ELF Annual Research Journal 16

(2014) 171-184

Five Codes of Barthes in Shahraz’s Story A Pair of Jeans: A

Post-Structural Analysis

Sabah Zaib , Ghulam Mustafa Mashori **

ABSTRACT: The paper qualitatively provides a post-structural analysis of Shahraz’s

short story, A Pair of Jeans under the implementation of Barthesian five codes’ theory.
The paper aims to decode the hidden voices of the target story and follows Barthes’
theoretical framework as‘text is a galaxy of signifiers that can be unfolded and
understood through the application of five codes, namely; proairetic, hermeneutic,
semantic, symbolic, and cultural, on it.’ Relying on text-based analysis, the study shows
that the target story has several words and dialogues that have multiple meanings. Here
Miriam’s jeans and short vest connotatively undermine her innocence and makes her an
epitome of imperfection. Her first persona and second persona, her modernism versus
traditionalism of her parents-in-law, etc., are thematic polarities of the story. There are
certain referential words including jeans, sari, shawl, duppata, etc., which share the
cultural knowledge of our world. Finally, the paper concludes that application ofthe codes
on the selected text enhances an understanding of the reader to justify its genre andits
several themes in writerly/modern reading style.

Keywords: Post-structuralism; Roland Barthes, A Pair of Jeans, five codes, writerly text

Introduction
Post-structuralism is a critique of structural science which asserts on
an unfixed and unstable nature of language. According to post-structuralists,
language is a medium by which a single idea can be interpreted into multiple
meanings (Belsey, 2002, p. 5). The concept widens the scope of literary
analysis of novels, poems and stories. Keeping this notion, a critic can
provide several interpretations to a single literary piece.
The French linguist, Roland Barthes belongs to the domain of post-
structural theorists. Being a critical narratologist, he abandons the traditional
concept of interpreting a narrative according to the closed structure of the
text or according to the fixed point of view of the author. While, he states


M.Phil Research Scholar, Institute of English Language & Literature, University of Sindh Jamshoro
**
Professor & Chairman, Department of English, Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur-Sindh,
Pakistan
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that a text (narrative) is a galaxy of signifiers which can produce multiple

meanings by the participation of the reader in a meaning producing
phenomenon (Barthes, 1974). He proposes a theory of five codes which
helps the reader to unfold and understand any narrative into several
meanings. The article provides a post-structural analysis of Qaisra Shahraz’s
short story A Pair of Jeans. The paper applies Barthesian five codes on the
target story. Relying on step-by-step text text-based analysis method, the
study aims to explore the concealed meanings, multiple voices, and so also
the depth of text.
Literature Review
The target story has been prescribed in many of the universities of
Morocco, Germany, China and India (Shamsie, 2007, p. 277; Siddiqui, 2014,
p. 215). The narrative has been discussed several times on the basis of
ideology of patriarchy (Siddiqui, 2014) but it has rarely been analyzed on the
grounds of the literary code system.
In S/Z (1974) Barthes defines code as“… [it] is a mirage of
structures … the sign of virtual digression… one of the voices that can take
over the text … one of the voices out of which the text is woven”(p. 20-21).
By this definition he demonstrates the basic function of codeis, to decode the
hidden messages/meanings/voices which are inherent in the literary
language.
Theory of Five Codes
Barthes mentions that all narratives have one or all the five codes that
work as “weaving of voice” (1974, p. 20) of that narrative (Lashari, 2013, p.
118). These codes are the proairetic, the hermeneutic, the semic, the
symbolic, and the cultural code (Barry, 2002, p.151).
The Proairetic code
The code is also termed as the “narrative code” (Eagleton, 1993, p.
120). It refers to those elements of a narrative which create tension in its
plot. These suspensive elements play dual role in a text. Atfirst, they proclaim
that something is going to happen and secondly, they make the reader
attentive and respondent to resolve the tension. Here, the reader tries to get
Five Codes of Barthes in Shahraz’s Story A Pair of Jeans: A Post-Structural Analysis 173

