^An awesome example of archival evidence (maybe not as much of allison's story but still of an interesting story nonetheless). As much as I like perusing the various strips she has illustrated out of the ether herself, more captivating to me are the images that are her recreations of actual images that have lasted from her childhood. For example, it's made clear that this image and the mother's passport photo are actual images reproduced, but what it took me longer to realize is that the images accompanying the chapter introductions are also real images (perhaps the borders should have made it a little more obvious to me, but at least I realized it before the end of the text). At first I wholeheartedly accepted these as solidifying factors that made her archive more real to me, but as I read on, the more and more I'm reminded of “The Portrait of Mr. W. H.” Some of her images seem to real to be true. What first really got my attention was the dictionary definition of eighty sex on page 106. While I didn't quite catch on that she was being "86ed", it made sense upon reading the definition. However, on closer inspection, the definition includes a specific example of Chumley's bar where she was trying to get in!? Without a dictionary contemporary to the time, all I can say is the OED doesn't mention Chumley's, but I guess all in all that isn't reason to doubt. Nevertheless, the validity of subsequent inserts, like Dr. Spock's page on compulsion where it specifically addresses "making numbers come out even in some way, [or] saying certain words before going through a door" is drawn into question. It reminds of the question our guest speaker, Lokei, posed during our discussion of the Watermelon Woman, something to the effect of "How much evidence is required to prove a point?" At the time I thought, there is no limiting factor, you can provide as much as you want and any extra is just that, extra. However now, I tend to disagree. I guess that's one of the drawbacks of using a graphic means of conveyance; much as it was with the Watermelon Woman, there's the potential for visual images and a subsequent narrative to be faked. Having said all that, it came up briefly in class for a graphic novel to unintentionally stifle the imagination since the images are laid out in front of you. At first I felt the same way, but then I began to think of the images as more than just a snap shot of what was going on. Most shots are centered around Allison, her mom, or her dad, but in each, what was going on just outside of the shot? We spoke in class about the issue of framing when constructing graphic novels, it's ultimately the author's decision what to include but perhaps what wasn't so important to the author would be to the audience. The issue of what was going on off-frame really comes out at the end of chapter four on page 120 when Allison makes a comparison between her dad's early 20's image and her own. She posits some interesting comparisons, but in the end, all they amount to are just unverifiable hypotheses. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that whereas I originally thought graphic form allowed for more expression than that conveyed in simple text, it is important to remember to question the validity of what you are seeing; even more so in situations where what you are seeing is just a snap shot with more happening out of frame.
I definitely agree with you Travis about questioning the validity of our sight. And I think this is definitely shown during Allison's compulsive behaviors when she writes in her diary. So the almost nonexistent "I think" turns into mountainous (pardon the pun) symbols on her paper, just to ward out all the "bad spirits" they might bring to punish her for her mistakes (142). She says how no one will know what /you/ see except you. Nothing can be verified by anyone else but you and it's a really interesting situation, definitely. Maybe she left these things in the margins for us to see if we could identify with her, because maybe that compulsion is still slightly in her.
I also have to admit I have my own fair share of compulsive behaviors for my bedtime rituals. It's really weird and I don't understand it, but I guess I use it superstitiously to make sure I don't have a terrible day. Still, I guess it was something that helped me identify with Allison a bit more.
I agree with both of you on the idea of the graphic novel leaving the validity of the text kind of up in the air. What you guys are saying reminds me of what I once learned in a creative writing class a while back. We were taught that when you read and write, a person should always question whether or not the facts they are being presented with are 100% true, especially in the case of writing that is in first person. It's not only the framing in this case, but it might also be interesting to take into account the perceptions of our narrator. A lot of the stories we are hearing are from her childhood, and so we may also be a bit hindered to the truth of these matters by the time that has passed between the events and Bechdel's writing of the novel. This is not neccessarily a bad thing, but instead it could give us a chance to read further into the text, and gather our own clues by looking at what happened, and looking at it through Bechdel's eyes.
I like that you brought up her affinity for the phrase "I think". Looking back on my own comment, I use "I guess" three times. I would like to give myself a little slack since this is public blog and what I say is meant for other's consideration; it is more surprising to see such a phrase in a private diary. While maybe all she "could speak for was [her] own perceptions" (pg 141), that is all that should be needed for a little girl's diary. She has taken an action that is intended to be therapeutic and imbued it with all the harsh uncertainly the world can entail. My qualms with the potential for fakes in this medium aside, I love how successfully Bechdel crafts her origin stories to explain her later states of mind. Her first foray into poetry becomes a duet when her dad suggests the next line. She finishes the work off with her own illustration, but then the next scene shows us a moment when the dad stifles her desire to make the "canary-colored caravan" (pg 130) blue with an exclamation. The validation of their own work a growing child needs is never there, even the mom asks not to be bothered with approached by young-Allison. It may be kind of a stretch, but I think this is partly why her rituals to accomplish things become so complicated. Once all the drama of making a decision shifts to elaborate rituals rather than the outcome, the fulfillment that should come from an accomplishment seems muted, such as her inability to enjoy her mother reading to her while she was in the tub (pg 142). Bechdel ends the chapter with a sort of coming to terms moment. Leading up to the conclusion, the mother had stepped in to help ease little Allison's anxiety. The final image of a sunset smeared with "infinite gradations of color" (pg 150) portrays a current day Bechel's acceptance of reaching a shared point with her father. While it probably didn't seem too significant to her at the time, being able to look back to a point when they both could agree on a symbolistic uniting of "infinite" diversity will help Bechdel focus on remembering her father in a positive light.
