Theory into Practice: A Barthesian Analysis of The War Zone by Sana Munir

Abstract

The present research article applies Roland Barthes narrative theory of five codes on The War Zone (2020) a short story written with a backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic by Sana Munir. Relying on Catherine Belsey’s (1980) textual analysis method the study shows that the selected story contains a network of Barthesian Codes. There are multiple cultural references to health practices in Pakistani society particularly during the time of COVID-19 pandemic. Cultural code plays a central role in the structure of the story. The theme and structure of the story rests on the idea of religious biases. The study concludes that the Barthes’ cultural code portrays society’s discriminatory behavior towards Dr Jasmine. Her resilience to the discrimination at general level and psychological adaptation to adversity at personal level through inherent goodness, sincerity to her profession and persistent fight against the disease and prejudices of the society provide the basic structure and content to the story.