Barthes 5 Codes

 

Hermeneutic Codes (HER)

Who had the motive do to kill Harlan?

What was inside the letter Harlan left and only allowed his daughter to open?

Who switched Harlan's medicine with an overdose of morphine?

Proairetic Codes (ACT) 

Harlan's Family has disputes over inheritance, some steal from him > Harlan decides to give inheritance to Marta> Ransom switches Harlan's medicine with morphine > Marta the nurse administers the morphine thinking its medicine > Police frame Martha at first 

Martha made friends with the dogs> Martha makes tracks when escaping the manor> next morning as her tracks are about to be discovered she called the dogs to run over them and erase them.

Semantic Codes (SEM)

Dimmed Lighting-  This fits with a murder mystery genre the environment is a reflection of the story's many mysteries and things that have yet been cleared up.

Fancy & Well Suited Clothing-  It shows that Harlan's family is well-off in comparison to others around them such as the staff Marta Cabrera who wears a simple dress and coat most of the time.

Suspenseful Violin Music- The music keeps viewers on edge and increases or decreases in volume depends on the action on screen , it adds a feeling of suspense and scare which is the characteristic of a murder mystery story.

Symbolic Codes (SYM) 

The story of Knives Out is able to create binary opposites with the way their characters dress or simply communicate, this is clearly shown when one notices that Martha Cabrera wears a simpler attire to symbolize her humbler background, this is also complimented by the fact that she lives in an apartment which juxtaposes the Trombley family who live in a mansion and wear designer apparel.

Throughout the story Martha is often left to deal with her problems alone as she has an undocumented immigrant mother who would get into more trouble if she sought help and a neglectful sister, this is juxtaposed by the Trombley family and their large numbers thus often surrounding her when debates or encounters happen.

Cultural Codes (REF) 

Many of the show's gags involves Martha being the daughter of a Mexican undocumented immigrant, the fact that she was called an "Anchor Baby" or is pointed at during a heated political debate amongst the Trombley Family would be understood by those who understand contemporary American politics and the Mexican Border Crisis.

The choice of giving the detective a southern accent which sets him apart from the rest of the Connecticut based casts make the characters and viewers think that he is a bit "slow" which is emphasized by how the detective does not interrogate properly or even treat it as something to laugh at, this is later subverted as he shows his professionality and skill, this is because the Southern accent is seen as the accent of simpletons in american media.