an advance knowledge about the actions by asking some of the questions as

‘What will be the reaction of a certain action?’
The Hermeneutic Code
The hermeneuticcode is also known as the code of “enigma” (Selden,
Widdowson & Brooker, 2005). It refers to all the enigmatic, puzzling and
mysterious elements of a text that make reader curious to unviel their
mystery. Here, the reader tends to disclose certain secrets by asking several
questions of his/her knowledge as “what is happenning and why is that
happening? What is the obstacle?”(p.152).
Barthes uses some of the unique terms for these elements as “snare”,
“equivocations”, “partial answers” and “jammings”. The term snare implies
“deliberate evasion of truth”, the word equivocation refers to the “mixture of
truth and snare” and the term jammings stands for “acknowledgement of
insolubility” (Felluga, n.d.). These terms allegorize as the subordinate codes/
subordinate elements of the hermeneutic code and they designate different
situations and actions of the narrative.
About these two codes Barthes mentions that “… dependent
on…two sequential codes: the revelation of truth and the coordination of the
actions represented : there is the same constraint in the gradual order of
melody and in the equally gradual order of the narrative sequence” (“Bathes’
Five Codes”, n.d.). These two codes work together to develop the plot of a
narrative. The proairetic code helps the reader to understand the
chronological sequence of an action and its reaction and the hermeneutic
code enables reader to resolve the puzzling and equivocal scenes. The
implementation of these two codes permits the reader to recognize the
essence of the plot.
The Semantic Code
Thesemantic code is also termed as the connotative code (Barry,
2002, p. 151). It refers to those elements of a text which can better be
understood by implying their suggestive and connotative meanings.
According to Barthes , all narratives have some definite “characters, places
and objects” that connotatively help the reader to understand the theme of
the text (Eagleton, 1993, p. 120).
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The Symbolic Code

This code is also known as antithetical code (Barthes, 1974, p.19). It
resembles to semantic code and thence it creates a difficulty for the readers
to make a clear distinction between semic and symbolic codes. As Felluga
mentions that “Barthes is not always clear in the distinction between these
two codes”. The code refers to the antithetical and contrasted elements of
the text by which the reader (being a postructuralist) tries to organise the
reality (Barry, 2002, p. 151; & Seldon, et al., 2005, p. 152). Through this code
the reader focuses on the binary polarities.
The Cultural Code
This code is also refered as the referential code (Barthes, 1974, p.20).
It pertains to those elements which share a common knowledge of the world.
Here, the reader focuses on the physical, physiological, medical,
psychological,literary and historical properties of characters of the story to
identify a common knowledge (Barthes,1974; &Felluga, n.d.).
The theory of five codes by Barthes is selected, herein, to see that
how far “codes” help to understand the thematic meanings of the story. By
applying these codes on a narrative, a reader can transform the simple text
into a writerly text. It was Barthes who distinguished readerly text from
writerly text (Barthes, 1974). He referred a readerly text to the traditional text
in which the main objective of the reader is to passively accept all that is
already written. On the contrary, a writerly text is a sort of modern text in
which the reader has full freedom to produce multiple textual meanings.
Research Methodology
This qualitative study is based on textual analysis process which is
conducted through step by step method. Step-by-step method is a particular
method used by Barthes in his S/Z in which he divides Sarrasine, a French
novella, into lexias and then applies the five codes on it. Though in the
paper, we do not divide the target text into lexias, yet have tried to follow a
few other steps proposed by Barthes. At the beginning, the text was
examined (story) carefully to identify its embodied suspense, enigmas,
symbols, binary polarities and cultural references that are five elements of
Barthes’ theory. It was found that the story has several dialogues and words
Five Codes of Barthes in Shahraz’s Story A Pair of Jeans: A Post-Structural Analysis 175

