who is described as a hero and well respected, brave and brilliant, but unfortunately he faces a big and unforgettable problem in his life. it begins when he was in Paris, he get an emergency phone call in the middle of the night. The senior curator of the Louvre has been killed inside the museum, around his body, there are many amazing secret messages and symbols. When Langdon and a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, tried to solve the weird clues, they were surprised to find a trail of clues hidden in the famous works of Leonardo Da Vinci – clues visible to see everybody but ingeniously disguised by the painter. The situation become startling when Langdon found a surprised relationship: the late curator was involved in the priory of Sion – an actual secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Batticelli, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci. Langdon was curious that actually he faced a hunting to solve a big mystery, historical secret. Langdon and Sophie became an international criminal.

  Both of them have to solve the clues. If failed, the explosive, ancient truth will be lost forever. Not only many clues and police that they faced, both of them also have to face the betrayals, the real murder, inners conflict and conflict with others characters, and founding unbelievable fact.

  From the main character of the story and its content, the writer chooses The as the object of this thesis because the writer can get and learn

  Da Vinci Code

  something valuable more than the work itself, that is, by the possible messages

  

Code is the story offers the realities of human beings, human nature about ambition,

  patient, loyalty, and trusts or believes in his life, also about knowledge, history, and a controversial story, that it can opened the writer’s mind toward world and life.

  The story was written by Dan Brown who was born on June 22, 1964. Brown spent his childhood in Exeter, New Hampshire. In 1982, he graduated from Philips Exeter Academy, and he also graduated from Amherst College. Together with his siblings, in 2004, they donated $2.2 million to the Philips Academy to honor their father who had taught there for 35 years. He returned to New Hampshire in 1993 and become an English teacher at his old school. Dan Brown and his wife, Blythe, an art historian, wrote 187 Men to Avoid: A Guide for the Romantically Frustrated Woman in the 1995. She also accompanied Dan Brown and collaborates on his research to Paris, where they spent time in the Louvre museum for his thriller The Da Vinci

  

Code . Dan Brown became a full-time writer in the following year in 1996. Because of

  his interest in code-breaking and covert government agencies led him to write his first novel, the first thriller, Digital Fortress, which became a #national bestselling book.

  Later, he wrote Angel and Demons and Deception Point. In March 2003, The Da was published and sold 6,000 copies on the first day. The book is now

  Vinci Code

  reported has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide, but still keeps growing until now and being adapted for film by Columbia Picture. The Da Vinci Code became an International best-seller novel and the fastest-selling adult novel and has reputedly earned Dan Brown around £140 million. In the early 2004, all four of Dan week. Recently named one of the World’s 100 Most Influential people by TIME Magazine, Brown has made appearances on CNN, National Public Radio, The Today Show, Voice of America, as well as in Newsweek, GQ, People, The New Yorker,

  th

  Forbes which Dan Brown became the 12 in the list of the most powerful celebrities 2005, and the other. The novels has been translated and published in more than 40 languages around the world. In April 2006, London’s High Court stated that Dan Brown’s novel, The Da Vinci Code did not breach the copyright of a 1982 book, The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail , by Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh.

  Dan Brown’s inspirations got from his environment, that he surrounded by paradoxical philosophies of science and religion. Recently, he has begun work on a series of symbology thrillers featuring his popular protagonist’s character, Robert Langdon, a Harvard Professor of Iconography and Religious Art.

B. Problem Formulation

  Based on the background above, the writer formulates three problems presented in this study that lead to the further discussion of the topic. Dealing with the characters of the story, the problems can be formulated as follows:

  1. What are the characteristics of Robert Langdon and his friend Sophie Neveu?

  2. What are the conflicts faced by Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu?

  3. What are the messages that the author wants to convey as revealed in the main characters and the conflicts?

  C. Objectives of the Study

  The objective of the study is to obtain satisfying answers for the questions raised in the problem formulation. Related to the questions, the aims must be stated as follows: First, it is to explain the characteristics of Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu.

  Second, to find and explain the conflicts that faced by Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu. And the last, it is to discover the messages expressed and revealed by Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu.

