Robert Langdon, Harvard symbologist and author of several books on religious symbolism and iconography, is the story’s reluctant hero and protagonist. Tweedy and intellectual, Langdon is pulled into the center of a vast web of conspiracy and murder and must use his formidable intellect—rather than his brawn—to solve a mystery that has stumped truth seekers and Grail hunters for centuries. Langdon exhibits an appropriate emotional response to his situation—grief over Sauniére’s death, fear for his own safety and reputation, a blind desire to trust the police despite Sophie’s warnings—making him a believable flesh-and-blood character.

He also serves as a historical tour guide. Brown’s extensive research into Church history and the machinations of secret societies are given voice in Langdon’s thorough and detailed explications. Langdon follows in the tradition of Indiana Jones, scholar-turned-adventure hero. What makes Langdon unique, however, is Brown’s refusal to sacrifice his hero’s brainpower for contrived feats of derring-do. To the end, Langdon is uncomfortable with guns and violence; his primary function throughout the narrative is to puzzle out obscure clues. In fact, his only act of physical bravado is directed against an older, cultured bank manager, and for that, he feels regret over possibly breaking the man’s nose.