The Arrival - W1

In the comic The Arrival by Shaun Tan, we are led through at wordless narrative through the use of beautifully illustrated, sequential images. As readers, we are given the context of the story with the title, " The Arrival", and then the division of the story into chapters, which helps us to understand the narrative in an episodic manner. The illustrations are sequenced in such a way that is almost like an animation.  For instance, at the beginning of chapter 2, the frame shows us a picture of the family and as the "camera" zooms out further and further, we see the man looking at the picture while sitting in a room that has a window, which is one of many similar windows, which are all on a large boat in the middle of an ocean. This cinematic sequence causes us to link the images in our heads, as we are naturally prone to looking for narratives.
Another way, and the most significant way, that a wordless comic like The Arrival tells a story is through the illustrations themselves. The image style looks as if they are old pictures in an album that tell of a family history. This in combination with what the illustrations depict create a somewhat somber feeling. Much of the visual narrative omitted a sense of lonely grandeur and intimidation, which is felt through this story of immigration. The illustrations also vary in size. The size of the image usually correlates with the scale of the setting within the narrative, and the smaller images express a closer look at the characters and setting.
This narrative is important because it tells the story of almost everyone at one point in time. It does not need words to narrate the fear and sadness that can come with leaving home, as well as the opportunity that can come with taking a chance and choosing to make sacrifices sometimes.