Graphic Polyphony in Shaun Tan’s The Arrival

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study examines Shaun Tan’s The Arrival in the light of Mikhail Bakhtin’s ‘polyphonic novel’ theory. For Bakhtin, a polyphonic novel depends on characters’ independence from each other’s reality and the author’s reality and their ability to reflect their voices which is consciousnesses. The reader witnesses a polyphonic dialogue composed of consciousnesses from different ideologies and understands how reality appears to each consciousness rather than a single reality. In this direction, it is possible to find the traces of the polyphonic novel in The Arrival. A dialogic reality called ‘graphic polyphony’ is discovered by closely reading the panels. Graphic polyphony is observed in which consciousnesses can independently talk about their immigration experiences. Furthermore, graphic polyphony can be unearthed in the metaphor of Shaun Tan’s fantastic animals. The study also highlights the optimistic image of immigration drawn with this polyphony technique. It is emphasised how the graphic polyphony in work involves the hope of a new world without authorization. Ultimately, this article shows that we can accept The Arrival as a polyphonic graphic novel portraying a utopian image of immigration. This polyphonic reading also provides an alternative to the ‘ideal immigrant’ readings made with postcolonial theories.