The Arrival: Book Review
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Tan, Shaun. The
Arrival. Melbourne: Arthur A. Levine Books. ISBN 9780439895293
PLOT SUMMARY
Leaving his wife and daughter behind for some time, a man
embarks on an immigration adventure, settling in a completely new and foreign
city. He struggles as he tries to find employment and make sense of this crazy
new city he now calls home. Follow this immigrant’s tale as he meets others who
now call this place home, strange and fascinating creatures, and learns to
makes sense of his surroundings.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The Arrival is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel that
tells the tale of immigration and discovering a new place through use of wonderfully
detailed artistry. There is no use of words in this graphic novel, and the sepia-toned
images presented serve to tell the entire tale, picture by picture. At first
the task of critiquing a work comprised solely of images was daunting (to say
the least). I was anxious that I would not understand all that this work of art
strives to portray. Upon reading (or more so viewing) it a second time…and then
a third, and fourth (I could not put
it down), those fears disappeared. Though there is no use of actual text, the
images are created in such an incredibly detailed way where all intentions,
happenings, and even emotions are visibly portrayed. This ended up being a
story of an immigrant man’s journey to a new land, seeking a safe new home for
he and his family, and tells of his struggles to understand his strange, new
home. This was clearly depicted throughout the entire story.
One of the very first images shows the man walking with his
wife and daughter, with an eerie shadow of a long, spiked tail behind them. Through
such images, it is clear from the start that this man is seeking a better place
for his family, attempting to escape their native land and whatever creatures
are terrorizing it. Several images portray what this man undergoes while trying
to migrant to this new land, travelling with many others, bundled together on a
ship. It is clear that these other individuals, men, women, and children alike,
are also seeking a new home, clear through the imagery of them huddled together
with their luggage, waiting in line to go through to what seems to be “customs”.
Upon making it into customs, a series of
image panels comprised of twelve images shows the man’s struggle to communicate
and tell whoever is in charge his purpose for migrating. This is shows through his
various facial expressions of confusion and worry, including one where he looks
confused and has a hand up to his ear, as if meant to clarify his lack of
understanding of the new and foreign language. This is followed up by images of
him gesturing and using a photograph of his family to explain his reasoning. For
anyone who has traveled to a place where they do not speak the language, this
is so very relatable. The feeling of confusion and distress is one that members
in my own family have faced before, having migrated to the United States. Shaun
Tan creates such emotionally captivating imagery, and presents it in such a way
as to convey true feeling and connection to the audience, allowing them to
understand this man’s struggle.
Welcomed into the new land, the struggle continues when he
attempts to make sense of his new surroundings, including imagery showing foreign
things such as a new written language, new forms of dress, new food (including some
very interesting spikey-tailed fruit that seem to be alive), and strange
creatures, including his new pet-like creature that is unlike any other animal
I have ever seen in my life (see the book cover to see a picture of this
creature). Shaun Tan, in the simplest of words, has created an entire new and
amazing world. With each image this place comes more and more to life, each
picture filled to the brim with details in the scenery, language and symbols,
people who seem to be mixes of all races, strange foods and market
places, and the living creatures that seem to have come straight out of a child’s
imagination. Going through each page, I found myself in awe of such an
incredibly dreamt up and fully realized land, and Tan’s ability to both come up
with this and then design it through his imagery. Though amazing and exciting
in its foreignness, the man still faces struggles. Fortunately, he finds some relief
through his interactions with other migrants and their stories of immigration.
Each individual he comes into contact with seems to have
their own tale of hardship, escape, and acceptance in this new land. The audience
is giving insight into these stories of exile and escape through series of
flash back imagery. For example, the man meets a woman on a bench and they both
show one another their immigration papers. Her image shows her when she was
younger, and thus begins a series of images that tell her tale of escape. The
images show her as a young girl trying to read and being reprimanded for doing
so. We view her having to work hard, undergoing labor that is not suited for a
child (such as shoveling some coal-like substance into furnaces and cleaning
rooftops). One day before going to clean near a train stop, she takes a book,
waits for the train, sneaks onto it, and escapes to her now homeland. Several other
stories are show through use of different migrant individuals, stories of immigration
revolving around escape, war, death, and exile. Though these images are full of
dark, morbid imagery (such as dozens of piled up bones after a war flashback), all
the stories end on a happier note with them finding a new home.
In the end, the man’s family joins him in their new home
and you see them happy to be reunited. The graphic novel makes a full circle
when you see his young daughter helping a newcomer to the land who is struggling
to make sense of the map she has in her hand, showing that the family has grown
accustomed to their new home, embracing it in all its strangeness, and is now capable
of helping new migrants. For anyone in search of something artistic, I could
not recommend this any higher. It is beautifully done and so imaginative and delightful;
it is a true masterpiece.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
From the New York
Times: “The Arrival” tells not an
immigrant’s story, but the immigrant’s story. Its protagonist, a young father
with vaguely Eurasian features, leaves his home to create a better life for his
family in a distant land of opportunity. He struggles to find a job, a place to
stay and a sense of meaning in his new existence. Along the way he befriends
other, more established immigrants. He listens to their stories and benefits
from their kindnesses. The young father reunites with his family as “The
Arrival” draws to a close, and the distant land finally becomes home.”
From Kirkus Reviews:
“An astonishing wordless graphic novel blends
historical imagery with science-fiction elements to depict—brilliantly—the
journey of an immigrant man from his terror-beset land of origin to a new, more
peaceful home. Sepia-toned panels and turn-of-the-last-century dress and
architecture seem to place readers in familiar territory—but fantastical
images, including monumental cities, various bizarre forms of air transport and
distinctly alien animals serve to unsettle both protagonist and readers,
plunging the latter into the unsettling and often terrifying experience of
being alone in a new land."
CONNECTIONS
Use to teach about immigration and having to start life in
a new place.
Read other pieces of Shaun Tan such as:
- · Lost & Found. ISBN 9780545229241
- · Tales from Outer Suburbia. ISBN 9780545055871
- · The Singing Bones. ISBN 9780545946124
Read other acclaimed graphic novels such as:
- · Carroll, Emily. Through the Woods. ISBN 9781442465961
- · Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis. ISBN 9780375714832
- · Spiegelman, Art. Maus. ISBN 9780679406419
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