I'm going to go ahead and start a new train of thought about the content of Chapters four and five. As this story progresses, I've noticed that we already have the gist of the book. Bechdel had a dysfunctional relationship with her father who then came out as gay and died. Therefore I find it hard to picture a future climax or typical plot line. Rather Bechdel goes back in each chapter and fills us in with more detail and information about the events leading up to the death of her father. What I found particularly fascinating about these chapters is that we begin to see where Bechdel and her father compensate for each others lack of stereotypical gender roles. And how they long for the same things but in ways that are fitting to both of their hidden sexualities. For instance on page 99 where they are both admiring a man in a suit in and advertisement. While Allison wants the suit to wear for herself, her father wants the man in the suit for himself.
Kelsea I know what you mean. I thought to myself, 'well since the dad is dead now, where is the story going to go?' It seemed like that was the grand climax of the story maybe it will remain so, but I find it interesting that Bechdel keeps going back in time and recounting stories with her father. To me it seems that she is still fixated on his death and is trying to work through it by remembering the times they spent together, no matter how awkward or nonchalant they may have been. This is in contrast to chapters 2/3 when she arrives for the funeral and her and her family are all very apathetic towards the whole event.
What I find most interesting about biographical texts is that, typically, they lack a definite climax. I think this is largely due to the fact that a person's life is an accumulation of a great many different stories, each with their own rising and falling action, each with their own climax and resolution. If you notice, "Fun Home" contains a number of different vignettes, which the author subsequently ties together with an over-arching omni-present first person narrative. The latter bit of that point is unique to graphic novels in that we not only view the life of Alison unfolding as third parties, but also have access to the author's monologue as well. Stylistically, I think this piece provides us a two-for, and I'm glad I'm validated by what you saw, Kelsea. I think I mentioned while reading "Zami" that I'd noticed the lack of climactic action, and I whole-heartedly believe it to be a trend of the genre.
What you're saying about already having the gist of the book early reminds me of a discussion I frequently get into with my friends. While I've never really been bothered by "spoilers" when it comes to stories, they firmly argue otherwise, often getting furious if I let something slip that they haven't come across yet. Too me, its not so much about the destination the story will eventually reach, but rather the journey that leads up to it. To be honest, when I first started reading full-length novels way back in the day, I could never make it past page 40-50 without flipping to the end and reading the last page. While Fun Home may have seemingly worked itself into a typical plot line that will necessitate Allison's reaching some level of acceptance with her father's sexuality, the degree of that acceptance and what implications it has on the rest of her life and relationships is still very much up in the air for me. While chapter 3 showed us her (relatively) comfortably immersed in her sexuality with Joan, chapter 4 takes us back to the beginning; showing us her confusion with her own body during puberty (pg 109), as well as confusion to the body of the "truck-driving bulldyke" (pg 119) when she "didn't know there were women who wore men's clothes and had men's haircuts" (pg 118). It is interesting that one of her first introductions to queer life could have been with her father; whereas if he had been open with her about his own sexuality he could have eased her transition into queer life, his rough questioning "is THAT what you want to look like?" could only be met with a simple, child-like "no" on Allison's part. To me this is one of the biggest things Allison will need to terms with before she can come to terms with her father, and I look forward to seeing how the story plays out.
I also thought the corresponding personalities of Bechdels father and herself were really interesting point in the story, and it feels kind of sappy to say that I was sad that maybe something that could've brought them closer actually drove them farther apart. If circumstances were somehow different, they could use what they had felt were their own short comings to help each other. Of course, its not like father can be really open about his sexuality to his kids. In that sense I think thats why Bechdel is searching for any other connection to her father, even if that connection is herself being the cause of his proposed suicide. Sure, she can probably tell from his attitudes that having kids wasn't exactly on her fathers bucket list, but learning that he was gay probably drove the idea home. No matter what the circumstances, no kid ever wants to think their parents didn't want them.
I felt the same way watching them interact; it's hard to watch two characters so clearly struggling against hetero-normative standards and not to route for the "shared queerness" Mike mentioned in his comment. The two seem so staggeringly at odds, but their shared queerness creates the scene Kelsea mentioned on page 99. They both stare longingly at the advertisement for their own queer reason. However, the dad's feminizing effect clashes with young-Allison's masculinizing attempts to define herself. It almost gives me the idea of a yin and yang type relationship. Her mention of the term "invert" on page 97 reinforced this idea in my mind. It is almost as if invert has been taken to another level. Instead of it just referring to her as a "person whose gender expression is at odds with his or her sex" (pg 97), her inversion is seemingly drawn specifically against her dad's own inversion. As both try to stand at such polar opposite points, it is inevitable they both try to convert the other when they meet, as seen on page 99. The whole thing reminds of adding in math with positive and negative numbers. If two opposites come together (for example, a queer individual coming out to their straight family) the result could be either positive or negative, it just depends on the individuals. However, two distinct, queer forces coming together don't seem to summate together like two negatives to form something greater. In my mind, it seems it should be easier for a queer-identifying child to relate to another queer character. Nevertheless, their situation has taught me this is not always the case and highlighted another aspect of queer relations I had not really considered before.
