Shaun Tan, the illustrator of The Arrival, documents the immigrant experience in his book through a series of hand-drawn images. The book follows a man who migrates alone to a new land and struggles to make a living. The man, initially lost and confused in the new world, finds a job and is able to bring his family over with him. He establishes a life in the new world with his family and new friends.
Shaun Tan doesn’t only share the man’s story, he gives the reader a way to share the man’s experience. Tan does this by incorporating realistic images in an imaginative world that is strange to both the protagonist and the reader. The illustrator puts e
asily recognizable and familiar human faces in a fictional environment. The protagonist is surrounded by strange creatures, buildings, modes of transportation and food, all of which make him feel lost and confused. However, the strangest thing that both the reader and the protagonist encounter in the book is the language. Shaun Tan uses language in his book to help the reader connect to the protagonist and share the protagonist’s feelings of fear, and helplessness in a new land.
The first glimps
e of language serving as a barrier for the protagonist is when he arrives in the immigration center and seems to be doing an interview. The page shows the protagonist in a series of images with small pieces of paper containing symbols stuck on his clothing. The protagonist’s body language suggests that he is confused. He puts
his hand near his ear, shrugs, scratches and lowers his head, and then holds up a picture. The final image in the series shows the protagonist looking to the side and gripping his hat which suggests that he is worried. In these images, the protagonist is facing the reader directly and it’s almost as if the man is speaking with the reader and having trouble understanding what the reader is saying. The reader feels shares the man’s sense of confusion and uncertainty.
When the protagonist finally arrives in the city, he ends up drawing a picture of a bed to ask for housing and using pictures to find food. The buildings all around him are covered in the strange letters. The reader and the protagonist both have trouble knowing what to do next and it’s almost as if the reader figures it out with the protagonist. Because the language is strange to both parties, they both learn and experience the new world together. For example, when the protagonist gets a job putting up posters, the reader is happy for him and shares his sense of triumph. However, the reader also shares his sense of confusion and helplessness when his boss arrives and shows that all the posters are upside down.
Being able to connect with the protagonist on an emotional level allows the reader to really appreciate the immigrant experience. Through the strange language and letters, Shaun Tan is able to make any reader, immigrant or not, feel what it is like to be a person in a new and unfamiliar world.. In turn, this creates a bond of sympathy and understanding between the reader and the protagonist because the reader has a greater grasp of the struggles of an immigrant.
