This reminded me of our discussion on the Minister's Black Vail and Lacan. We've discussed how often times the referent stays the same yet the signified changes based on different social structures or often times the meaning can change over time. In the case of The Da Vinci Code, a metal rod with three sharp points at the end of it stays the same physical object through all these different interpretations, yet the signified changes, image of power used by a Greek God or the weapon of a fallen angel.
This happens all the time with symbols when someone else uses them and over time different groups of people see their meaning as something drastically different. An example of this is the pentagram. This symbol's earliest meaning was in reference to the goddess Venus. This symbol's signified changes in different cultures. In the Chinese culture the pentagram is used in explaining how the 5 main elements either strengthen or destroy another element.
Now with the rise of rock and metal music, the pentagram's meaning took on a darker meaning. The pentagram was flipped upside down, and the image of a goat head was posted over it. Then people started claiming that the pentagram was a symbol of devil worship. While it always interesting to see how symbols change in different cultures or over time, it is sad to see when symbols that are meant to be of peace are turned to mean evil or have negative connotations,
A much better novel and movie than Da Vinci Code (which falls into the trap of a definite S/s relationship that Saussure, Lacan, and Derrida critique) is The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, who is both a novelist and a theorist. You might enjoy the novel over the summer.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a good example and good connection to the use of symbol. I persoanlly liked the movie and remember the scene that you are talking about in the beginning part of the movie. I find it interesting how many different meanings and interpretations that there are for different symbols. Good blog.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of the Native American symbol that the Nazi's flipped and changed into something that people now view negatively. My aunt and uncle rented a house one summer and this symbol was on their wall. I was a little freaked out and wondered what kind of crazy house they were renting. When I asked my uncle about it, he explained that the symbol on the wall didn't have anything to do with the Nazis and how the symbol I was looking at went along with several other native american items in the home. The symbol meant nothing negative at all and it is crazy how my view of the symbol was so different from the actual meaning.
ReplyDeleteYou certainly cited a few really good examples of how signs can be interpreted differently, even if I do wonder about whether it was with the dawn of metal music that the pentagram became satanic. From here, maybe you could elaborate by giving us your thoughts on what we should do about it? You are essentially telling us that people look at the same things differently, but we already know this. What should we do about it?
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