Though it's not entirely true that they couldn't get along because of their sexualities, I think. Actually, It was almost kind of ironic how once he found out that his daughter was a lesbian, Bechdel's father seemed, in her own words, "pleased" (77). It was almost like he finally understood, and was happy there was a reason that she wasn't his perfect image of a little girl. I think he was also sort of looking for something in a way, maybe trying to convince himself that it wasn't his fault that he and his daughter were at odds with each other all the time.
Every time I return to this book, I recall something a gay male friend of mine once said. He told me that I was the only lesbian he'd ever met that he liked, and that gays, in general, were never two fond of their female counterparts. I don't know that I agree with him on every count, but I see in Alison's relationship with her father how that might come into being as a stereotype. Despite their shared experience in terms of gender non-conformity and subsequent alienation, I think that their personalities, likes, and dislikes drove them apart. Simply by virtue of who they were, they were destined to have a love-hate relationship. Overall, I don't understand the father's psychology. He's confounding as a character. All I know is that I don't see opposites attracting in this case. Nor do they cancel each other out, as my little sister so innocently proposed as possible if a gay and lesbian were to date each other. They don't complete each other. I feel that a lesbian sees in a gay man a need to be everything she is trying to avoid, particularly if he is femme and she is butch. The same is true in the opposite direction. Overall, a fascinating illustration of the "opposing queer forces" and Travis so aptly puts it.
I kind of noticed the similarities in personalties between Bechdel and her father as well. It's hard to draw a picture of this from the animations because they all often look a little depressed and down, but throughout the story stories I feel like alot of their reactions to situations seems to be pretty similar. I think no matter how terrible a relationship with a parent may be, a child and eventually adult will always want some type of acceptance and bond with their parents. However, I'm not sure if she draws this connection as a result of their shared queerness, or as a result of her fathers depression and unhappiness which I think had a negative effect on the entire family. I'm leaning more toward the queer side of things as the link that she is drawing between them. Although she calls her dad a fag, and sometimes seems kind of disgusted with his sexuality, I think some scenes such as the one when they're looking at the model in the book show that although they are different, they're the same in some weird twisted way.
As you said, even an adult will still look for ways to share bonds with their parents, and I wonder, for Bechdel, how much of that has to do with the fact that her father died, and that she feels in some ways responsible for it. While they share being queer and her father’s emotional state did impact the family, I’m curious as to whether Bechdel feels the need to reconcile these issues or attempt to make connections with be them only because she feels guilty and/or because there is no longer the opportunity to attempt to forge new connections.
I also think it’s interesting that you said Bechdel seems disgusted by her father’s sexuality – I felt more that she seemed to resent it. She spend her childhood having her creativity and personality rejected and corrected by her father, and just when she thinks she has something that is “hers” and prepares to share it with her family, her father steals her thunder again, [Bechdel’s mother] making his sexuality a shocking revelation for her, and preventing Bechdel from receiving the response she anticipated from her mother.
As I read further into the chapters I got more depressed each time I started reading. Though this is my first time reading a graphic novel and I find it really interesting and entertaining, I really sympathized for Bechdel. It seems like her whole family is disconnected with one another. She has a lot of similarities to her Dad but as she states in one of the chapters, she is making up for her dad's lack of masculinity whilst he is making up for her lack of femininity. They both seem confused but they don't know how to reach out to each other. I couldn't help disliking her dad though for the way he handled a lot of situations. And her mom infuriates me with the way she treats Bechdel.
Again, referring to what was said earlier about framing, I sometimes can't help but wonder if we're really getting the full view of her parents, especially her mother. Don't get me wrong, I don't think Bechdel was lying in anyway, and her mother was pushing my buttons as well, but I also woder if because we're seeing past memories through an already dark piece if something is being lost from each of the characters. Maybe its just the optimist in me trying to find the light, but I can't help but focus on the short times we see her parents showing effection or humor. For instance, in the earlier chapters, Bechdel's mother says to her daughter "I'm a vampire" (34). I'm not sure why I paid so much attention to this comment, but I think maybe it's because it added a bit of humor and personality to an otherwise bland woman. For second she was joking around with her daughter. So later when she talks about kicking the kids out and never wanting to see them again, I kind of wonder, or maybe hope, if it's her showing that same straight-faced sarcasm and that she can be like that with them at other points of the book.
I would definitely have to agree with you there shannon. After completing the book, I'm not sure if we actually got a full view of what was actually going on in the family. Since its from Bechdels point of view, it is solely based on her reactions to what occurred, and there is a chance that it wasn't all factual. And for this reason, regarding the Bechdels marriage, I think its kind of difficult to say she should have done this or he should have done that. Theres no way for Alison to really know what happened behind closed doors between the two of them. It's possible that there was love there, if not for eachother, then definitely for the family as a unit.
The ultimate question I found myself wondering was if Allison thinks that her father’s queerness somehow lead to her own. I mean, I’ve asked a lot of gay people if they think they are born gay or if they believed something in their environment conditioned them to turn gay and I’ve gotten both answers. At times, I thought it was obvious that his homosexuality factored into Allison’s, especially when the whole they “compensate for each other’s lack of stereotypical gender roles” as Kelsea put it came into play. But I’m still not 100% and I don’t know if Allison is sure either.
You bring up a good point Jessica, As someone who believes that people are born gay I also started wonder where Allison wasn't getting at involving all the parallels she was drawing between herself and her father. Although I dont think people can influence whether or not someone is gay, I do think our environment has something to do with how we portray that gayness. As an example, I probably wouldn't describe myself as a queen, but growing up with all my girl cousins i probably have a few more feminine qualities than normal. Likewise I think that its possible to assume that maybe bechdels over masculinity is a result of "compensating" for her fathers.
