Self Identity In Alison Bechdel's Fun Home

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel is graphic novel that allows the reader to view the character’s struggles and emotions deeply by being placed as a beholder in the story. Alison Bechdel linked her interpersonal relationships with growing up in a dysfunctional family that suppressed her identity behind artifice objects. Her memoir shows the readers an intimate way to connect with her childhood and early adulthood by discussing controversial topics such as gender identity and sexuality. The author not only shows the down side of living in an atmosphere of social awkwardness and lies, but she demonstrates ways in how people can strive to explore the meaning behind self identity. Bechdel covers a diary of her life as a homosexual women and her father’s gender struggle that contributed to their façade of a perfect life. The book leaves an open discussion for the readers to think about the consequences of suppressing gender identity and

The Bechdel’s house acts as a shield for the family’s true identity so their relationship would appear appealing to the orthodox American society at that time. An example of how obsessed was Bruce with the restoration of the house is in an allusion of Daedalus from the Greek myth, “He was an alchemist of appearance, a savant of surface, a Daedalus of décor” (Bechdel 6). This Greek myth is indeed a metaphor to compare Daedalus to Bruce Bechdel because he was attempted to hide his homosexuality from his family and friends as the Greek inventor created a labyrinth to keep a Minotaur from escaping. Even though Bruce Bechdel’s strived to have neatness and perfection in his superficial life his gender struggle would shine more than his attempt to be the ideal husband and father for his family. Therefore, through Bruce Bechdel lack of