  D. Definition of Terms

  To understand the study of revealing the possible messages through the main character and the conflicts, it is important to give a clarification of the terms used in the discussion. The clarification is important to avoid misunderstanding and ambiguity as well as to obtain a clear understanding on the study.

  1. Character. According to Abrams, in A Glossary of Literary Term:

  “Character is the person presented in a dramatic or narrative work that are interpreted by the readers as being endowed with moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed in what they say – the dialogue and what they do – the actions. It means that the character in a story should have moral and natural qualities of mind and it can be found out in their dialogue and action” (1981:20).

  The characters will have particular personalities and physical attributes that distinguish them from other characters.

  Koesnosoebroto in The Anatomy of Fiction, notices: “Main character is the important person in the story, it can be the centre of the story. The acts of the story are focused on this character from the beginning to the ending parts. Main character cannot stand on his own; he needs other characters to make the story more convincing and life. That is why the existence of minor characters are needed although they are less important than those the main” (1988:67).

  Main character usually appears in the whole of the story. This character becomes the focus of the story. The events that appear in the story always involve him. He is a figure who is relevant to every event in the story.

  2. Conflict According to Robert and Jacobs in Fiction: An Introduction to Reading and

  

Writing , divine conflict as the opposition between two characters. It may also exist

  between larger groups of people, although in fiction conflict between individual are more identifiable and therefore more interesting. Conflict may also exist between an individual and larger forces, such as natural objects, ideas, and modes of behavior public opinion and the like. The existence of difficult choices within an individual mind may also be presented not as direct opposition, but rather as a set of comparative ideas of values” (1987:88).

  In , Holman and Harmon define conflict as the

  A Handbook to literature struggle that grows out of the interplay of the two opposing forces in the plot.

  Conflict may be an argument between opposing forces, like man against man, nature, fate, society or perhaps the internal one between the two opposing parts of man’s personality (1986:107).

  3. Message In Teori Pengkajian Fiksi, Nurgiyantoro defines message as the moral in the work of art, which is deals with good and bad. It can also be something that the author wants to convey to the readers. In this opinion message is the complete meaning or concept in a work of literature, the meaning within a work or the meaning suggested through the story (1995:321).

  4. Moral Sinclair in Collins Cobuild Essential Dictionary defines moral as “principles and values based on what a person or society believes are right or acceptable ways of behaving.” It can also be something that concerned with what people’s behavior and believe is right or acceptable rather than what the law says should be done (1988:500).

CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW A. Review of Related Studies As one of the famous and controversial stories of Dan Brown’s work, The Da Vinci Code has been analyzed and criticized by some people who are interested in this story. For this part, I quote the criticism from several sources. Patrick Anderson gives his comments on The Da Vinci Code in The Washington Post that the writer takes from the website of the internet in

  http://wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Da_Vinci_Code. He states: “Brown keeps the pace fast, the puzzles that lead to the Grail are exceedingly clever, and there is a flurry of surprises and betrayals before the mystery is finally solved. Whatever the reader makes of the religious theory put forth, Brown has a great deal of interest to say about the early days of Christianity, the influence of Pagan religions on it and the legend of the Grail. He says the revelations about Jesus – not to be revealed here – have been whispered about for centuries, but have never overcome the opposition of organized Christianity. How much of this fact and how much is a fiction? Read the book and make up your mind”.

  The above review does not discuss the messages that reflected in characters and conflicts in The Da Vinci Code. This analysis is absolutely different from the above review, because in this thesis, the writer wants and tries to analyze and to find out the messages or the moral lessons in the novel. In this analysis, it gives a description of what kind of messages that the author of the novel wants to reveal.

B. Review of Related Theories

1. Theory of Character and Characterization

  According to A Handbook to Literature by Holman and Harmon, character means a complicated term that includes the idea of the novel constitution of the human personality, the presence of moral uprightness and the simpler notion of the presence of creatures in art that seem to be human beings of sort or another.

  (1986:81).