I think that believing Allison’s father’s homosexuality factors into Allison being a lesbian is mostly the result of attempting to overcome an availability bias – if homosexuality is genetically programmed, what are the odds that both a father and his daughter are gay? Being gay is already a minority status, so for it to occur naturally in two closely related individuals make it tempting to consider the possibility that Allison’s homosexuality plays off her father’s. However, considering the population at large, the likelihood of two family members both being homosexual is much more plausible; I think it’s just seeing it in such close scope that makes it seem strange. Even Allison seems to briefly contemplate her lesbian status as it relates to her father being gay.
That being said, I do think it’s entirely possible that the extent to which Allison displays exceedingly masculine behavior is a means of compensating for her father’s feminine behavior, so I wonder not whether Allison would be a lesbian if she had a straight father, but if she would’ve been as “butch” is the absence of the oppressive kind of off-putting femininity her father displays.
Well even from an early age, Alison identified more closely with masculine traits. So I'm not entirely sure it stemmed for her wanting to compensate for her fathers lack of masculinity since she could not completely comprehend or even know that her father was homosexual until right after his death. However, maybe in her older age, she began to re-evauluate exactly where all of her feelings and emotions came from.
If indeed Alison and her father are one in the same, then why is it that Alison had the strength to come out the closet while her father did not? Its not like people (at least his wife) didn't know that he was gay. So what exactly was her father afraid of that Alison was not? I think if we take a deeper look into the aesthetics of their relationship and maybe find out a little more about her father, we would be able to effectively answer this question
It really is no wonder to me that Alison goes through her coco-puffs phase of neurosis and obsessive-compulsion. The repression in her family is stifling. Unsurprisingly, this has emerged as a pattern among the literature we've explored during the course of this class. The psychological results of that sexual and gender repression are equally saddening and fascinating. Almost every character about whom we've read has possessed some form of neurotic tic. I see, now, where Freud gets his correlation between "inversion" and neurosis. I know I have certain neurotic compulsions. (Let's see how many times I can use the word "neurotic" and its derivatives in one post!) It makes me wonder what kinky insanity the mother is into. And have we mentioned the siblings? There is so much dysfunction in this home that is makes me as, just a reader, start climbing the walls. I was chewing holes in the ceiling to try and get out by the time I reached chapter five. Not going to spoil the ending for anyone, but it doesn't really get any better. #danandterrylied
I would like to point out the depiction of Bechdel's mother with respect to her relationship with her husband. As Shannon implies, I think paying attention to her mother is as important as analyzing the father. Mother's lack of emotions like stern face and eyebrows pointing inwards shows distant and somewhat disgusted look toward her husband. Dull and tired smiles adds the atmosphere of detachment. For example, in pg 105, when they are driving over the bridge, mother's face tilting away and looking aimlessly outside serves as a good indication of her relationship from the rest. On top of that, the physical distance of mother from rest of the family is seen throughout the novel as well. However, most of what i make out of the mother is from conjectures; there aren't many evidences to create a concrete picture of the mother as the novel emphasizes on father and daughter relationship. As the intimacy between Joan and Bechdel is revealed, so is father's. Thus, the twist of Bechdel and her father relationship becoming from seemingly contrasting to identical stands on top as a climax of the story as Kelsea brought up.
An image, or archive, rather that is still engraved into my mind is that of the "bulldyke" on pages 118-119 that Alison has never seen before but feels that she knows. The father seems to read her mind by asking premonitorily "is THAT what you want to look like?." I can't help but think that the woman, who can arguable be labelled 'future Alison,' looks incredibly genuine and approachable, especially for a truck driver, who is normally pictured as dirty. In addition, Alison's "surge of joy" when she sees the woman is very easy to relate to. It's as if she now understands, even if only subconsciously, that there is the option to live the way she wants. She may be alone and look like a "bulldyke" but perhaps she can avoid the huge identity burden that her father was never able to release until after his death.
On a different note, we should watch this. It's awesome and reminiscent to the Lost Bois:
I was really excited when Alison began to talk about her OCD. I've actually just recently been learning about this in another class, and it aligns with her character very well. This might be one of the first ways I related to these characters, because I suffer from pretty bad OCD myself. It works the same way that an addiction gives you comfort, and helps you avoid or repress emotions or feelings that you don't want on the surface. It makes perfect sense that Alison gets caught up in this.
I was also excited when Alison began to explain her OCD. The way it was described made me wonder if I had it myself. I'm not sure if I actually suffer from it but I do find myself doing a lot of the same things Alison did. Because of the family situation that she was in and her feelings about herself and not having a connection to any one person, I can see why Alison turned to OCD. It was the only that she had control of.
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ReplyDelete^An awesome example of archival evidence (maybe not as much of allison's story but still of an interesting story nonetheless). As much as I like perusing the various strips she has illustrated out of the ether herself, more captivating to me are the images that are her recreations of actual images that have lasted from her childhood. For example, it's made clear that this image and the mother's passport photo are actual images reproduced, but what it took me longer to realize is that the images accompanying the chapter introductions are also real images (perhaps the borders should have made it a little more obvious to me, but at least I realized it before the end of the text). At first I wholeheartedly accepted these as solidifying factors that made her archive more real to me, but as I read on, the more and more I'm reminded of “The Portrait of Mr. W. H.” Some of her images seem to real to be true.
