An Analysis of The Arrival by Shaun Tan Essay

Analysis of The Arrival Using brilliantly clear and mesmerizing images, Shaun Tan evokes globally prevalent conditions of multiple immigrants experiences through an unprecedented work of artistry. This brilliant book, containing only pictures, tells the story of a father who says farewell to his family and heads out into the great unknown, toting only a single photo of the wife and daughter he left behind, to pursue a more prosperous life. He travels overseas from an ominous city, riddled with symbolism of communism and persecution. Beautiful visuals of the sky display the days passing, and once he arrives, he is checked into a remarkable new society. The aromas and sights that bombard him are unfamiliar. The food is unusual and so is the language. He uses drawings to communicate in order to find a place to stay and to land himself a job. He discovers that he has his very own odd little pet. He relates with other immigrants as they discuss horrific recounts of their own dismay. A picture truly does speak a thousand words, and Shaun Tan tactfully epitomizes quite the fallible protagonist traveling to a country where everything is so very exotic fruits sporting feelers, animals with an unusual amount of legs, peculiar and riveting architecture, and outlandish methods of transit. The expressions on the faces of the characters throughout the story depict the way they are feeling about the immigration experience. Shaun Tan does an awesome job of depicting anger, frustration, elation, sadness, confusion, regret, helplessness, and many more emotions through the illustrations of his characters. As a reader, the expressions on the faces of these characters who are going through a very rough time in their lives as they are forced to leave their familiar country and venture into a whole new one in hopes of starting life anew really tug on the heart strings. The expressions in this book are easy to read, because without words, they have to...

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