The picture I have decided to analyze is the iconic Tank Man image, depicting an unknown man refusing to move before a line of tanks in China’s Tiananmen Square in 1989. This image has become a symbol of defiance and courage in the face of danger. The man himself has never been identified, nor has his fate following this. His features are practically indistinguishable, especially in the shadow of the war machines he stares down.
Source: wikipedia.org
The relative sizes of the objects in the foreground – the tanks and the man – reflects the common interpretation of the image, that there is nobility in the “little man” resisting a seemingly insurmountable opposition. The Square itself provides little distraction from these contrasting elements: only pavement, shadows, and the top fraction of a lamp are seen. There are no people, no cars, no sky to distract from the central conflict.
Perhaps the most salient aspect of the image to me is that it leads to so many questions. Why does he stand up to the tanks despite almost certain death? What was his fate? Would you, or I, or even anyone but him have to raw courage to do something like this? What does he hope to achieve, simply by standing? There is a vagueness to the picture which makes it so intriguing, practically coercing you to try and unravel the events which led to that one moment. No faces are seen, nor intentions or emotions. It is even ambiguous from the image itself as to whether the tanks are moving forward or stopped. But the man is as stationary as any person or organization will ever be. Hence why he has become a symbol of determination and fearlessness.
Despite inherent ambiguity, it is hard to miss the magnitude of what the Tank Man is doing. He is standing up to an entire column of tanks, which no one else in the Square did, and perhaps no one else in the world would do. The willingness to stand for what he believed, no matter what that is and no matter who stands opposite, is why the image is now iconic. In a world where injustice is rampant and the powerful often enforce their whims with fear, violence, and death, men and women like him are necessary for progress and continuing hope.