Lina Mohamed March 26, 2106
Professor Murphy
MHC Journal Entry-The Arrival : Shaun Tan
Prompt 2: Analyze one fantastic/surreal image or elements in the protagonist’s new environment.
Onto the New World…
The scenes that portray the protagonists’s new environment that I want to analyze are the few pages/images that came right after the protagonist went through the customs/ immigration process of the new environment. The moment when the protagonist stepped out of the enclosed box and into his new world was a significant moment in the novel because the contrast between what he sees now and what he left behind could not be more disparate. The protagonist’s new environment appears to be a thriving city that is going through a major industrialization period and other rapid changes as we see smoke coming out of buildings ( factories, or chimneys maybe). Also, all the people are out and about and everyone looks busy/occupied unlike in his past environment. The new environment was filled with hope, liveliness, and prosperity. This was a fantastic scene as it instigated a feeling of optimism in both the reader and the protagonist.
This, however was not the only reason that this scene was fantastic. Another reason this scene was a spectacular one was because it really showed how vacant, odd, and terrifying his old environment was. After the wife and daughter took the father to the train, we could see that the streets were completely deserted and there was an uneasy feeling. This feeling came from the shadows that lurked around the vacant streets.
Also, this scene juxtaposed the buildings in the father’s new environment because in his old environment, everything looked like it was the same. The buildings were all the same height, with chimneys and looked residential. This indicated that the old home/environment was not prospering and there were absolutely no signs of innovation or hope. There were not even residents other than the protagonist’s family.
The father was looking for a better life to be able to support his family because his old environment could not do that anymore and we feel this optimism along with the father as he enters this new world. Other than the obvious differences, the scene also portrayed that he was entering a foreign land as everything seemed to be written in a foreign language, the streets were different, even the building were completely new-looking to the protagonist.
Shaun Tan does a great job in portraying what entering a new world is like for an immigrant by showing us step by step the transition into a new world using just photos. The elements of this novel are excellently used to give the best story and allow the reader to feel exactly what this immigrant is feeling as he steps into this new foreign/strange land. The transition scene was by far a favorite for me and also a very momentous.