that may be interpreted in multiple ways: then, we divided the text into five
segments corresponding to the characteristics of the five codes. Finally, we
designed to discuss the analyzed data in the present paper in two ways.
Firstly, it presents a critical overview of the story and secondly, it discusses
the results from the application of five codes on the selected narrative.
Discussion and Analysis
Short Introduction of the Story
A Pair of Jeans for analysis is selected from Moniza Shamsie’s
anthology entitled as And the World Changed. It is narrated in third person by
an omniscient narrator. It is divided into three settings: first from Miriam’s
way from picnic to her home, second, house of Begum and Ayub and third
again Miriam’s home. All characters of the story are Pakistani based UK
residents. Its central focus is the dress, “jeans and boots” of Miriam, a
Pakistani British Muslim girl (Shamsie, 2007, p. xiv). She is introduced as a
college student whose character is delineated by the author as an
amalgamation of different values and beliefs (Eastern and Western values).
At the outset she is shown as engaged with Farooq, a Pakistani British man
whose parents break their engagement without any solid reason.
Application of Five Codes on A Pair of Jeans
The Proairetic Code
This code is the narrative code by which the reader focuses on actions
and specifies its reactions. The action and reaction system upraises interest in
the reader. The action starts in the story when Miriam glanced the time on
her wrist watch and exclaimed that she was late (Shahraz, 2007, p.157). Her
action of glancing time paves way for her quick reaction. She gets restless and
speedy for her home and anxiously provides order to her order-less dress. In
the way to her home she desires not to meet with any of her acquaintance.
Her swiftness for her home and her stressed condition create suspense in the
reader’s mind who also becomes swift and speedy to get further knowledge
about the restlessness of Miriam.
Then, just after reaching at the main door of her home, she hears a
siren of a car behind her and “looks back to see who is it?” (ibid, p.157). She
sees two persons (a man and woman) in the car. On looking at the persons,
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she lost all her confidence. “Her step flattered, color ebbed from her face”
(ibid, p.158). These actions alarm the readers that something bad is going to
happen with Miriam. But suddenly, quite the reverse, she restores her self-
confidence but still regrets to be too late for her home. Her restoration of
self-confidence pacifies the reader who feels that s/he has himself/herself
lost his/her senses with Miriam. These persons are in reality the guests of
Miriam.
Earlier than the Miriam should speak anything, the two guests survey
her shrunk vest under the unbuttoned jacket with tight jeans clad. They
become uncertain and feel as she is a stranger for them. When she salutes
them, they ignore her salutation and even avoid their eye contact with Miriam
(ibid, p.158). These circumstances make the reader attentive to know the
reason behind their vagueness.
However, Miriam knocks her house door and encounters her mother
Fatima. Fatima shocks at an unexpected entry of her daughter with her
guests. Miriam’s suspicious figure: her dressing, especially her half an inch
naked midriff, and her late arrival, makes Fatima a raging storm and she
“communicates her displeasure and signals her daughter with her eye brows
to go up and changing into something respectable” (ibid, p.159).In response
Miriam quickly does whatever she is directed.
After a few minutes, Miriam returns in “blue crepe Shalwar Kameez”
with long duppata around her shoulders. Her look attracts the “four pair of
eyes” towards her who compare her past appearance in tight jeans and short
vest to her present feature in Shalwar Kameez (ibid, p.160). This change in
Miriam’s personality with the change in her dressing not only attracts the
guest but it also has a good effect on reader’s mind. The reader here realizes
that Miriam’s present appearance is somehow acceptable for her mother and
her guests.
Now the suspense increases, when Fatima asks Miriam to bring some
refreshment for her guests while they (guests), in response, leave their host
without eating anything (ibid, p.161). These actions and reactions make a
contradictory atmosphere for the reader.
Five Codes of Barthes in Shahraz’s Story A Pair of Jeans: A Post-Structural Analysis 177

