The Arrival by Shaun Tan In Depth Analysis
Summary
TLDRIn this video, the creator analyzes Sean Tan's graphic novel 'The Arrival,' focusing on its themes of immigration and adaptation. The story follows a man who flees his homeland due to a giant creature, symbolizing fear and change, and his experiences in a foreign land with different cultures, food, and language. The video highlights Tan's use of symbolism, color, and fictional elements to depict the protagonist's emotional journey, struggles, and eventual integration. The reviewer appreciates the novel’s message of hope and acceptance, especially for immigrants, making it a timeless, universal story.
Takeaways
- 🎨 'The Arrival' by Shaun Tan is a graphic novel that uses allegory to depict the immigration experience.
- 👨👩👧👦 The story revolves around a man who leaves his family behind due to a mysterious creature, representing the reasons and emotions tied to immigration.
- 🐉 Monsters in the novel symbolize the unknown and unfamiliar aspects of a new culture, as well as the challenges faced by immigrants.
- 🚢 Chapter 2 focuses on the protagonist's journey to an unnamed country, highlighting the hardships of immigration similar to real-life experiences.
- 🌍 The protagonist struggles with the cultural differences in the new country, including language, food, and even the animals.
- 🗺️ Despite having a map, the protagonist often asks for directions, leading to friendships and shared experiences with other immigrants.
- 👥 The novel emphasizes the backstories of side characters, each with their own reasons for leaving their home countries.
- 🟡 The use of color, particularly yellow, is significant in the novel, contrasting with grays and blacks to symbolize happiness and warmth.
- 🌆 The creation of a fake culture in the novel helps readers of any ethnicity empathize with the protagonist's experience.
- 🏡 The ending of the novel is positive, showing the protagonist and his family fully integrating into the new culture and helping new immigrants.
Q & A
What is the main theme of 'The Arrival' by Shaun Tan?
-The main theme of 'The Arrival' is immigration, focusing on the emotional and cultural struggles immigrants face when adjusting to a new country.
How does the author use monsters in the story?
-Monsters in 'The Arrival' symbolize various challenges, fears, and emotions that immigrants face. For example, a creature at the start represents the danger or issue causing the protagonist to flee, while other monsters symbolize the unknown and the unfamiliar.
What role does the new pet play in the story?
-The protagonist's new pet symbolizes his gradual adaptation to the unfamiliar culture of the new country. Initially, he is unsure about the creature, but over time, he becomes comfortable with it, reflecting his growing sense of belonging.
What is the significance of the ship journey in the novel?
-The crowded ship journey represents the hardships of immigration, with harsh weather and difficult conditions highlighting the struggles immigrants endure to reach a new country.
How does the protagonist navigate the new city?
-The protagonist struggles to navigate the new city, relying on a map and asking random strangers for directions. His interactions lead him to form friendships with fellow immigrants, who share their experiences with him.
What role do the side characters play in the story?
-Side characters in 'The Arrival' provide important backstories that reflect various immigrant experiences, such as escaping slave labor or oppressive governments. These characters help the protagonist realize he is not alone in his journey.
How is color, particularly yellow, used in the graphic novel?
-The color yellow is used to convey warmth, happiness, and hope in the story. It contrasts with the gray tones used in more depressing scenes, helping to create emotional depth and emphasize key moments.
What is the significance of the war flashback scene?
-The war flashback scene uses yellow to symbolize the soldiers' initial optimism before the war, which fades to gray as the reality of conflict sets in. It illustrates the harsh transition from hope to devastation.
How does Shaun Tan's creation of a fictional culture enhance the story?
-By creating a fictional culture with unique creatures, food, and language, Shaun Tan makes the experience of immigration feel more universal. This helps readers of any background relate to the protagonist's journey of adaptation.
How does the ending of 'The Arrival' reflect the protagonist's journey?
-The ending shows the protagonist fully integrated into his new culture, symbolized by him playing a local game with others. The arrival of his family and their eventual adaptation highlights the theme of building a new life while cherishing old connections.
Outlines
📅 Catching Up After a Month Away
The speaker apologizes for not uploading for a month, explaining they were busy during August but now have time to create content. They introduce their plan to analyze a graphic novel titled *The Arrival* by Australian author and artist Shaun Tan, which is a metaphorical exploration of immigration.
🌍 Immigrant Struggles and Symbolism in *The Arrival*
The speaker begins analyzing *The Arrival*, explaining that it is an allegory for immigration. The story follows a man who leaves his home country due to a gigantic creature symbolizing the hardships and emotions faced by him and his family. The graphic novel uses monsters to represent fear, unfamiliarity, and the positive aspects of exploring new cultures. The protagonist's evolving relationship with a pet symbolizes his growing comfort in the new environment.
