Shaun Tan The Arrival Analysis

Through the perspective of a migrant, life becomes considerably bizarre and chaotic. Migrants who moved to a dissimilar place often felt as though they do not belong, they came to lack sense of belonging.Within the book, The Arrival by Shaun Tan, the audience is positioned to catch a glimpse of a migrant's world. Tan purposely left out text in order to slow down the story development giving the audience a rather realistic plot.Tan depicts the migrants' journeys through various visual conventions to show their sacrifice and challenges such as language barrier, vulnerability and war they had to overcome for a better chance of survival. The graphic novel expressed the emotions migrants had felt and, most likely, still do.

Firstly throughout the text, language barrier is tangible by the use of body language.Language barrier, hence its name, create a barrier for connection between people.The absence of communication between people who speak different languages can make anyone feel distressed and dishearted. Since 1923, the use of the term 'language barrier' increase as people started to travel and many began to move to a different country either for future or freedom. Body language can signify authority, social status and can express ideas such as strength, dominance, rebellion, independence, kindness and dependence. In the graphic novel, characters experienced new language and environment which quickly create difficulties in understanding the basic concept such as a conversation when

This factor caused numerous migrants to leave their homeland, to break free from the authorities' clutches. Generally, symbolism is an object representing another to give it a uniquely distinct meaning that is much profound and more significant.