ReplyDeleteWhat first really got my attention was the dictionary definition of eighty sex on page 106. While I didn't quite catch on that she was being "86ed", it made sense upon reading the definition. However, on closer inspection, the definition includes a specific example of Chumley's bar where she was trying to get in!? Without a dictionary contemporary to the time, all I can say is the OED doesn't mention Chumley's, but I guess all in all that isn't reason to doubt. Nevertheless, the validity of subsequent inserts, like Dr. Spock's page on compulsion where it specifically addresses "making numbers come out even in some way, [or] saying certain words before going through a door" is drawn into question. It reminds of the question our guest speaker, Lokei, posed during our discussion of the Watermelon Woman, something to the effect of "How much evidence is required to prove a point?" At the time I thought, there is no limiting factor, you can provide as much as you want and any extra is just that, extra. However now, I tend to disagree. I guess that's one of the drawbacks of using a graphic means of conveyance; much as it was with the Watermelon Woman, there's the potential for visual images and a subsequent narrative to be faked.
Having said all that, it came up briefly in class for a graphic novel to unintentionally stifle the imagination since the images are laid out in front of you. At first I felt the same way, but then I began to think of the images as more than just a snap shot of what was going on. Most shots are centered around Allison, her mom, or her dad, but in each, what was going on just outside of the shot? We spoke in class about the issue of framing when constructing graphic novels, it's ultimately the author's decision what to include but perhaps what wasn't so important to the author would be to the audience. The issue of what was going on off-frame really comes out at the end of chapter four on page 120 when Allison makes a comparison between her dad's early 20's image and her own. She posits some interesting comparisons, but in the end, all they amount to are just unverifiable hypotheses.
I guess the point I'm trying to make is that whereas I originally thought graphic form allowed for more expression than that conveyed in simple text, it is important to remember to question the validity of what you are seeing; even more so in situations where what you are seeing is just a snap shot with more happening out of frame.
I definitely agree with you Travis about questioning the validity of our sight. And I think this is definitely shown during Allison's compulsive behaviors when she writes in her diary. So the almost nonexistent "I think" turns into mountainous (pardon the pun) symbols on her paper, just to ward out all the "bad spirits" they might bring to punish her for her mistakes (142). She says how no one will know what /you/ see except you. Nothing can be verified by anyone else but you and it's a really interesting situation, definitely. Maybe she left these things in the margins for us to see if we could identify with her, because maybe that compulsion is still slightly in her.
DeleteI also have to admit I have my own fair share of compulsive behaviors for my bedtime rituals. It's really weird and I don't understand it, but I guess I use it superstitiously to make sure I don't have a terrible day. Still, I guess it was something that helped me identify with Allison a bit more.
I agree with both of you on the idea of the graphic novel leaving the validity of the text kind of up in the air. What you guys are saying reminds me of what I once learned in a creative writing class a while back. We were taught that when you read and write, a person should always question whether or not the facts they are being presented with are 100% true, especially in the case of writing that is in first person. It's not only the framing in this case, but it might also be interesting to take into account the perceptions of our narrator. A lot of the stories we are hearing are from her childhood, and so we may also be a bit hindered to the truth of these matters by the time that has passed between the events and Bechdel's writing of the novel. This is not neccessarily a bad thing, but instead it could give us a chance to read further into the text, and gather our own clues by looking at what happened, and looking at it through Bechdel's eyes.
DeleteI like that you brought up her affinity for the phrase "I think". Looking back on my own comment, I use "I guess" three times. I would like to give myself a little slack since this is public blog and what I say is meant for other's consideration; it is more surprising to see such a phrase in a private diary. While maybe all she "could speak for was [her] own perceptions" (pg 141), that is all that should be needed for a little girl's diary. She has taken an action that is intended to be therapeutic and imbued it with all the harsh uncertainly the world can entail.
DeleteMy qualms with the potential for fakes in this medium aside, I love how successfully Bechdel crafts her origin stories to explain her later states of mind. Her first foray into poetry becomes a duet when her dad suggests the next line. She finishes the work off with her own illustration, but then the next scene shows us a moment when the dad stifles her desire to make the "canary-colored caravan" (pg 130) blue with an exclamation. The validation of their own work a growing child needs is never there, even the mom asks not to be bothered with approached by young-Allison. It may be kind of a stretch, but I think this is partly why her rituals to accomplish things become so complicated. Once all the drama of making a decision shifts to elaborate rituals rather than the outcome, the fulfillment that should come from an accomplishment seems muted, such as her inability to enjoy her mother reading to her while she was in the tub (pg 142). Bechdel ends the chapter with a sort of coming to terms moment. Leading up to the conclusion, the mother had stepped in to help ease little Allison's anxiety. The final image of a sunset smeared with "infinite gradations of color" (pg 150) portrays a current day Bechel's acceptance of reaching a shared point with her father. While it probably didn't seem too significant to her at the time, being able to look back to a point when they both could agree on a symbolistic uniting of "infinite" diversity will help Bechdel focus on remembering her father in a positive light.