🚢 Journey of Immigration: Challenges and Adaptation
The speaker describes Chapter 2, where the protagonist faces a difficult journey to a fictional country. The ship is crowded, similar to real immigrant ships, and the weather is harsh. The novel emphasizes the difficulty of adjusting to a new culture, with the protagonist struggling to navigate the unfamiliar food, language, and environment. He eventually bonds with other immigrants who share their backstories and hardships, reinforcing a sense of community and shared struggle.
🛠️ Side Characters and Backstories
The speaker highlights the significance of the side characters in the protagonist's journey, explaining how their stories reflect various hardships faced by immigrants. Each character's backstory, such as fleeing from slave labor or war, adds depth to the narrative and underscores the protagonist's feeling of not being alone in his struggles.
🌞 Symbolism of Yellow and Gray in Emotional Shifts
The speaker discusses the use of color in the graphic novel, particularly the contrast between gray tones in sad scenes and yellow in happier moments. The color shift is especially poignant in a flashback scene, where the initial brightness of a pre-war adventure fades as reality sets in during battle. The visual representation of emotions through color enhances the reader's connection to the story.
🏙️ A Fantastical Culture to Evoke Empathy
The speaker praises Shaun Tan's creation of a fictional culture in *The Arrival*. The fake language, creatures, and customs help readers from any background relate to the protagonist's feelings of alienation. The fictional world contrasts with the more realistic portrayal of the protagonist’s home country, making his journey even more relatable.
🎮 Mastering a New Culture and the Joy of Belonging
The speaker describes the ending of the graphic novel, where the protagonist has finally adapted to the new culture. He plays a fictional game with locals, symbolizing his full integration into society. The warm yellow hues of the scene reflect his newfound contentment. Despite missing his family, the story ends on a happy note when they are reunited, and the family slowly adjusts to their new life.
💫 A Positive Message for Immigrants
The speaker concludes by reflecting on the positive message of *The Arrival*. Although adjusting to a new culture is challenging, the graphic novel shows that embracing a new environment can lead to beautiful outcomes. The protagonist’s journey of struggle and eventual integration resonates with immigrants and anyone facing change, delivering a hopeful message.
👍 Final Thoughts and Encouragement to Engage
The speaker wraps up the video by expressing their love for *The Arrival* and encourages viewers to engage with the video by liking, subscribing, and commenting. They mention their next video, teasing another analysis, and thank viewers for watching.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Immigration
💡Allegory
💡Monsters
💡Cultural adjustment
💡Symbolism
💡Community
💡Isolation
💡Language barrier
💡Color symbolism
💡Fantastical elements
Highlights
Introduction of the video, acknowledging the hiatus and explaining the busy schedule.
Analysis of 'The Arrival' by Australian author and artist Sean Tan.
Explanation of 'The Arrival' as an allegory for immigration, focusing on the main character's journey.
Description of the use of monsters in 'The Arrival' to symbolize struggles and emotions related to immigration.
Analysis of how the protagonist's interaction with a new pet symbolizes his gradual comfort in a foreign environment.
Discussion of the hardships faced by the protagonist in adjusting to a new culture, including unfamiliar food, language, and customs.
Emphasis on the importance of side characters and their backstories in highlighting the universal struggles of immigrants.
Analysis of how color, especially yellow, is used to convey emotional tones, such as warmth and happiness.
Specific example of a flashback scene using both yellow and gray to contrast emotions before and during war.
Appreciation for the creation of a fictional culture, making the story relatable to readers of any ethnicity.
Comparison between the protagonist’s home country, which is more realistic, and the fantastical setting of the new country.
The ending highlights the protagonist fully integrating into his new culture and playing a game with local civilians.
The protagonist's family finally reunites with him after a year, reinforcing the emotional struggles of separation.
The protagonist's family adapts to the new culture, with their child eventually helping other immigrants adjust.
Conclusion that while adapting to a new culture is difficult, embracing it can lead to beautiful outcomes.
