When we see Tony driving at the beginning of the opening sequence, we see that he is wearing gold rings and a bracelet. The signifier is the mansion which is signified for upper-class families who are able to spend their money on a luxurious home. Towards the end of the opening sequence, Tony is now driving through some wooded areas and we seem him pull up into a gated driveway that leads to a mansion. Most families move to the suburbs to raise families and to put their children into quality schools. The signifier of a suburb is signified as an area where most middle-class to upper-class families live. Small towns or suburbs usually have one road, and there aren’t as many lanes as the city typically does. This signifier is the painted lane and how it transitions into one, the signified is that from this symbol we can tell that Tony is entering into a smaller town, commonly known as a suburb. The way we can identify that Tony enters the suburbs is when we see two lanes on the road transition into one lane. As Tony travels from the city into the suburbs, we see that there are no longer any tall buildings and there are mostly houses. The symbols that identify New York City and New Jersey show the significant importance of where the main character’s home is.Ĭlass is also an important symbol in the opening sequence. Tony passes by a meat market and a pizza restaurant, which are signifiers that are displayed through the popular foods people commonly eat in in New Jersey. As he drives through New Jersey, we see the poor infrastructure, the bridges, and the many factories he passes by. Tony’s anger towards having to pay the poll seems like he was bothered by the fact he was in New York, and that he just wants to go back to his home in New Jersey. We then see him drive into NJ as he pays the toll booth that says “New Jersey Turnpike.” The way Tony angrily snatches the toll ticket shows that he is bothered by the fact that he has to pay for it. The reason we can tell he is driving through NYC is that we see him passing the skyline of the city, and they specifically show the Twin Towers and the Statue of Liberty. At the beginning of the opening sequence, Tony makes his way from New York City to New Jersey. The city is an important symbol/signifier in this opening sequence that conveys the power the main character, Tony Soprano, holds. The opening sequence of The Sopranos combines signifiers of the city, class, and violence to convey the power that the main character holds. The signifier is the visible image and the signified is the idea conveyed by the image. The core elements of semiotics are the signifier and the signified. Semiotics is the study of signs and their meaning in society and it can be applied toward television and popular culture.