The Hero's Journey in Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code

The study aims to investigate the hero’s journey in The Da Vinci Code novel by Dan Brown, which depicts a transformative adventure that follows the classical stages of departure, initiation, and return. There are two problems to be solved in this study, namely: (1) How does Robert Langdon experience his journey? (2) What are the reasons Robert Langdon takes the journey? This study employs a qualitative approach, utilizing clear and systematic descriptions of the phenomena being studied. A descriptive study in textual analysis is applied in this study to analyze the main character in The Da Vinci Code novel. The data are collected by first highlighting the data text of The Da Vinci Code novel. The highlighted text is then analyzed by identifying the text and sentences and applying the correct stages to the correct text. This study reveals that all stages of the hero’s journey (departure, initiation, and return) encompass seventeen sub-stages that are completed by the main character, Robert Langdon. Robert Langdon went on the journey for three reasons: the first was a blunder, the second was Robert Langdon's curiosity, and the last was moral responsibility. These three reasons shaped Robert Langdon's sense of hero's journey.