Shaun Tan Character Analysis

Shaun Tan effectively places the reader into the protagonist shoes through the evident problems of migration and personal connections to the issue. I was able to immediately empathize for the protagonist when the overall concept of migration was introduced into the graphic novel. I have travelled my entire life, not really fitting in or knowing how everything worked, everything seemed upside down just as in the graphic novel. The same struggles the protagonist faced I faced. Through this, Shaun Tan implies the real struggles of migration instead of the ‘perfect’ idea into what migration is which is mainly shown through the media. Another element that makes the reader empathize for the protagonist was introduced on the first page. There is always
this concept of leaving people behind, it being family members or friends. In this case the protagonist left his family behind, this gave the reader the sense that he did not want to leave but was solely doing so to maintain his family and provide them with the basic needs. It also portrayed his bravery, the things he was willing to do to provide for his family, the way he accepted his migration and adapted to the situation. Overall, Shaun tan successfully acknowledges the struggles of migration leading towards the reader's empathy.