While Tan never makes it explicit who or what the tentacle-tails belong to, they represent the forces of oppression that have overtaken the man's homeland and driven him to seek a better life abroad. The theme arises in Part I when large shadowy tentacle- or spiked tail-like appendages loom over the man's neighborhood. OppressionĪnother of the novel's major themes is oppression-the state of being subject to cruel and unjust treatment or control. Ultimately, these examples of companionship help the man maintain mental and emotional well-being while he waits for his wife and daughter to arrive. The pet is a constant presence toward whom the man can show his affection. The man also finds companionship in his pet, the tadpole-dog creature he initially perceives as a pest. Without them, he wouldn't know where to go or what to eat. Although the generosity the woman at the transit station and the food seller extend to the man is modest, their efforts contribute to his well-being. Because he is not yet literate in the local language and has no friends or relatives in the place to which he immigrates, the man relies on kind strangers to ease his transition. Defined as a feeling of friendship or fellowship with others, companionship is an antidote to the alienation and loneliness the man feels when he separates from his family to establish a new life. CompanionshipĮxplored primarily through the man's relationship to his pet and his encounters with other immigrants, companionship is a crucial theme in The Arrival.

Based on these visual clues, it is clear the man and his family have overcome their alienation and have assimilated to the new world. By the end of the book, the man and his family sit happily in a kitchen full of objects crafted in the ornate style of the local culture. But despite the alienation the man initially feels, once he has secured a job and met a few kind locals, he adapts to the culture as other new arrivals have. The man's alienation increases when he moves into his rented room and tries to accustom himself to the strange objects that fill it. As the man walks around his new community, taking in the sights and sounds, he has a hunted expression on his face, as if these people's everyday existence is a threatening presence. He attempts to interpret complicated directions painted on the ground, comparing the symbols to his translation dictionary and map. The theme first arises when the man encounters the indecipherable language of the new world. Alienation-the state of being estranged from one's surroundings-is a key theme in The Arrival.

The arrival tan shaun