As we read from left to right (reading path) it shows the direction in which the protagonist is traveling and what is to come. Shaun Tan’s double page spread displays foreshadowing with the weather and land in the background of the picture. The idea shown demonstrates Shaun Tans perspective of the world through someone else’s eyes living with depression. As well as the idea that she has feelings that are trapped just like a long lost message in a bottle. This gives responders the impression that she feels isolated and as if she is the only one experiencing struggle and pain. Another example of symbolism is the protagonist sitting in the bottle. This goes back to the idea of battling depression and the concepts associated with it. The scuba helmet is aged giving viewers insight that the painful situation is old, meaning it has been going on for a while.
The most evident of the symbolism techniques is the big old scuba helmet. Shaun Tan uses the literary technique of symbolism various times on the spread this creates a picture of representations of emotions during depression. The bottle is open however meaning that if she works hard and breaks through the barriers she can find an escape from the darkness that surrounds her. Responders assume that she feels her thoughts and ideas are trapped inside and will not ever be discovered. It is common that ‘messages in a bottle’ are lost and never found.
The protagonist is shown sitting in the bottle which connects to the idea of a ‘message in a bottle’.
The extended visual metaphor of the girl sitting in the bottle conveys the idea of her feelings trapped inside. This page demonstrates that there is hope for people with depression they just need to work for it and find a way to break through the barriers. These techniques search the thoughts and concepts of living and battling depression. The picture book ‘the red tree’ written and illustrated by Shaun tan, conveys his perspective of the world with the effective use of literary and visual techniques such as symbolism, foreshadowing and the extended visual metaphor of the girl in the bottle on the ‘nobody understands’ page.
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