I'm going to go ahead and start a new train of thought about the content of Chapters four and five. As this story progresses, I've noticed that we already have the gist of the book. Bechdel had a dysfunctional relationship with her father who then came out as gay and died. Therefore I find it hard to picture a future climax or typical plot line. Rather Bechdel goes back in each chapter and fills us in with more detail and information about the events leading up to the death of her father. What I found particularly fascinating about these chapters is that we begin to see where Bechdel and her father compensate for each others lack of stereotypical gender roles. And how they long for the same things but in ways that are fitting to both of their hidden sexualities. For instance on page 99 where they are both admiring a man in a suit in and advertisement. While Allison wants the suit to wear for herself, her father wants the man in the suit for himself.
ReplyDeleteKelsea I know what you mean. I thought to myself, 'well since the dad is dead now, where is the story going to go?' It seemed like that was the grand climax of the story maybe it will remain so, but I find it interesting that Bechdel keeps going back in time and recounting stories with her father. To me it seems that she is still fixated on his death and is trying to work through it by remembering the times they spent together, no matter how awkward or nonchalant they may have been. This is in contrast to chapters 2/3 when she arrives for the funeral and her and her family are all very apathetic towards the whole event.
DeleteWhat I find most interesting about biographical texts is that, typically, they lack a definite climax. I think this is largely due to the fact that a person's life is an accumulation of a great many different stories, each with their own rising and falling action, each with their own climax and resolution. If you notice, "Fun Home" contains a number of different vignettes, which the author subsequently ties together with an over-arching omni-present first person narrative. The latter bit of that point is unique to graphic novels in that we not only view the life of Alison unfolding as third parties, but also have access to the author's monologue as well. Stylistically, I think this piece provides us a two-for, and I'm glad I'm validated by what you saw, Kelsea. I think I mentioned while reading "Zami" that I'd noticed the lack of climactic action, and I whole-heartedly believe it to be a trend of the genre.
DeleteWhat you're saying about already having the gist of the book early reminds me of a discussion I frequently get into with my friends. While I've never really been bothered by "spoilers" when it comes to stories, they firmly argue otherwise, often getting furious if I let something slip that they haven't come across yet. Too me, its not so much about the destination the story will eventually reach, but rather the journey that leads up to it. To be honest, when I first started reading full-length novels way back in the day, I could never make it past page 40-50 without flipping to the end and reading the last page.
ReplyDeleteWhile Fun Home may have seemingly worked itself into a typical plot line that will necessitate Allison's reaching some level of acceptance with her father's sexuality, the degree of that acceptance and what implications it has on the rest of her life and relationships is still very much up in the air for me. While chapter 3 showed us her (relatively) comfortably immersed in her sexuality with Joan, chapter 4 takes us back to the beginning; showing us her confusion with her own body during puberty (pg 109), as well as confusion to the body of the "truck-driving bulldyke" (pg 119) when she "didn't know there were women who wore men's clothes and had men's haircuts" (pg 118). It is interesting that one of her first introductions to queer life could have been with her father; whereas if he had been open with her about his own sexuality he could have eased her transition into queer life, his rough questioning "is THAT what you want to look like?" could only be met with a simple, child-like "no" on Allison's part. To me this is one of the biggest things Allison will need to terms with before she can come to terms with her father, and I look forward to seeing how the story plays out.
I also thought the corresponding personalities of Bechdels father and herself were really interesting point in the story, and it feels kind of sappy to say that I was sad that maybe something that could've brought them closer actually drove them farther apart. If circumstances were somehow different, they could use what they had felt were their own short comings to help each other. Of course, its not like father can be really open about his sexuality to his kids. In that sense I think thats why Bechdel is searching for any other connection to her father, even if that connection is herself being the cause of his proposed suicide. Sure, she can probably tell from his attitudes that having kids wasn't exactly on her fathers bucket list, but learning that he was gay probably drove the idea home. No matter what the circumstances, no kid ever wants to think their parents didn't want them.
ReplyDeleteI felt the same way watching them interact; it's hard to watch two characters so clearly struggling against hetero-normative standards and not to route for the "shared queerness" Mike mentioned in his comment. The two seem so staggeringly at odds, but their shared queerness creates the scene Kelsea mentioned on page 99. They both stare longingly at the advertisement for their own queer reason. However, the dad's feminizing effect clashes with young-Allison's masculinizing attempts to define herself.
DeleteIt almost gives me the idea of a yin and yang type relationship. Her mention of the term "invert" on page 97 reinforced this idea in my mind. It is almost as if invert has been taken to another level. Instead of it just referring to her as a "person whose gender expression is at odds with his or her sex" (pg 97), her inversion is seemingly drawn specifically against her dad's own inversion. As both try to stand at such polar opposite points, it is inevitable they both try to convert the other when they meet, as seen on page 99.
The whole thing reminds of adding in math with positive and negative numbers. If two opposites come together (for example, a queer individual coming out to their straight family) the result could be either positive or negative, it just depends on the individuals. However, two distinct, queer forces coming together don't seem to summate together like two negatives to form something greater. In my mind, it seems it should be easier for a queer-identifying child to relate to another queer character. Nevertheless, their situation has taught me this is not always the case and highlighted another aspect of queer relations I had not really considered before.
Though it's not entirely true that they couldn't get along because of their sexualities, I think. Actually, It was almost kind of ironic how once he found out that his daughter was a lesbian, Bechdel's father seemed, in her own words, "pleased" (77). It was almost like he finally understood, and was happy there was a reason that she wasn't his perfect image of a little girl. I think he was also sort of looking for something in a way, maybe trying to convince himself that it wasn't his fault that he and his daughter were at odds with each other all the time.
