Although Dan Brown does not make feminism the highlight of his novels, the women of The Da Vinci Code play an imperative role in the plot that is often overlooked by readers. . Additionally, Brown claims that the treatment of women in the Catholic Church does not align with the teachings of Jesus. Brown reiterates historical events from many different time periods and cultures that must be understood to understand the perspective of women represented in The Da Vinci Code. The central periods that are crucial to this understanding are the 1st century, the 3rd-4th century and the 1960s until today. The diversity of cultures also plays an important role in how women can be represented through literature; The main cultures to consider for ancient times include the Jewish community, the Roman Empire, and the Celtic-British Isles. In today's society, Brown portrays a point of view centered on French and British cultures. Brown explains how women from all of these time periods and cultures are represented, but this attempt at a microcosm for women must be examined through lenses respecting each aspect conveyed to determine the validity of The Da Vinci Code's depiction. Throughout The Da Vinci Code, Brown emphasizes the repression of women using examples from history, cultural aspects, and even the interaction between his own female and male characters. Dan Brown begins his feminist approach to history by stating, through his character, Sir Leigh Teabing, "Jesus was the first feminist..." From there, Brown asserts that Jesus and Mary Magdalene married and that the early Church had a right to her, but Jewish tradition and Paul's jealousy of Mary prevented this from happening. At this point, from a literary perspective, Brown demonstrates the oppression of women... middle of paper ...... by the ruling power of the time, the Roman Empire. Therefore, one can still see many examples in post-biblical writings and rulings that continue to encourage the oppression of women. Such statements created tension with Jesus' recorded actions, but the Church wanted to control them so that they were published and well distributed. Dan Brown illustrates through his novel that women have often been oppressed throughout history in Christian and Jewish cultures, but he shows that this oppression occurs. still in modern times. In his novel, he uses his female characters to imitate the real situation of how women are perceived; the characters Sir Leigh Teabing and Captain Fache are respectively the archetypes of Brown's perception of British and French attitudes towards women. Every man shows contempt for a woman's ability to do a "man's job ».”.