Further, when Ayub and Begum, the names of two mentioned guests
and future in-laws of Miriam, return to their home and Ayub asks her wife,
Begum that“I thought you told me that she was a very sharif … Was that
naked waist you call modest?” (ibid, p.162). This critical statement gives way
to the inner storm of Ayub who then ironizes Miriam’s dressing, her
morality, her rebellious personality by declaring her a “modern girl”. He
unexpectedly remarks “what if she has a boyfriend already” (ibid, p.163). His
enraged speech not merely compels Begum to be suspicious about his bad
intention but his speech also causes the reader to be questionable about the
upcoming disaster. Being conscious of the mentality of Ayub, Begum asks
him “you truly don’t want the wedding to take place..?” (ibid, p.166). After
that she makes a phone call to Fatima and breaks engagement of Miriam with
her son Farooq. All these actions arises sympathy in the readers for Miriam.
Fatima, after receiving Begum’s call, unwillingly shares with Miriam the
breach of her marriage. Mariam in hysteric mode, calls them liars, runs
upstairs in her bed room, shouts for leaving Farook and finally throws her
hanged article, “a pair of jeans, on floor and ‘gave it a vicious kick” (ibid,
p.168).
The Hermeneutic Code
The code refers to mysterious elements of text where the reader
concentrates on enigmatic scenes and tries to know that why it is happening.
The story has an abundance of puzzling elements.
At the first glance, the title of the story, A Pair of Jeans, appears as an
enigma. Albeit the title catches the interest of the reader but it also has some
mystery in its meaning. It obliges the reader to ask why the story is entitled as
such. It also compels readers to raise several questions about the significance
of this title. For example, a reader may ask what should be the genre of this
story. Is it an irony? Is it a comedy? Is it a satire? Is it a cultural story? Is it a
modern story? It is amystery, a riddle for a reader who cannot understand the
theme until s/he knows the meaning of this title.
Then the suspense starts from the very first paragraph, when Miriam
speaks to herself as
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“They said they were coming today. What if they had already arrived?” (ibid,
p.157). She murmurs, grumbles and gets frightful at the thought of the
anonymous guests who have informed her about their arrival at her home. At
this stage, her anxiety and her fear puzzle reader who guesses that why the
unidentified guests are most important for Miriam. As their identity is not
clear to the reader so the word “they” designate the subordinate hermeneutic
code “snare”. In this case, the truth about guests is hidden from the reader’s
perception. Further, the enigma become strangled when Miriam
unfortunately meets her guests at her door step and loses her senses. The
first exposure of her guests transforms Miriam into a lifeless statute. Here,
the reader asks why Miriam’s “step flattered, colourebbed”? (ibid, p. 158).
Likewise, why do they awkwardly scrutinize her and why does she seem a
stranger to them? The first page of the story runs with the same ambiguity in
which anonymous, unidentified guests of Miriam seem to have some secrecy
in themselves.
This enigma is partially resolved when the narrator mentions that
“the father in-law was bent on avoiding eye contact” (ibid, p.158). Now
through this statement of the narrator, the reader understands that the two
mysterious people are Miriam’s future in-laws for whom she was speedy and
anxious as she wanted to greet them by arriving at her home earlier than
them. But the enigma of her dress remains equivocal, debatable and
problematic for the reader.
Moreover, the reason of a very strange response of Fatima, Miriam’s
mother, at the entrance of her daughter with her guests, is also unexplained
in the story. Fatima taunts Miriam to change her jeans quickly (ibid, p.159).
In this case, a reader may ask the question that why does Fatima behave like
that? Why she alarms Miriam to change in something more suitable. Miriam
is a dweller of England who has liberty to wear such dresses but why is it
happening? This mystery makes the reader attentive to ponder the situation
carefully.
Further the scene, in which the guests depart from Miriam’s home
without eating anything, is another example of equivocal scene. They (guests)
simply mention that they have some guests that are waiting at their home.
This situation does not merely startle Miriam who thought “if they had
Five Codes of Barthes in Shahraz’s Story A Pair of Jeans: A Post-Structural Analysis 179