DeleteEvery time I return to this book, I recall something a gay male friend of mine once said. He told me that I was the only lesbian he'd ever met that he liked, and that gays, in general, were never two fond of their female counterparts. I don't know that I agree with him on every count, but I see in Alison's relationship with her father how that might come into being as a stereotype. Despite their shared experience in terms of gender non-conformity and subsequent alienation, I think that their personalities, likes, and dislikes drove them apart. Simply by virtue of who they were, they were destined to have a love-hate relationship. Overall, I don't understand the father's psychology. He's confounding as a character. All I know is that I don't see opposites attracting in this case. Nor do they cancel each other out, as my little sister so innocently proposed as possible if a gay and lesbian were to date each other. They don't complete each other. I feel that a lesbian sees in a gay man a need to be everything she is trying to avoid, particularly if he is femme and she is butch. The same is true in the opposite direction. Overall, a fascinating illustration of the "opposing queer forces" and Travis so aptly puts it.
DeleteI kind of noticed the similarities in personalties between Bechdel and her father as well. It's hard to draw a picture of this from the animations because they all often look a little depressed and down, but throughout the story stories I feel like alot of their reactions to situations seems to be pretty similar. I think no matter how terrible a relationship with a parent may be, a child and eventually adult will always want some type of acceptance and bond with their parents. However, I'm not sure if she draws this connection as a result of their shared queerness, or as a result of her fathers depression and unhappiness which I think had a negative effect on the entire family. I'm leaning more toward the queer side of things as the link that she is drawing between them. Although she calls her dad a fag, and sometimes seems kind of disgusted with his sexuality, I think some scenes such as the one when they're looking at the model in the book show that although they are different, they're the same in some weird twisted way.
ReplyDeleteAs you said, even an adult will still look for ways to share bonds with their parents, and I wonder, for Bechdel, how much of that has to do with the fact that her father died, and that she feels in some ways responsible for it. While they share being queer and her father’s emotional state did impact the family, I’m curious as to whether Bechdel feels the need to reconcile these issues or attempt to make connections with be them only because she feels guilty and/or because there is no longer the opportunity to attempt to forge new connections.
DeleteI also think it’s interesting that you said Bechdel seems disgusted by her father’s sexuality – I felt more that she seemed to resent it. She spend her childhood having her creativity and personality rejected and corrected by her father, and just when she thinks she has something that is “hers” and prepares to share it with her family, her father steals her thunder again, [Bechdel’s mother] making his sexuality a shocking revelation for her, and preventing Bechdel from receiving the response she anticipated from her mother.
As I read further into the chapters I got more depressed each time I started reading. Though this is my first time reading a graphic novel and I find it really interesting and entertaining, I really sympathized for Bechdel. It seems like her whole family is disconnected with one another. She has a lot of similarities to her Dad but as she states in one of the chapters, she is making up for her dad's lack of masculinity whilst he is making up for her lack of femininity. They both seem confused but they don't know how to reach out to each other. I couldn't help disliking her dad though for the way he handled a lot of situations. And her mom infuriates me with the way she treats Bechdel.
ReplyDeleteAgain, referring to what was said earlier about framing, I sometimes can't help but wonder if we're really getting the full view of her parents, especially her mother. Don't get me wrong, I don't think Bechdel was lying in anyway, and her mother was pushing my buttons as well, but I also woder if because we're seeing past memories through an already dark piece if something is being lost from each of the characters. Maybe its just the optimist in me trying to find the light, but I can't help but focus on the short times we see her parents showing effection or humor. For instance, in the earlier chapters, Bechdel's mother says to her daughter "I'm a vampire" (34). I'm not sure why I paid so much attention to this comment, but I think maybe it's because it added a bit of humor and personality to an otherwise bland woman. For second she was joking around with her daughter. So later when she talks about kicking the kids out and never wanting to see them again, I kind of wonder, or maybe hope, if it's her showing that same straight-faced sarcasm and that she can be like that with them at other points of the book.
DeleteI would definitely have to agree with you there shannon. After completing the book, I'm not sure if we actually got a full view of what was actually going on in the family. Since its from Bechdels point of view, it is solely based on her reactions to what occurred, and there is a chance that it wasn't all factual. And for this reason, regarding the Bechdels marriage, I think its kind of difficult to say she should have done this or he should have done that. Theres no way for Alison to really know what happened behind closed doors between the two of them. It's possible that there was love there, if not for eachother, then definitely for the family as a unit.
DeleteThe ultimate question I found myself wondering was if Allison thinks that her father’s queerness somehow lead to her own. I mean, I’ve asked a lot of gay people if they think they are born gay or if they believed something in their environment conditioned them to turn gay and I’ve gotten both answers. At times, I thought it was obvious that his homosexuality factored into Allison’s, especially when the whole they “compensate for each other’s lack of stereotypical gender roles” as Kelsea put it came into play. But I’m still not 100% and I don’t know if Allison is sure either.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a good point Jessica, As someone who believes that people are born gay I also started wonder where Allison wasn't getting at involving all the parallels she was drawing between herself and her father. Although I dont think people can influence whether or not someone is gay, I do think our environment has something to do with how we portray that gayness. As an example, I probably wouldn't describe myself as a queen, but growing up with all my girl cousins i probably have a few more feminine qualities than normal. Likewise I think that its possible to assume that maybe bechdels over masculinity is a result of "compensating" for her fathers.
