Silas (The Da Vinci Code)
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Silas is a fictional antagonist character in the popular 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code and the 2006 film based on it. In the film, his adult self was portrayed by Paul Bettany, and his young self by Hugh Mitchell. He is an albino monk, a devotee of the Catholic organization Opus Dei, who practices severe corporal mortification (he is seen using a metal cilice and flogging himself). During the events of the main storyline, he is about forty years old.
[edit] Story
Silas's real name is unknown. He originally lived in Marseille with his parents. However, his father was furious at having an albino for his son, and blamed Silas's mother, eventually killing her. Enraged, Silas murdered his father using a butcher's knife and fled. He was only seven years old. He later fell into a life of crime, and was imprisoned in Andorra in the Pyrenees until freed by an earthquake which destroyed the prison walls. He found refuge with a young Spanish priest named Manuel Aringarosa, who gave him the name Silas, after a person in the Bible who was the companion of Paul of Tarsus, imprisoned at Philippi and freed by an earthquake after singing. Aringarosa eventually became a bishop and also the head of Opus Dei.
Before the story's main narrative, Aringarosa puts him in contact with an enigmatic figure called The Teacher and tells him that the mission he will be given is of utmost importance in saving the true Word of God. Under the orders of The Teacher, he murders Jacques Saunière and the other three leaders of the Priory of Sion in order to extract the location of the Priory's clef de voûte or "keystone". However, Silas is reluctant to commit murder, knowing that it is a sin and does so only because he is assured his actions will save the Catholic Church. Shortly after Silas kills Saunière, Harvard professor Robert Langdon is suspected by the French police to be the murderer and goes on the run with the help of Saunière's granddaughter Sophie Neveu.
Silas follows the information given by the Priory leaders to the Church of Saint-Sulpice. However, he discovers that he was duped with false information, and also kills Sister Sandrine Bieil who spied on him in the church. The Teacher later tells Silas to go to Château Villette, the residence of Sir Leigh Teabing whom Langdon and Sophie have sought refuge at, saying that the keystone was there. Silas enters the house and injures Langdon, but is subdued by Teabing and Sophie. After being bound and gagged, Silas is taken by the three and Teabing's butler Rémy Legaludec to London via Teabing's private jet.
At London, after Teabing, Langdon and Sophie enter the Temple Church to search for clues to the Grail, Rémy releases Silas and reveals to him that he works for the Teacher. He instructs Silas to get the keystone, kidnap Teabing and leave by the limousine. Little does Silas know that Teabing is actually the Teacher. Teabing calls Silas from the rear compartment of the limousine and tells him to go to the London Opus Dei Centre for some rest, but at the same time makes an anonymous call to the police and informs them of Silas's whereabouts.
After resting in his room in the Centre for some while, Silas suddenly feels a little uneasy. He looks out the window and sees police cars. Panicking, he attempts to escape, fighting policemen along the way. Almost naked, he runs out from the Centre successfully but is shot by a policeman below the ribs and accidentally shoots Bishop Aringarosa who just arrived.
After taking Aringarosa to the hospital, he vows to kill the Teacher, but Aringarosa pleads with him, saying that if he has learned anything from his teachings, he must know that "Forgiveness is God's greatest gift."
In his last moments, Silas goes out to Kensington Gardens alone and prays to God for mercy and forgiveness. Closing his eyes, he says a final prayer before dying.
[edit] Story in the film
Silas's story in the film is pretty much the same as the novel, except for a few minor aspects. In the novel, he knows that Remy is the Teacher's minion, but in the film he is tricked into believing that Remy is the Teacher. His death is also slightly different. After realizing he has shot Aringarosa, he collapses in anguish and remorse. Silas raises his gun, and is shot down by the police, his last words being "I am a ghost."
[edit] Controversy
Critics of The Da Vinci Code have denounced the book for spreading falsehoods against the real-life Opus Dei and the Roman Catholic Church in particular (see Criticisms of The Da Vinci Code), and for making Silas an 'evil albino'. It is also argued that Silas is not evil, as he is doing the sinister acts because he honestly believes in what he's doing.
Brown commented on the controversy, stating "Some readers with albinism have been troubled by this character. I am very sensitive to their concerns. It is important to remember that Silas's skin color has nothing to do with his violent nature--he is driven to violence by others' cruelty... not by anything inherent in his physiology. The vast majority of critics and readers (even some with albinism) find Silas to be the novel's most sympathetic character. I truly believe the novel's portrayal of Silas is a compassionate exploration of how difficult albinism can be--especially for young people--and how cruelly societies can ostracize those of us who look different." [1]
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