The Arrival

Title: The Arrival

Author/Illustrator: Shaun Tan

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Publication Year: 2006

Professional Source: Professor Counihan’s Classroom

Genre (subcategory, if appropriate): Wordless Picture Books

Audience: Young adults

Awards: None

Critical response:

Shaun Tan’s The Arrival is the story of a man—an immigrant—and his journey to create a better life for himself in a foreign land. The story is told without words, meaning that the entire story is propelled through the use of beautifully sketched pictures. These sketches look so realistic that it is easy to get immersed in the story, with only the imaginary elements (flying boats, odd creatures, fictional fruits) reminding the reader that this specific tale is not true. Tan made the decision to refrain from using much color in this story. Instead the entire thing is told in black, white, or sepia tones. This adds to the somber tone of the story, but it also makes it seem more historical and realistic despite its imaginary elements. According to Bang, “White or light backgrounds feel safer to us than dark backgrounds.” (68) This principle is shown throughout the book as many of the emotions of the story are conveyed through the color shifts of the panels. During the happier moments, like when the man finally reunites with his family again, the colors shift to a brighter yellow—a warmer, safer color.

The major themes in this novel are isolation, displacement, and overcoming cultural differences. In this story, the main character voluntarily displaces himself from his home and his family to move to a different country—one in which there are opportunities for him to live a better life. The complexity of the book makes it an interesting read for young adults as well as grown adults and parents. The pictures are filled with imagination and packed with details that make the pictures fun to examine. However, there is a certain obscurity to the story that could potentially be difficult for younger readers to unravel. The concept of leaving one oppressive society or situation and escaping to a land of freedom and opportunity is reminiscent of various events in history.

For example, there is a man in the book whose backstory involves moving from his own home to flee giants (pictured above). When readers examine the photo they can see that the giants are vacuuming people into giant incinerators strapped to their backs. Although it is not explicitly mentioned, this image is reminiscent of Nazi Germany during the Holocaust, a time when many Jewish refugees fled to America and other countries. These are the sort of themes that young adults could recognize, but it would likely be fully appreciated by adults and parents.

This story is about someone moving from one place to create a life in another, making it relatable for anyone that has had to move to a different country or even to a different town or state. But it is also contains the universal message that change can be frightening, but it is sometimes a part of life. Though the main character struggles with a language barrier, he creates drawings in a notebook to signal what he needs. The natives of the city provide help whenever he asks, but every so often, he’ll run into another immigrant and learns their backstory. Each of them has a dark reason for moving to the new land, same as the main character, but each have recovered and made a good life for themselves. It goes to show that when we are faced with those kinds of situations, patience and kindness can help us on our way.