The Arrival

The Arrival is a graphic novel by Shaun Tan that uses the sole use of illustrations and sequential imagery to piece together a story. The story follows a father who leaves his family on a journey of immigration to live in a foreign land. The comic uses a contrast of an average man who is congruent with our universe with the extravagant, whimsical, and fantasy-like setting in which he arrives. The man is relatable to every person because he seems to come from familiarity, whereas the foreign setting is not grounded in our world, its even foreign to the reader which allows us to understand his journey clearer without words. The images are captures of moments in time, not only detailing his actions but through these actions or events explaining his emotions. One interesting segment was a moment in his room in the foreign lands where a strange animal emerges from a vase in his room and he attempts to chase it from his home. It's a fantastical creature, which im sure is there for creative/fun reasons,  but it also helps exaggerate the strangeness of this place for him. In a comic with words it might be easier to simply state verbally his confusion, but this moment allows everyone to understand the foreignness not only to him, but with the use of this strange creature its foreign to us as well. The use of facial expressions and gestures detail more physical and straightforward emotions/actions to tell us his mood, especially when he is being put through customs. Aside from this a more interesting aspect is the use of symbolic imagery or more quiet interpretive moments allow us to understand the mood. This is evident in the moment with the paper crane, where he sits on the boat writing a letter or a journal entry and folds it into a crane that resembles one pictured in his home. This shows the reader his possible homesickness and thoughts about his family.