Lucia Lopez
Shaun Tan’s The Arrival tells the story of a man immigrating to a new, foreign country for the first time. Wordless, the book shows the reader the struggles of those who travelled to other countries in search of socioeconomic freedom for themselves and their families. Although the illustrations tell a captivating story, Tan’s artistry is shown right in the beginning, before the book even starts- on the title and publication pages.
There are two title pages; the first one the reader sees is written in an illegible language, alluding to the language barrier most immigrants face when they travel to a foreign country. The second title page is written in English as well as in a different font. The two title pages have similarities in that they are both look like official documents and are yellowed to appear old, as if they were handed down. They also have marks on them from tape and dirtiness.
The first title page and the publication page both have smaller documents printed on them along with stamps. These are reminiscent of the kinds of documents immigrants such as those who came through Ellis Island had filled out for them on their journeys. The first title page seems to be meant to confuse the reader a little bit and take them out of the world they know where they understand everything and their surroundings are familiar. Tan tries to make the reader have the mindset of someone who can’t understand what they’re seeing or reading. The only word in English is “inspection,” not making the first page very welcoming to the reader.
The second title page is in English and although it is all illustrated, the center looks like a photograph was taped to the page. In the “photograph,” there is a man looking behind him. It reinforced the theme of his leaving his home country, and he might be looking back at his family and everything else he left. There is a border around the “photo” that looks very detailed and delicate, and reminiscent of old European photos. These first few pages evoke a strangeness and unfamiliarity that is present through the protagonist’s story.