guests at home why did they bother to come?” (ibid, p.161) but also alarms
the reader to think do they really have guest at their home or is it only a trick
to get rid of Miriam?
All the above mentioned jamming, snares, and partially explained scenes
resolve in the end when Begum makes a phone call to Fatima and breaks
Miriam’s engagement with her son. They (parents-in-law) are extremists and
Miriam’s wildness compels them to do so. Miriam was aware about their
psyche and thence she was worried about her dress that was awkward for
them and finally it brought disaster in her life. In this case the story can be
categorized as a tragedy in which Miriam’s dreams are broken.
The Semantic Code
The target text has a few semantic codes. First of all the title, A pair of
Jeans, has some connotative significance in the story. It denotatively refers to
simply a dress but connotatively it undermines innocence of Miriam. Her
father-in-law grunts about her as “Huh!’… Sharif! Dressed like that!” (ibid,
p.162). In this way, her dress (jeans and short vest) implicitly refers to her
immorality, anti-religious (anti-Muslimism) feelings, modernity, and her
feminist rather rebellious nature. Shamsie states that Miriam’s “boots and
jeans symbolize all that is…decadent and rotten” (2007, p. xii). This
symbolical presentation of her article proves ironic in her life. Finally the
narrator remarks: “the shabby and much worn pair of jeans lay at the foot of
the bed, blissfully unaware of the havoc it had created in the life of its
wearer” (ibid, p.168).
The phrase “the epitome of tradition” (ibid, p.164) is another
example of semic code. The word tradition connotatively refers to Pakistani
traditional behaviour, values, culture, and fashion. Miriam is betrothed to
Farook for her traditional values. Her typical cultural attires, her shyness,
modesty and simplicity are the most reliable attributes for her parents-in-law.
Having all these characteristics she is an “epitome of perfection”(ibid, p.164)
for them.
The Symbolic Code
The principle of this code is to identify textual antithetical elements
that “allow multi-valences and reversibility” (Seldon, et al., 2005, p. 152).The first
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focus of the reader is to recognize tension in simple binary polarity system.

In the target text binary oppositions are interwoven in the thematic structure
that either submerge or reverse to the previous state. There are three
examples of symbolic code.
First example of the symbolic code is the conflict between Miriam’s
“first persona” and her “second persona”. Her appearance in shalwar kameez
and sari signify her first persona. Opposite to this her short vest and tight
jeans signify her second persona. These contradictory personalities of Miriam
present two conflicting vogues of world i.e., Eastern and Western fashions.
These antithetical symbols can also be explained as traditionalism versus
modernism, narrowness versus liberalism, captivity versus freedom, long
dresses versus short dresses, and shyness versus awkwardness of Miriam. In
this way, she is nothing but a mixture of these contradictory traits.
She feels easy in wearing jeans to attend friend’s parties and
university in England. She also gets peace of mind in wearing shalwar kameez
at her home and in the parties of her relatives. With these practices, she
twists between religious and anti-religious nature, broadly speaking
Muslimsm and anti-Muslimism. The representation of her dress is the
representation of her chastity and her un-chastity. Moreover, these dresses
symbolize her double consciousness. The clash between shalwar kameez and
jeans builds the theme of cultural clash, the clash between East and West.
Second antithesis is between Miriam and her in-laws attitude. Miriam
splits into traditional and modern ideologies. She accepts tradition as well as
breaks tradition. On the contrary her in-laws are shown pure traditionalist.
This opposition can be termed as Miriam’s dynamic nature versus static
nature of her in-laws. They have one sided, “stereotype” (ibid, p.162),
“awkward”(ibid, p.158), and traditional mentality. However, the girl has a
complex mindset. They wish for a “docile, obedient and sweet daughter-in-
law” (ibid, p.159) but on the contrary Miriam seems to them modern,
disobedient, careless, immoral and rather a symbol of shame (ibid, p.163).
Fatima versus Begum is the third binary schism of the story. Both are
Muslim ladies. Both are the residents of the UK. But they have different
beliefs. Fatima is fragmented between modernity and tradition. At first, she
allows her daughter to go outside in short dresses that are against Muslimism.
Five Codes of Barthes in Shahraz’s Story A Pair of Jeans: A Post-Structural Analysis 181

