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Analysis of Shaun Tan's, "The Arrival"

Jarod Frank
Analysis of Shaun Tan’s, “The Arrival.”


Shaun Tan's, “The Arrival,” is a fantastic example of conveying narrative themes and complex character interactions without the use of dialogue. Through the emphasis on gestures, body positioning, and facial expressions, we are able to “fill in” to a great degree what we imagine the characters are conveying; regardless of anything literally being said. One such fantastic example of this is when the main immigrant man is trying to find an apartment, beginning by asking another man where it could be. We see the quizzical look he local man as he looks over the immigrant, who pulls out a drawing pad and draws a bed, pointing to it. Such a natural progression of actions, reactions and continued actions are the basics of human communication, not necessarily needing words to convey an experience we all are familiar with: questioning. While the situation is mundane, the comic being able to convey this series of emotions here and numerous other places through the story is where I believe Graphic narrative and similar visual media are able to resonate with so many individuals. You can be told of an experience via a great poem, and relate to a character through written word, but visual literature like comics take these concepts and give them visual representation; showing quick but unmistakably human experiences that anyone with basic knowledge can understand. Even without the benefit of a shared language. Comics like “The Arrival,” work especially well, choosing to tell a story from either a detached point of view or, much more often, focusing around specific characters in situations varying from mundane yet relatable, to extraordinary. But they are always connected by their ability to “display” experiences for the reader.

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