Barthes narritive codes - broken mirror
- 1. Barthes 5 Narrative Codes – A Broken Mirror Barthes suggested a textual object will have 1 or more of his 5 narrative codes; Hermeneutic, Proairetic, Semantic, Symbolic and Referential. I will be exploring how a broken mirror could have hidden, greater meanings using the symbolic code. Most broken mirrors would be broken by accident as there is a superstition of 7 years bad luck for breaking one. So naturally a broken mirror could symbolise a mirror which has been dropped or had something hit it accidently. Although, using Barthes’ theory, the broken shards of glass now joining like a random jigsaw puzzle could have a deeper meaning to why it is broken. Because the glass is reflective, the mirror could represent a reflection or view of a person and in this case the image we see is of a broken, maybe unstable, person. So the broken mirror could symbolise how people view the person looking into it as ‘messed up’. However, using the semantic code now, there may be an additional meaning. Such as the person looking into the mirror has broken the glass and this is how he or she sees their self. Maybe suggesting they don’t feel they should look at their self as a normal, stable human being. This then implies the ‘broken’ person could be violent as he may have punched the mirror to break it, indicating he or she isn’t afraid to get hurt, possibly because they are depressed and don’t feel like they could be hurt more than they currently are. Or, going back to the symbolic code now, the mirror could be part of an establishing shot which is used to set the scene. This would give the audience the interpretation that a fight or an explosion has taken place, possibly used in a film or picture. The sharp points of the shards of glass imply there is some sort of danger and therefore builds tension and/or a dramatic effect.