Secondly, she becomes furious when her daughter comes in the same dress
before her in-laws. She is partially religious and partially rebellious. Begum is
shown as a one sided woman whose appearance, in “shalwar kameez and
chadar”, her title, i.e. “begum”, and her mentality is particularly religious. The
clash between Begum and Fatima symbolizes the clash between Islam and
modernism.
The Cultural Code
The story encompasses the world from all directions especially
Western and Eastern beliefs and thoughts are enriched in it. Here, characters
of the story appear in different dresses that provide the knowledge of
different cultures. The article, jeans and short vest (ibid, p.157), refers to Western
fashion. Western women commonly wear these dresses either at their home or
out of home. Then shalwar kameez and chadar (ibid, p.158), duppatta (ibid,
p.160), and shawl(ibid, p.161) are the examples of Muslim dresses. Muslim
women mostly wear long dresses to cover their body and wear duppatta for
more respects. They wear chadar or shawl when they go outside. Likewise
the “chiffon sari” refers to Indian culture. Davidson and Seaton remark that
sari is a “Hindustani dress”(p.660). It is a single long piece wrapped around
the body that covers over the head too (Naseer, n.d.p. 379).
Miriam’s love for outing (ibid, p.157), her freely celebration with her
college friends either male or female, her late arrival at home even at “11’O
clock” at night (ibid, p.158) are the references to the Western society where
parents give full freedom to their mature children to enjoy their lives
according to their own wishes.
The word “walaikumassalam” (ibid, p.186) is a reply to Assalam o
alaikum. It is an Arabic word. Assalam o alaikum implies “may God keep
you save and sound” and “wa-alaikumussalam” refers to “may God keep you
too save and sound” (Salah, p. 17). It is a Muslim salutation. Muslims in the
whole world greet one another by these courtesies.
There are a few typical ideals such as “docile, obedient, and sweet”
(ibid, p. 159)used for daughters-in-laws. These qualities refer to the Eastern
rather Pakistani and Indian daughters-in-laws who always subdue themselves
before their husbands and his family members.
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There is a reference of “mehndi party” (ibid, p.164). It is an amazing

and a sensible ritual of Indian and Pakistani marriage ceremony in which
bride’s hands and feet are adorned with mehndi (henna). Likewise the word
“begum” (ibid, p.161) is derived from “begam”, a Hindi and Urdu word. It is
a respectable title familiar in Pakistani and Indian society which is particularly
used for a Muslim woman of high rank (Naseer,n.d., p. 64).
The sentence, “after twenty five years of marriage she could read him
like a book” is clotted with the chronological reference of Begum’s marriage.
Begum was married to Ayub twenty five years before.
The visit of Miriam’s parents-in-laws to her house and their meeting
with her mom, Fatima, is a reference of Pakistani and Indian culture where
parents of the engaged girls and boys arrange several meetings to understand
the families of one another. Moreover, the independent decision of Begum
and Ayub for their son Farook concerning his marriage is another example of
Pakistani and Indian Patriarchal system where parents have complete
authority to select or reject the life partner of their children according to their
own wishes. Mostly their marriages are called arranged marriage in which
they do not consult their children.
Conclusion
Now, it can be concluded that the application of five codes on the
selected story discloses it into five different voices. The codes help reader to
understand the theme in a new dimension. Here the proairetic and the
hermeneutic elements work together and develop the plot. The semantic
meanings of the words “Jeans” and “tradition” give in-depth understanding
to the ironic representation of Miriam’s modern dress which ruptures the
traditional concept/dreams of Begum and Ayub. The antithetical code helps
reader to understand the psyche of characters. It gives a clue of thought that
how cultures represents identity of man. The cultural code gives light to the
embodied Eastern and Western cultures, especially Pakistani and Indian
marriage systems, and their baseless ideology of patriarchy. The plot and the
characters altogether develop the theme of cultural clash. Pakistani people
love their culture and Islamic principle and if anyone rebels against their
established rules in the name of modernism so they break their relationship
with them as Begum breaches the engagement of Miriam and Farook.
Five Codes of Barthes in Shahraz’s Story A Pair of Jeans: A Post-Structural Analysis 183

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