Dreams, depths, and dual meanings: A semiotic analysis of symbols in Inception (2010) film
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30872/jbssb.v9i3.23012Abstract
This study discusses the symbolism in the film “Inception” by Christopher Nolan (2010) using Roland Barthes semiotic approach. Films are understood not only as visual entertainment, but also as cultural texts that contain social, ideological and philosophical messages. Through qualitative analysis, data is collected from movie scenes, dialogues and visual elements, and then interpreted based on three layers of meaning: denotation, connotation and myth. An analysis of the seven main scenes shows that “Inception” features several major themes: (1) trauma and uncertainty that continue to haunt humans, depicted through Cobb's characters and rotating totem symbols; (2) reality as fragile and reconstructable, seen from the folds of Paris and the rotating corridors of hotels; (3) Science and technology as a form of control over the unconscious, shown by Joseph; (4) the human subconscious as a battleground of ideas and resistance, visualized through snow; and (5) family and personal relationships as an important part of identity formation, for example through Fischer's conflict with his father. These findings confirm that “Inception” presents a grand narrative about human life, full of ambiguity, trauma and the search for meaning. Thus, the film can be read as a representation of the modern human condition, living between reality and illusion, technological control and inner freedom, as well as past demands and future expectations.References
Andriansyah, Pujianto, & Cendekia, (2022). Analysis Meaning of Maui Tattoos in the 2016 Moana Film (Roland Barthes). ICADECS
Ayu Famila Putri, Arin Inayah, & Wageyono. (2023). A SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS OF ALADDIN FILM BY USING ROLAND BARTHES THEORY. LUNAR, 6(2), 376-386. https://doi.org/10.36526/ln.v6i2.2453Barthes, R. (1957/1972). Mythologies (A. Lavers, Trans.). New York: Hill and Wang.
Barthes, R. (1972) Elements of Semiology Translated by Annette Lavers and Colin
Barthes, R. (1994). The semiotic challenge (R. Howard, Trans.). Berkeley: University of California Press.
Çelik, D. (2024). A psychoanalytic reading of Inception. Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, 16(1), 1–15. https://rupkatha.com/V16/n1/v16n104g.pdf
Chandler, D. (2017). Semiotics: the basics. Routledge.
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2012). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Sage publications.
Detweiler, C. (2010). Nolan’s Inception. Journal of Religion and Film, 14(2), 1–8. https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol14/iss2/8
Dianiya Vicky. (2020). REPRESENTATION OF SOCIAL CLASS IN FILM (Semiotic Analysis of Roland Barthes Film Parasite). Profetik Jurnal Komunikasi, 13(2), 212-224.
Engel, F., & Wildfeuer, J. (2015). Hearing music in dreams: Towards the semiotic role of music in Nolan’s Inception. In J. Furby & S. Joy (Eds.), The cinema of Christopher Nolan: Imagining the impossible (pp. 233–246). New York: Columbia University Press. https://doi.org/10.7312/furb17396-019
Kirana, T. T., & Indarti, D. (2025). Dreams, symbols and memory: A psycho-semiotic study of Christopher Nolan’s Inception. Lingua, 21(1), 57–70. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/393951680
Kiss, M. (2010). Narrative metalepsis as diegetic concept in Christopher Nolan’s Inception. Film-Journalistik, 5(3), 1–16. https://research.rug.nl/files/54024973/film5_3.pdf
Klarer, M. (2004). An Introduction to Literary Studies. In An Introduction to Literary Studies. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203414040
Lestari, A. N. F. . (2023).Decoding the Denotative and Connotative Elements in Sony Pictures Animation’s Short Film “Hair Love” (2019). JETLEE : Journal of English Language Teaching, Linguistics, and Literature, 3(2), 68–86. https://doi.org/10.47766/jetlee.v3i2.1098
Miles, M. B. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. Thousand Oaks.
Peirce, C. S. (1974). Collected papers of charles sanders peirce (Vol. 5). Harvard University Press.
Ratliff, C. (2012). An asymptote of reality: An analysis of Nolan’s Inception. Grand Valley State University Cine-Forum Papers, 1(1), 1–15. https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cine/1
Sari, W., & Saifudin, A. (2022, December). Sign Language Denotation and Connotation Meanings for Address Terms in the Movie Orange Days. In Proceedings of International Seminar on Translation, Applied Linguistics, Literature, and Cultural Studies (Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 400-412). https://doi.org/10.33633/str.v3i1.7736
Sembiring Dinda Arwilda, Alfikri Muhammad, Muary Rholand (2022). Representation of Moral Messages in the Film “KKN di Desa Penari”(Roland Barthes Semiotics Analysis). International Journal of Cultural and Social Science, 4(1), 29-39.
Sinha, A. (2017). The ideology of Inception. Film and Philosophy, 21, 1–15. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313791301
Smith, Hill and Wang, 1987. Bogdan dan Taylor .(1975).Introducting to Qualitative Methods : Phenomenological.New York : A Wiley Interscience Publication.
Sobur, Alex. (2003) Semiotika Komunikası.Bandung Remaja Rosda Karya.
Syakur, A. A., Rusdiawan, R., & Sukri, M. (2018) Text of cigarette advertisement: A semiology study of Roland Barthes. International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Culture. https://doi.org/10.21744/ijllc.v4n3.182
Sunu Wijayanto, C., & Iswari, F. (2021). Semiotics Analysis of Roland Barthes' Theory on Pocari Sweat's" Sweat For Dream" Advertisement. Cultural Syndrome, 3(2), 100-108.https://doi.org/10.30998/cs.v3i2.804
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2024, November 8). Semiotics | Definition, Theory, Examples, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica.https://www.britannica.com/science/semiotics
Theokarizia Sagitha Eka Devi, & Tri Mulyani Wahyuningsih. (2023). The meaning of Koto in Kono Oto Tomare’s Anime Film: Roland Barthes Semiotic Approach. The International Conference on Education, Social Sciences and Technology (ICESST), 2(2), 109–114. https://doi.org/10.55606/icesst. v2i2.291
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Every work in Ilmu Budaya: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Budaya is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Under the following terms:
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors can enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