  Sylvan Barnet in his book Literature for Composition: Essay, Fiction, Poetry

  

and Drama (1988:712) states the ways to understand the characteristic of a character

  through:

  a. What the character/figure says How the character says will help the readers interpret her/his characteristics.

  b. What the character does/acts The readers can learn the attitudes or behaviors of a character and they may guess how actually the author crates the character.

  c. What other characters say about the character A character interacts with other characters. They share their opinion and gives comments about that character. Such opinion and comment may reflect the characteristics of the character drawn.

  Roger B. Henkle in Reading the Novel, states that character can be described as major and minor. Major characters are the most important and complex characters. attention given to them, and the personal intensity that they seem to transmit. It is the major characters who deserve our fullest attention because they perform a key structural function: upon them, we build expectations (1977:87,97).

  MH. Abrams in A Glossary of Literary Terms defines character as major and minor. According to Abrams, major character is usually the center of the story.

  He/she is the most important character in the story. Usually, the acts of the story are focused in this character from the beginning to the ending parts. The core of the story is highlighted though this character’s experience. Minor character is a character that appears in a certain setting, just necessarily to become the background for the major character. This role are less important than the major character because they are not fully developed characters and their roles ion the story are just to support the development of the major characters (1981:20).

  Robert Stanton in An Introduction to Fiction, states that most stories contain a central character who is relevant to every event in the story; usually the events cause some change either in him or in our attitude toward him. (1965:17). From Encyclopedia Americana , the chief character or hero of a fiction is usually three-dimensional and is known as the protagonist. His adversary, if any is known as antagonist. Most novels and plays have flat characters to offset round ones. (1978:290). In by Mary Rohberger and Samuel

  Reading and Writing about Literature

  Woods, when a protagonist is involved in a conflict with other character, the other people. The protagonist maybe in conflict with fate or the environment, or his struggle may be an inner one whereby he battles with a part of himself or with conflicting value system or desires, or his inner conflict may be objectified in a conflict with someone or something outside himself. (1971:20-21).

  Murphy’s theory of character presentation in his Understanding Unseen: An

  

Introduction to English Poetry and English Novel explain nine ways of author to

  present characters. They are personal character, character as seen by another, speech, past life, conversation of others, reactions, direct comment, thought, and mannerism.

  (1972:161-173). According to , literature is the presentation of the

  Encyclopedia Americana

  attitudes and behavior of imaginary persons in order to make the readers understand the author’s idea. Therefore, characterization is a unique feature of such fictional forms as the short story, novel, drama, and narrative poetry. Criticism regards good characterization as important criteria of excellence in fiction. (1978:290).

  MH. Abrams in A Glossary of Literary Terms, states that there are two methods of characterization, namely showing and telling. In showing method, the author only presents his character’s conversation and action and leaves the reader to infer what motives and dispositions lay behind what they say and do. In telling method, the author himself becomes a land of narrator in order to describe and evaluate the motives and dispositional qualities of the character. (1981:21).

  According to Perrine in his book Literature: Structure, Sound and Sense says:

  “Characterization must follow three principles in order to be convincing. Firstly, the characters in the story must have consistency in the way they behave. This consistency might be broken if only there is a sufficient reason to explain this change of behavior. Secondly, whatever the characters do, they must have clear motivation especially when they break the consistency of their behaviors. Finally, the characters must appear lifelike or plausible” (1974:69).

2. Theory of Conflict

  According to Redman in his book A Second Book of Plays, conflict has an important role in literary work because it always deals with the plot. Conflict appears from central character’s action in dealing with other forces. Central character or protagonist has a responsibility to bring the conflict to the end. Conflict is resolved when protagonist succeeds or fails in overcoming the other forces. Sometimes the protagonist gives up when the struggle is too difficult or worthless (1964:363).

  MH. Abrams in A Glossary of Literary Terms, mentions that many plots deal with conflict. In addition to the conflict between individual, there may be the conflict of a protagonist against fate, or against the circumstances that stand between him and a goal he has set himself, and in some works, the conflict is between opposing desires or values in a character’s of own mind (1981:128).

  According to Holman and Harmon in A Handbook to Literature, conflict is the struggle that grows out of the interplay of the two opposing focus in the plot.

