As I understand it, Shaun Tan’s work is meant to be optimistic. “The Arrival” is a good example of this sort of mindset in which everything gets better eventually and “once you hit rock bottom the only way you can go is up” etcetera etcetera. So am I the only one who thinks that “The Lost Thing” was exactly the opposite of optimism for the future of humanity?
Let me explain. The short starts out optimistic enough, with the narrator actually noticing the lost thing that no one else notices, taking it in and trying to help it find the place where it belongs. But once he finds it a home the sad reality sets in. Despite his encounter with the strange thing that should have led him to question his life and perhaps the society he lives in -for instance, why is the government trying to get rid of these “lost things”? It’s honestly a bit sinister if you think about it- his life continues on as always. He even states that he has begun to see these odd things less and less, perhaps because he “has stopped noticing them.”
To put it bluntly, nothing has really changed. In fact things have probably gotten worse…
In summary, it seems to me that there are two messages here:
- If you try to break away from the conforming masses, you will fail.
- People have narrow focuses -they can see what is in front of them but do not understand the greater implications of what they are seeing.
Pretty pessimistic if you ask me… like something out of 1984…
I did notice this too, and I think Tan does express a very serious (and fairly distressing) commentary on belonging and immigration in a way that appears superficially to be light and optimistic. For most children, this animation probably wouldn’t seem very upsetting or pessimistic because of their age and innocence, but I think it still manages to create a sense of empathy for the “Lost Thing” (and implies that viewers should find empathy for all those who are viewed as “different” or “lost”) by portraying it as a lovable character.
While I agree with most of the things you mentioned, I still think this piece is used to promote empathy towards strange things. It is also a social commentary on our unwillingness to help those in need. The character in the story was able to see the lost thing because he was open minded. He was open to the idea of finding new things. He noticed that not many were open minded about the lost thing but he still tried to help. But eventually he started to conform back to society. In a society where these lost things are overlooked, one wonders how hard it is to fit into a new society that does not accept you.