DeleteI think that believing Allison’s father’s homosexuality factors into Allison being a lesbian is mostly the result of attempting to overcome an availability bias – if homosexuality is genetically programmed, what are the odds that both a father and his daughter are gay? Being gay is already a minority status, so for it to occur naturally in two closely related individuals make it tempting to consider the possibility that Allison’s homosexuality plays off her father’s. However, considering the population at large, the likelihood of two family members both being homosexual is much more plausible; I think it’s just seeing it in such close scope that makes it seem strange. Even Allison seems to briefly contemplate her lesbian status as it relates to her father being gay.
DeleteThat being said, I do think it’s entirely possible that the extent to which Allison displays exceedingly masculine behavior is a means of compensating for her father’s feminine behavior, so I wonder not whether Allison would be a lesbian if she had a straight father, but if she would’ve been as “butch” is the absence of the oppressive kind of off-putting femininity her father displays.
Well even from an early age, Alison identified more closely with masculine traits. So I'm not entirely sure it stemmed for her wanting to compensate for her fathers lack of masculinity since she could not completely comprehend or even know that her father was homosexual until right after his death. However, maybe in her older age, she began to re-evauluate exactly where all of her feelings and emotions came from.
DeleteIf indeed Alison and her father are one in the same, then why is it that Alison had the strength to come out the closet while her father did not? Its not like people (at least his wife) didn't know that he was gay. So what exactly was her father afraid of that Alison was not? I think if we take a deeper look into the aesthetics of their relationship and maybe find out a little more about her father, we would be able to effectively answer this question
It really is no wonder to me that Alison goes through her coco-puffs phase of neurosis and obsessive-compulsion. The repression in her family is stifling. Unsurprisingly, this has emerged as a pattern among the literature we've explored during the course of this class. The psychological results of that sexual and gender repression are equally saddening and fascinating. Almost every character about whom we've read has possessed some form of neurotic tic. I see, now, where Freud gets his correlation between "inversion" and neurosis. I know I have certain neurotic compulsions. (Let's see how many times I can use the word "neurotic" and its derivatives in one post!) It makes me wonder what kinky insanity the mother is into. And have we mentioned the siblings? There is so much dysfunction in this home that is makes me as, just a reader, start climbing the walls. I was chewing holes in the ceiling to try and get out by the time I reached chapter five. Not going to spoil the ending for anyone, but it doesn't really get any better. #danandterrylied
ReplyDeleteI would like to point out the depiction of Bechdel's mother with respect to her relationship with her husband. As Shannon implies, I think paying attention to her mother is as important as analyzing the father. Mother's lack of emotions like stern face and eyebrows pointing inwards shows distant and somewhat disgusted look toward her husband. Dull and tired smiles adds the atmosphere of detachment. For example, in pg 105, when they are driving over the bridge, mother's face tilting away and looking aimlessly outside serves as a good indication of her relationship from the rest. On top of that, the physical distance of mother from rest of the family is seen throughout the novel as well.
ReplyDeleteHowever, most of what i make out of the mother is from conjectures; there aren't many evidences to create a concrete picture of the mother as the novel emphasizes on father and daughter relationship. As the intimacy between Joan and Bechdel is revealed, so is father's. Thus, the twist of Bechdel and her father relationship becoming from seemingly contrasting to identical stands on top as a climax of the story as Kelsea brought up.
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ReplyDeleteAn image, or archive, rather that is still engraved into my mind is that of the "bulldyke" on pages 118-119 that Alison has never seen before but feels that she knows. The father seems to read her mind by asking premonitorily "is THAT what you want to look like?." I can't help but think that the woman, who can arguable be labelled 'future Alison,' looks incredibly genuine and approachable, especially for a truck driver, who is normally pictured as dirty. In addition, Alison's "surge of joy" when she sees the woman is very easy to relate to. It's as if she now understands, even if only subconsciously, that there is the option to live the way she wants. She may be alone and look like a "bulldyke" but perhaps she can avoid the huge identity burden that her father was never able to release until after his death.
ReplyDeleteOn a different note, we should watch this. It's awesome and reminiscent to the Lost Bois:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVBg7_08n0&feature=my_liked_videos&list=LL8fDDj52sNj3yu20ezFkZtg
I was really excited when Alison began to talk about her OCD. I've actually just recently been learning about this in another class, and it aligns with her character very well. This might be one of the first ways I related to these characters, because I suffer from pretty bad OCD myself. It works the same way that an addiction gives you comfort, and helps you avoid or repress emotions or feelings that you don't want on the surface. It makes perfect sense that Alison gets caught up in this.
ReplyDeleteI was also excited when Alison began to explain her OCD. The way it was described made me wonder if I had it myself. I'm not sure if I actually suffer from it but I do find myself doing a lot of the same things Alison did. Because of the family situation that she was in and her feelings about herself and not having a connection to any one person, I can see why Alison turned to OCD. It was the only that she had control of.
DeleteI think what I like most about this book is that is has pictures. (How cliché, I know) but the way the visuals match up with the words are more than I could have ever imagined. The description of her mothers fading happiness is evident through the pictures of her passport pictures and even within the dialogue of the passing years. The mother looks extremely unhappy and I cant help but wonder why she decides to stay with the husband even after she finds out that he is homosexual. However, through the visuals, I am not left to wonder exactly how different the mother actually looked. Through Alison's drawings, I can see the changing scenery and the changing emotions. Not only on her mother but on all of the characters which as a reader, I can appreciate.
ReplyDelete