  They also state that conflicts may occur in the struggle against nature, against another person, against society, and the struggle for mystery. Conflicts may be an argument between opposing forces, like man against man, man against nature, man against fate or perhaps an internal one between the two opposing parts of man’s personality (1986:107).

  Stanton in An Introduction to Fiction , divides conflict into internal and external conflict (1965:16): a. Internal Conflict

  This kind of conflict is identified by term Man vs. Himself. It takes place inside the protagonist, meaning that he/she is arguing with him/herself. He spends the entire story arguing with himself about what to do before something finally happens that forces him to make decision.

  b. External Conflict This conflict is happens when the protagonist has trouble and conflicts against the others characters. The protagonist is opposed by another character. Frequently he fights with a single person or more than one.

3. Theory of Message

  Sinclair in defines message as “an idea

  Collins Cobuild Essential Dictionary

  that someone tries to communicate to people, for example in a play or a speech, or the meaning, that thought or idea that is intended to express. (1988:490).The example of message can be in the form of God’s command as guidance, valuable words, and advice.

  According to Kenny in How to Analyze Fiction, when people are talking about message, they are also discussing about moral. It can be said briefly that some case has relativity. It means that people’s opinion about moral and values are not the same from one and the other place.

  Beaty and Paul in New World of Literature states that message is “the real meaning or some easy conclusion” that can be simply stated or summarized inside a work of art (1989:899). It brings to simplification and gives the illusion that a work of literature exist for its statement that tempts the readers through the story, drama, poem, etc. to get the real meaning.

  In the novel, usually there can be more than one message. In Oxford

  

Advanced Learner Dictionary, Hornby says that message is a piece of news inspired

by social or moral teaching (1989:234).

  According to Nurgiyantoro in Teori Pengkajian Fiksi, message is the moral in the work of art. It deals with good and bad. It can also be something that an author wants to convey to the readers (1995:321). In this opinion message is the complete meaning or concept in a work of literature, the meaning within a work or the meaning suggested through the story.

  In general, delivering the message in a work of fiction can be in a direct and in an indirect form (Nurgiyantoro,1995:336): a. Direct Form

  Direct form of message means that the message in conveyed directly. The author seems to teach the reader, and directly gives his advice. This form can make the readers understand what the author means easily. The readers do not find any b. Indirect Form Indirect form has an indirect nature. It means that when the author wants to convey or show something, he does not convey it directly. If the author wants to convey something, he expresses it implicitly and gives the readers a chance to interpret it thoughtfully.

  Message in a story is considered as a suggestion related to practical moral lesson that can be taken through the story. They are also having a close relation to problems in life, such as attitude, behavior or action. The readers can find them in the real life, in the same manner as they are reflected in the story through its characters.

C. Theoretical Framework

  The topic that the writer wants to discuss and expose by this thesis is the messages that are reflected in characters, conflicts, and experiences in The Da Vinci Code. To find out or discover the messages, the writer used some theories that considered important to the topic, such as theories on character, theories on characterization, theories on conflict, and theories on messages.

  The writer used the theories on character and characterization because it is important for us to really understand the character in the novel before we learn more deeply about the messages. Through the characters, the writer wants to say something, such as wisdom, bravery, honesty, patiently, intelligence, knowledge, sensitivity, forgiveness and understanding others, and sympathetic.

  Theories on conflict are considered important since the writer takes the messages in the story based on the conflicts and experiences that happens in the story.

  This story gives a lot of conflict that makes it more interesting. The main character has the conflict with himself and with the other.

  To reveal the messages, the writer applies theories on message. Through the dialogue, the description of the characters, including what the character’s experience and conflicts are, what the characters do, say, and respond, are taken as examples or suggestion that are reflected in the messages of the story. Theory of message is important for the writer to obtain better understanding of the messages that the author wants to rise and say.

CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY A. Object of the Study The object of the study used in this thesis is a novel by Dan Brown entitled The Da Vinci Code . This novel was first published in 2003 by Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc. I use the book that is published in 2004. This book consists of 489 pages and is divided into 1 prologue, 105 chapters,

  and 1 epilogue. Besides the text’s story, this edition contains a valuable introduction about some facts and a little summary about the story to make the reader easy to understand the story, also Dan Brown’s acknowledgements for some people who had already help him to write the story. To help the readers understand Dan Brown’s story and meanings, the novel was translated into 40 languages. The novel is now also being adapted for film by Columbia Pictures.

  The genre of the story is thriller fiction. It is about how the main character Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor of symbology, and Sophie Neveu, a French cryptologist try to solve the murder of the elderly curator of the Louvre, Jacques Sauniere insides the museum, and how both of them discover the mystery of the secret codes left by Sauniere that have a great relation with a sacred historical truth.

  The story is also about how the main characters as the protagonist face the problems and conflicts with the antagonist character, such as their betrayals or enemy, polices,

  From the above information and explanation about the novel, the writer tries to focus the discussion only on the main character’s description, by their act or attitudes, dialogue, and the conflicts to reveal the message.

B. Approach of the Study

  To analyze and understand a literary work deeply, the writer needs a certain approach. In order to analyze the novel, the writer uses the objective criticism.

  According to the objective criticism the work stands free from poet, audience, and the environing world. It examines the literary work based on the work itself, without connecting it to the other aspects outside the work including the historical and social background, or the biography of the author. The objective criticism focuses on the literary work from the intrinsic elements such as setting (place and time), theme, character, plot, which build the work (Abrams, 1981:37). It means, the objective criticism regards a literary object as a work which consists of some internal parts without any reference to other external parts. The objective criticism criticizes a work as something that is standing on the work itself that is to be analyzed and judged by the intrinsic criteria.

  The writer thought that the objective criticism is really suitable for analyzing this study which intends to analyze two of the intrinsic elements of the novel that is analyzing the main characters and conflict to reveal the message.

  Concerning by the subject, this analyzing study focuses its analysis on the main characters and the conflicts element, and needs no other aspects outside the work for the analysis.

C. Method of the Study

  In analyzing the novel, the writer did library and internet research. There were two kinds of sources that used in this analysis, the primary and secondary sources.

  The primary sources was the novel itself, Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. It was used to analyze the story or the text of the story and to get the supporting answer of the problem formulations. The secondary sources compromised the books that provided criticism on the novel, the approach on the work, the theory of message, conflicts, characterization which were important for the study, and some critical reviews taken from certain internet sites. It also compromised some information about the biography of the author.

  There were some steps that the writer did in analyzing the novel. First was reading the novel for several times to get deeper understanding on the content of the story. Secondly, the writer chooses the topic for the analysis and then formulating the problems that are going to lead the writer to the content of the study. Thirdly, the writer decided the appropriate approach for the study. The fourth step was collecting the data from the other sources. The fifth step was answering the problem formulation by showing some evidence from the data collected. The last step, was taking

CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS A. The Characteristics of Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu One of the important aspects in the story is character. That statement is based

  on the previous chapter which is said that character is the person presented in a dramatic or narrative work that are interpreted by the readers as being endowed with moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed in what they say, their dialogue and what they do or the action. It means that the character in the story should have moral and natural qualities of mind and it can be found out in their dialogue and action (Abrams, 1981:20). The dialogues of the story are basically expressed by the character from the beginning until the ending parts. The character makes the story flow interestingly and lively. So, without the character, the story is nothing.

  Character owns certain characteristics which are expressed through his or her attitudes. The characteristics of the character deal with characterization.

  Characterization also becomes the most important element in the story, it have a big role in creating the character , how the author gives the description of the character , and how the author makes the readers understanding the character. The author creates the character by using his imagination to give certain characteristics to the characters so that the readers can imagine what the men look like, and they can also getting to know whether the characters are good or bad person.

  From this chapter, the writer will analyze the characteristic of Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu as the main character in “The Da Vinci Code”. Firstly, the writer wants to describe the characteristic of Robert Langdon, and Sophie Neveu through his physical descriptions, then, the writer will describe both characters through their psychological description.