The Arrival

Bibliography

Tan, Shaun. The Arrival. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2007.

Plot Summary

This graphic novel displays a story of a father who takes a journey across the sea to leave his dark town,  and immigrates to a new, strange place. The story unfolds as the migration of the family gets more difficult with the family not able to migrate together and the mother and daughter travel separately from the father. When the father arrives to the new land, he is in a predicament as he isn’t able to locate his wife and daughter. Along with that, he finds himself trying to get accustomed to a new society and life. This includes a new language, customs, and finding a job all while searching for his family. While fear and hopelessness looms over him, the father does his best to cling to the glimmer of hope of being reunited with his family. Will he find his family in this new place they hope to call home?

Critical Analysis

The Arrival is a wordless graphic novel that utilizes illustrations to convey emotions to the readers all while sharing a story on immigration. Tan creates powerful illustrations with the use of black, whites, grays, and sepia to display various emotions such as isolation, confusion, and anxiety, and creating a story on migrating to an unfamiliar place. Along with that, Tan’s creative and imaginative creatures capture young readers and allow readers to indulge in a book that has a far greater meaning for many adults. Many adults will be able to identify with the symbolism behind the unusual illustrations such as the floating elevators or the creatures he encounters with being in a position of unfamiliarity in their life.

Along with that, Tan invented an alphabetical system that consisted of letters that are used in the wordless picture book to create more of a realistic representation of how the man felt when being introduced to a new language. Tan provides a sense of hope as the father carries a photo of his wife and daughter on a daily basis, and even finds himself a pet companion who provides a sense of comfort along the way. The beauty of the story is how Tan does not mention specific places or countries the migration could be from which allow readers to connect based on their own reflections of life and the sense of unfamiliarity.

With the use of powerful illustrations, Tan produced a novel that tugs at the hearts of readers and demonstrates how justice and compassion can be found during the journey. This book provides relatable and realistic representation of how one may feel when immigrating to a new country while exploring the fictional creatures and adventure along the way. 

Review Excerpts and Awards

2008 Hugo Nominee for Best Related Book

2008 Locus Award for Best Art Book

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. Perhaps the most ingenious touch is the use of a newly created alien alphabet printed everywhere—on signs, official papers, maps, etc.—which renders the literate entirely helpless. Frightening this new land may be, but there are friends everywhere, from the other immigrants who help the protagonist and tell their own tales of escape from oppression, war and fear to the whimsical beastie who attaches itself to him as his pet. Small panels move the story along; full- and double page spreads provide dazzling panoramas.It’s an unashamed paean to the immigrant’s spirit, tenacity and guts, perfectly crafted for maximum effect. (Graphic novel. 10+)”

From School Library Journal-  “Tan captures the displacement and awe with which immigrants respond to their new surroundings in this wordless graphic novel. It depicts the journey of one man, threatened by dark shapes that cast shadows on his family's life, to a new country. The only writing is in an invented alphabet, which creates the sensation immigrants must feel when they encounter a strange new language and way of life. A wide variety of ethnicities is represented in Tan's hyper-realistic style, and the sense of warmth and caring for others, regardless of race, age, or background, is present on nearly every page. Young readers will be fascinated by the strange new world the artist creates, complete with floating elevators and unusual creatures, but may not realize the depth of meaning or understand what the man's journey symbolizes. More sophisticated readers, however, will grasp the sense of strangeness and find themselves participating in the man's experiences. They will linger over the details in the beautiful sepia pictures and will likely pick up the book to pore over it again and again.”

  

Connections

Other Books by Shaun Tan

The Red Tree

The Lost Thing

Tales from Outer Suburbia

Connections in the classroom:

·      Explore different immigration stories, and create a smaller version of a graphic novel depicting a story of a migration from a specific country.

·      The Arrival can be an introduction to graphic novels, and can lead a discussion on how illustrations can play a powerful role in graphic novels. Students can create text or dialogue for specific pages based on the emotions or what the illustrations depict.