Robert Langdon, #2
The Da Vinci Code
by Dan Brown
Contents
CHAPTER 8
Overview
Langdon and Fache examine Saunière's hidden message, whose English phrases, number sequence, pentacle, and newly revealed circle complicate any simple explanation of the curator's death. Langdon identifies Saunière's pose as an imitation of Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man, suggesting sacred feminine symbolism and conflict with the Church.
Fache rejects Langdon's symbolic interpretation and frames the message as a dying accusation meant to identify the killer. A shift to Collet's surveillance reveals that Fache already believes he knows the murderer and is secretly tracking Langdon inside the Louvre.
Summary
Langdon studies Saunière's ultraviolet message on the Louvre floor: a number sequence, “O, Draconian devil!” and “Oh, lame saint!” He cannot interpret the random-looking numbers and recognizes that the English phrases complicate his earlier theory that Saunière's staging concerned goddess symbolism rather than devil worship.
Fache presses Langdon to explain why a French curator would write his final words in English and whether the message is an accusation. When Fache widens the black-light beam, Langdon sees that Saunière drew a circle around his body, completing a life-sized imitation of Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man.
The discovery shifts Langdon's interpretation. Langdon explains that the circle and the pose suggest Da Vinci's ideas of male-female balance and links Saunière's gesture to shared interests in sacred feminine symbolism and conflict with the Church. Fache resists this symbolic reading, arguing that a murdered man would use his final message for vengeance, not an obscure religious statement.
Langdon counters that if Saunière knew his attacker, as the circumstances suggest, the curator would have written a name rather than cryptic clues. Fache reacts with satisfaction, implying that this is exactly the point he has been guiding Langdon toward.
The perspective shifts to Lieutenant Collet, who listens to the exchange remotely and admires Fache's controlled interrogation tactics. Collet reflects on Fache's religious devotion, authority, and certainty about the murderer, then monitors a GPS tracking system showing a red dot deep in the Grand Gallery. The chapter reveals that Fache is tracking Langdon as his prey.
Who Appears
- Robert LangdonInterprets Saunière's symbols and unknowingly remains the focus of Fache's suspicion.
- Bezu FachePresses Langdon for explanations while steering him toward a murder-accusation theory.
- Jérôme ColletMonitors the interrogation and GPS tracker, admiring Fache's tactics and certainty.
- Jacques SaunièreDead curator whose hidden message and Vitruvian Man pose drive the investigation.
- Leonardo da VinciReferenced through the Vitruvian Man and symbolism tied to Saunière's staged body.