The Arrival Visual Analysis Task

Through close visual analysis of the frames above, discuss how Tan represents the very experience of our protagonists departure. The twelve frames depict the protagonists departure from his family and into an unknown, new world, which is the start of his migrant experience. Yet Shaun Tan still makes these moments extremely symbolic and important in representing the protagonists experience of his departure. He describes it an extremely sad part in life. The universal idea of gifts is expressed here, as well as the sadness of departure and the breaking bonds. The giving of gifts leaves a symbol of memory for the protagonist and his daughter. Even though the gift is an insignificant piece of paper, it is portrayed to be a priceless fragment of their past together. In the first frame, his daughters gaze at the bird and her fathers comforting arm, followed by a hug, shows the daughters acknowledgement of his fathers departure as well as the priceless value of the origami bird. This symbol also recurs many times, both for the protagonist and his family. This is achieved mainly through the slightly smiling facial expressions, gaze and the vector of the frames. Through the first line of frames, Shaun Tan is reflecting the effect of the universal acts of gift-giving. The main idea of departure is the sadness that is experienced by everyone affected. In the forth frame, the focal point is the mother wiping her tears off with a cloth. This simple action, followed by another hug and emphasized with the sad facial expressions, sets the lonely and sad atmosphere which would be soon to come. The wifes sad expression also reflects that it is very hard to leave your family behind. In the frame after the man steps onto the train, we see them holding hands. This is symbolic of their deep relationship as a family. It is also juxtaposed to the full plate where the protagonist and his wife are holding their hands on a suitcase, and also where their eye line views dont meet each other, instead their hands due to their sadness and knowledge of what is going to occur. Through this comparison, Shaun Tan is further expressing the bond that is about to weaken and the sadness which comes with taking the first step into something new. In the next frame, it shows the hands breaking apart, representing the start of being apart from each other. The final line of frames are very significant in the protagonists departure from his family and into the new world. It depicts the train from a side-on view, getting dramatically smaller in each frame until there is nothing but a trail of smoke. Shaun Tan has used the dramatic change of scale to reflect the protagonists journey into the unknown and also to represent how small he is in comparison to the whole world. It also symbolizes his separation from his family and also the separation of their bond. In the frames where the protagonist leaves his family to start a new life, Shaun Tan has made a significant message about the experience of his departure. The protagonists gift of the bird to his daughter reflects his sadness of leaving his family. This is further emphasized through his wifes facial expression, and ultimately, the joining and separation of their hands. It ends with the train gradually disappearing from sight. Thus, the ideas of sadness and separation are eminent in the protagonists experience of departure from his family.