Transcripts
hey everybody green films official here
i'm back um
um i hope you kept yourselves busy while
i was gone um sorry i haven't uploaded
for a month um i intended to upload much
earlier but um
you know i had a very busy august and
that wasn't really much time for me too
but hey i have time now um anyways i
would like to analyze a graphic novel by
australian author artist sean tan
the arrival
the arrival is basically a huge allegory
for immigration it centers on a man who
has to leave his home country and his
family behind due to some gigantic
creature the thing about the arrival is
that it isn't a very literal tale
and oftentimes monsters are used to
symbolize something for example this
monster at the start of the book is used
to represent an issue that is causing
the main character to flee as well as
the emotions that he and his family are
going through as a result of him leaving
they are also used to express the
unknown and unfamiliar but they're also
used to express the better parts of
exploring other cultures when the main
character first comes across his new pet
he isn't so sure how to feel about it
because it's an animal that he isn't
very familiar with however he warms up
to it over time and eventually he takes
it everywhere with him symbolizing him
becoming more comfortable with his new
living environment considering this is a
graphic novel about the struggles of
immigration chapter 2 centers around the
struggles that our protagonist
has to go through to even make it to
this unnamed fictional country the ship
he takes is very crowded not unlike real
immigration ships and the weather is
shown to be very very harsh overseas
there are literal pages just dedicated
to the weather shifts during the journey
to the country and once the protagonist
finally gets off of the boat he finds
that things don't get much easier
everything about this country's culture
is different from the home country of
the protagonist the food
the language the buildings even the
animals are different from what the main
character is used to
he struggles to find his way around the
city even with the help of a map
he ultimately resorts to asking random
people he sees on the street for
directions and ends up befriending a lot
of people because of this including an
entire family he befriends a lot of
fellow immigrants and shares his
experiences with them and they in turn
share their experiences with him there
is a big emphasis on side characters and
we get a lot of their backstories this
asian girl he comes across flees her
country to escape from slave labor this
character fled his country to escape
from these giant terrifying humanoids in
hazmat suits sucking people up in
vacuums who represent like this
you know dictorial government this old
man fought in a war and saw the horrors
of human death in battle first hand i
could go on and on but i'm sure you get
the idea that a lot of characters that
are important to the main character get
a lot of development
and their stories prove to him that he
isn't alone i also love how the color
yellow is used in this um
you know four scenes that are really
depressing there are these really strong
grays and blacks as you would expect
but then like when things are happy and
bright especially at the ending you know
you see like
yellow come in and it makes the scenes
feel so warm and like that baked in
sunlight or something it's great one
scene in particular that i think like
like makes great use of both the yellow
and the gray
like um the wall flashback um like
before the war starts you know yellow is
enveloping the scene because you know in
world war one the soldiers thought they
were going on some grand adventure
and then you know well reality kicked in
and it's basically the same here like
everything is bright and happy and
yellow
and then you know once the actual war
begins the color almost fades completely
i also really like the fake culture that
sean tan made specifically for this
graphic novel i think by having like the
city be this fantastical outlook of the
world with these like you know fake
creatures fake food
and you know fake language i think that
helps any reader of any ethnicity feel
as though they're in the main
character's shoes because
you know it's not like the same as real
life and this what especially helps with
this is that when the the brief point in
the book where we are in the main
character's home country
that is more based in reality outside of
the giant shadow monster
the ending is great um right at the end
he's like finally learned all the ins
and outs and essentials of this culture
and he plays this fictional game with
you know like fellow civilians i
mentioned it before but the use of
yellow in this scene is outstanding it
really creates this warm content feeling
that finally finally he fully
understands his new home he's become
another one of its citizens and he
blends in perfectly with everyone else
playing the game after that he's shown
missing his family as you know any human
being would if they haven't been with
them for a very long time a full-on year
passes without them and you know
things start to seem bleak after a while
one day however he sees this hot air
balloon in the sky similar to the one he
arrived in and thinking he might know
who it is he rushes outside to see and
yeah you guessed it it's his family
later we see like months later the
family has eased into the country's
culture and it's now become their new
norm you gotta love how this panel is
basically just the exact opposite of an
earlier panel in the graphic novel
in both tone and color we are then later
shown that the little girl of the family
in particular has become so familiar
with the country that she is helping new
immigrants out for me this ending is
perfect for the story that sean tam
wanted to tell it shows to immigrants
that while adjusting to a new culture
and new norms can be difficult and that
your new home may be
very different from your old home
if you
you know immerse yourself into this new
culture and fully embrace it you can
make something beautiful out of it the
arrival has everything it has the
struggles
the journey
the unfamiliar
but it also has
you know
a positive
warm message that can resonate with any
immigrant in just any person honestly
yeah that's the arrival by sean tan one
of my favorite graphic novels of all
time
um i hope you enjoyed this video if you
did you know what to do like the video
subscribe if you haven't already
bell notification comment please um
and yeah you know just make the
algorithm happy please that would be
appreciated
um
and yeah um
i hope to see you in my next video which
is going to be another analysis or get
excited for that and yeah i'll see you
next time bye guys
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