Imagining words and pictures

Many people like myself feel traditional literature is the above all, end all of literature. We like words and the infinite worlds that they create not limited or hindered by a picture made of the authors interpretation. Graphic novels combine the elements of traditional literature and pictures to better do something for the reader. What exactly I don’t understand. I considered them limiting and unnecessary. There is a book that made me question my outlook. Shaun tan’s “The Arrival” is a book without words. It tells a story without a word spoken. Yet, when you read it and analyze the pictures of interactions between characters you can hear words spoken by them. It could be argued that this book requires just as much imagination as a traditional book. This is of course a weird comparison because each is missing an element from what is called a graphic novel. I wonder why the separation is appealing to me and not the combination. I think it is the thought I’m forced to put into it when they are separate. I enjoyed creating my own environments or imagining the conversations between people. Graphic novels take that imagination out of it. I like reading them because they are quick, easy to read, and they put all the readers of the books on an equal level. The readers don’t have to interpret the scene or setting and so are more able to focus on meaning and content. In “American Born Chinese” we find that the moral is be true to what you are. Would we be hindered if the story were just pictures or words? Would the story still make sense or are the words and pictures in combination necessary to keep the reader on track? The answer is all dependent on the author’s proficiency of writing or illustrating. I find some scenes from “American Born Chinese” need words to explain what’s going on, while others especially the scenes with the monkey king I find I could make most of it out without words.