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Fun Home A Family Tragicomic Analysis

1621 Words7 Pages

Chad Blenz
Deniz Perin
ENG 121
08 December 2014

Published in 2006, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic is a graphic memoir that brought great success to Alison Bechdel and her work. Fun Home explores the relationship between Alison and her homosexual father, Bruce Bechdel, to shed light on ideas such as gender, coming out with your sexuality, and the complex dynamics within their family. With further analysis we can see that these key ideas are facilitated through discussions of death, life, and literature–provoked by Alison’s efforts to illustrate a truthful portrait of her complicated connection with her father, specifically after he commits suicide. Alison Bechdel is not only the main author and narrator but also the main protagonist through out the graphic memoir. Alison and Bruce’s individual analysis shows contrast between the daughter and her queer father that carries significance that shines light on their complicated relationship before he got hit by a truck.
As a young girl, Alison didn’t understand why her father did the things he did. Often, she would sit back and watch her father as he worked hard on the interior design of their home. On occasion, her father would make her and her brothers help him move items around. She couldn’t comprehend why her father thought the inside of their house had to be so perfect. She asks her father, “What’s the point of making something that’s so hard to dust?” (15). It’ clear that Alison could care less for the luxuries that her

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