The Arrival

A silent story spoken through sepia-toned illustrations, The Arrival by Shaun Tan shares a journey. A man, his wife, and their little girl live in an impoverished city where their very presence is unsafe. In an act of love, the man leaves his family to search for a new home and a better life, promising to send for them soon. The Arrival is his story, exploring the nuances and niches in an unknown land of floating objects and foreign customs. Along the way, he encounters sympathetic strangers, each with their own unique survival tale, who offer unexpected assistance as he explores his unusual surroundings.

Contrary to the concept of traditional picture books, The Arrival isn’t just another 10 page book of cartoons for a 4 year old to spill spaghettios on. It’s designed for older readers to enjoy. The drawings illuminate emotions and symbolize ideas, sometimes sparkling brighter than words ever could. For example, as the family of three walk to the train station, there is a beautiful two-page drawing of the “city of immanent danger” as I call it. There is an eerie, frightening sense as the family escapes the vacant streets and a dark, shadowy dragon-like creature slithers in the sky between buildings. What is really causing such fear? Is it a creature or is this a mysterious symbol of something more foreboding? Perhaps war or famine? This isn’t the only instance of symbolism in the story. Tan uses the image of the continuous life cycle of a flower/plant in a series of 24 small pictures to show the change of seasons and mark the passage of time.

While The Arrival might appear at first blush to be a fantastical story with simple fictional characters and a magical dreamland, there are traces of truth in every curved line. This is a journey all too familiar to most immigrants. At the birth of the 20^th century, Ellis Island was flooded with families seeking refuge in a new country. They arrived to find that they couldn’t understand a word in their new homeland. Like the main character in The Arrival, they sought food, shelter, and a way of life so that their children could have a bright future.

I don’t know that I’ll ever understand what it truly means to be an immigrant, but what I do understand is the debilitating fear of the unknown. Prone to worrying as a young child, I often lived in fear of what would happen next. What if my parents never came home at night? Who would take care of me? What if my mom forgot to pick me up at school? What if I didn’t get into the one college I applied to? What if I never find someone who’ll love me? What if life always feels like such a struggle? Thankfully, my “what ifs” aren’t as paralyzing as they once were. Experience has trained me well for the inevitable stumbles, bumps, and broken hearts. Instead of allowing my past to enable dysfunction, I am able to embrace it. I am now an empowered individual, able to mold my life into the shape I want it to be. I recognize that his experience and my experience are drastically different, but both he and I must come to terms with the life we choose.

Like Luna and Jin, this unnamed main character seeks a sense of belonging. Even though he is alone and confused in his new space, he never quits. He hunts for knowledge that will sustain him on his personal journey. He is not entirely alone, however. A new little curious creature befriends him and remains an endearing, faithful companion as he strives to make a life for himself and his family. His beautiful story is wholly pieced together with bits of understanding and accepting in the end as he truly makes his arrival.