One of the first images shown after the protagonist gets off of the ship to his new home depicts the immigration hub for this place against the larger image of this new city in the background. This image resonated with me because, especially after all of the readings we have done for class, it looks like a fictional, fantasy Ellis Island. The maze of people waiting on line, the cramped yet efficient structure of the place, and the beckoning, hopeful image of the glorious new city waiting for these people on the other side all bring Ellis Island and the experiences that millions of immigrants have had there to mind.
However, the distinctly surreal qualities of this image causes this place to clearly differ from Ellis Island. All of the inscriptions on the signs in the immigration center and on the buildings in the distance are in a foreign language entirely invented/contrived by Tan. This, as well as the overall surreal, fantasy-like illustration of the Tan’s city, places the reader into the protagonist’s shoes in the sense that the reader feels like just as much of an outsider to this city as a result of having no knowledge of its language whatsoever and of having never seen a city quite like this before.
