She uses specific historical events to contextualize the difference between her own experience of coming out and her father's inability to do so. How does gay history in the United States play a role in Bechdel's own history?īechdel interlaces American gay history into her own narrative throughout Fun Home, most noticeably in the final chapter. Thus, it is fitting that Bechdel uses allusions her parents would have understood as a way to understand them. Her mother was an actress who rehearsed her lines around the house and brought the family to her performances. Her father was an English teacher who maintained an extensive home library, and he impressed upon her from a young age the importance of specific pieces of literature. What is the effect of Bechdel using art as a lens through which to reflect on her life?Īs she relates in this memoir, Bechdel grew up steeped in literature. It also reminds the reader about the importance of written communication in the Bechdel family, especially to Bruce, who liked to imagine himself as his favorite writers and the characters from their novels. These images therefore allow the reader a window into the perspective of other characters without the filter of Bechdel's hindsight and voice as a narrator of this memoir. Often, the contents of these letters reveals information that the author does not mention elsewhere. Why might Bechdel choose to reveal certain information through drawings of written communication, rather than just telling the reader?īechdel invokes the theme of written words through drawings of letters written by herself or by her family members.

Fun home by alison bechdel