I wasn't sure what to expect opening up The Arrival.
The only other ‘wordless novels’ I'd read were small comics scattered along the
internet by several artists, usually regarding either mental health or comedic
little gags about being LGBT+. Those were usually a comic strip with a few
panels and a punchline or impact of some sort. Very short-lived compared to the
length of Shaun Tan’s work, which actually forced me to sit down and required
my attention due to the long narrative it has despite the lack of words.
There's something to lament about only being able to call
the protagonist "The man", but due to the nature of the piece, it was
almost too easy to get attached to the nameless fictional protag with his wife
and child. I can't speak for anyone else but it really hit me hard. I'm not one
for crying, but I remember tearing up while reading through it. A specifically
potent scene was the one in which he finally gets a job putting up posters only
to put them upside down.
I'm a native Spanish speaker from Cuba and it just took me back to being in 4th grade. I was one of the kids with the heavy accent trying to understand what everyone was saying. I did everything in my power to not come home feeling like I hadn't done enough. I'd leave my friends to sit at an English-speaking table during lunch, I'd read in English, I'd watch cartoons in English. Anything in my power to integrate myself fully into the culture at the time. I was young, and lucky. My mother, however, had a more difficult barrier to overcome, alone and in her forties with two children who picked up the language much faster. I can’t imagine we were very encouraging.
I'm a native Spanish speaker from Cuba and it just took me back to being in 4th grade. I was one of the kids with the heavy accent trying to understand what everyone was saying. I did everything in my power to not come home feeling like I hadn't done enough. I'd leave my friends to sit at an English-speaking table during lunch, I'd read in English, I'd watch cartoons in English. Anything in my power to integrate myself fully into the culture at the time. I was young, and lucky. My mother, however, had a more difficult barrier to overcome, alone and in her forties with two children who picked up the language much faster. I can’t imagine we were very encouraging.
I’d argue that even if this doesn’t necessarily count as
animation, there’s movement throughout some of the pages that sparks the same
idea. There’s several frames that give the illusion of motion, just not overlaid
on top of one another like traditional animation, taking on a much more
segmented, side to side approach.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that… The Arrival dips its
toes into more genres and subjects than it appears to at first glance.
Comments
Post a Comment