By
Jason Marshall
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| Figure 1 |
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| Figure 2 |
Written by Shaun Tan, The Red Tree faces the dark but common topic of depression. The
illustrated story follows a day of an unnamed, red haired girl who is
suffering from depression and who wakes up with “nothing to look forward to”. Through
the use of interanimation, from the descriptive language and expressive
illustrations, synergy is created (Figure 1). It is through the collaboration
of these illustrations and words, a deliberate choice by Tan, that allows his
readers to have an insight as to what it may be like to have depression, all whilst conveying a message to his readers:
‘what you are looking for will be “quietly waiting” at the end’.
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| Figure 3 |
The story begins at the ‘Endpaper’ at the
beginning of the book (Figure 2). This single image with no words, foreshadows
the upcoming events. It also foregrounds a sense of depression,
where the girl’s words are lost in translation and where anything she says is not
heard. This is then contrasted to the first page where the reoccurring motif of a
red oak tree leaf first appears (Figure 3). This motif is then seen on every
page, including the dark and gloomy pages, and denotes that there is hope in
every situation, particularly when you are feeling a sense of hopelessness.
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| Figure 4 |
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Figure 5
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The
illustrations are often across a double page spread and are detailed (Figure
4), although, the reader has the ability to let their gaze wander as there is a
strong sense of Offer (Handout, week 11). This is contrasted to the only example of Demand within the book (Figure 5). The small sailing boat draws the readers' attention with its bright vivid colours in comparison to the rest of the
illustration, which is dull and dark. The author has chosen to symbolise the
cycle of depression through these choices of colour. At the beginning of the
book (Figure 6), the colours are dark, connoting gloom and fear. As the book
develops, colours increase in warmth and pictures become familiar, suggesting
love and support of family and friends (Figure 7).
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| Figure 6 |
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| Figure 7 |
The illustrations add a powerful status to
telling the story, allowing the reader to view what is going on in the girl’s
imagination. Due to a high level of interanimation, the words contribute to
create powerful imagery. Told in present tense from the perspective of the child,
the reader gains empathy for the girl, giving an insight into her feelings of
depression. Metaphors assist with portraying the girl’s feelings - “the world is
a deaf machine” (Figure 6) whilst repetition is used to emphasise the struggle of the mental health issue of depression - “sometimes you wait and wait and wait…” (Figure 8).
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| Figure 8 |
The Red Tree is the multi-award winning illustrator’s fifth book
and has been published worldwide. Shaun Tan’s The Red Tree shines the spotlight on depression,
helping to remove the stigma of mental illness. I would strongly recommend it for
students in an upper primary level, as it allows students to increase their
understanding through witnessing depression from the realm of a safe
environment; a picture book.
