Part one deals with the protagonist of the story, a young husband and father, leaving his country to another land. Strange dragon tail-like shadows snake alongside the buildings and enshroud the city, perhaps symbolizing the fumes and pollution of the industrial revolution.
What caught my eye about this picture book were the bizarre white animals that seemed to pop up wherever the protagonist went. The fact that the first of these creatures appeared after the man wrote and folded a letter to his family into an origami crane suggests that we are looking at the story from the man’s point of view, where his imagination brought these creatures to life. These animals are able to walk around because the man spilled so much of his soul into his writing, in a sense breathing life into words.
While looking through the pictures I started to wonder if they pertained to an industrialized city or a fantasyland. The images were presented in a right brain point of view; what were obviously buildings did not occur in the rectangular shape that we usually associate with edifices. Instead, they are molded into round tower-like structures that influence our emotions and creative eye.
Unrelatedly, perhaps this strange way the city was drawn alludes to what the immigrants wished they saw instead of what they had actually seen, as in the way of a coping mechanism. Either way, the architecture was stunning.
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Beautiful…
First of all, I agree with you in how the city looks so futuristic, amazingly fresh and new. I felt like an immigrant myself because the images of the city were so foreign to me, including the language. You mentioned that even though the city looks splendid as it is, it also looks old. I got the feeling from the story that although some parts looked futuristic, some parts also looked ages old. The protagonist lived in such a small apartment, which showed how not every where in this city is something to envy. The small apartment reminds me of the tenant museum in Lower East Manhattan. Space was very limited and was, in a way, a luxury. But Tan also shows how beautiful old-style architecture is like by fusing it with more modern ideas.
In a way, the architecture is somewhat reminiscent of my childhood. There is always some kind of art design on a circle, and some of the buildings look like I can build it from sand. I developed the desire to go and see what the city is actually is like, even though I know it is only a fantasy. Another thing I found interesting was how Tan had a winter season along with a more normal sunny day. Sometimes when snow sticks to a building or a house, the object feels and looks more earthly and warm.