Analysis of Alison Bechdels Fun Home - Research Paper Example

Alison Bechdel’s "Fun Home" The Fun Home narrative is recursive and non-linear. The novel illustrates incidents in the light of new themes and information. The structure of Fun Home is described by Bechdel as a labyrinth. This is because, she goes through the similar material commencing from outside and delving in to the centre of the narrative. Bechtel reviews themes and scenes every now and then; she re-creates memories in which the force of attachment generates the structure of the memoir itself. Moreover, the structure of the memoir is derived from allusions to multiple dimensions of literature, such as the myth of the Greeks and visual arts. The life events in the family of Bechdel during her adolescent and childhood are effectively illustrated through this lens that is illusive. The narrative illustrates false and true miseries that surround family relations. The main focus of the Memoir is on the family of Bechdel’s and revolves around her relationship with Bruce, her father. Bruce Bechdel worked in Beech Creek as an English teacher and also acted as a funeral director. It is in this school where Alison together with her siblings was brought up. The title of the book originates from the funeral home nickname, from the family and also from the business of the family in which Bruce Bechdel was brought up and also worked. The phrase ironically refers to the tyrannical domestic policy set by Bruce Bechdel. The dual occupations of Bruce Bechdel reflected in Fun Home center on literature and death. The book commences with Bruce Bechdel exhibiting an obsession of restoring the Victorian home of the family. His desire to restore the home is correlated to emotional isolation from his family. The emotional distance is expressed by him in occasional bouts of coldness and abusive anger. Moreover, the emotional distance is also related to the tendencies of his personality that are homosexually closeted. Bruce Bechdel had engaged himself in homosexual relationships both while being in the military and as a school teacher with his high school students. Ironically, some of the students were his family friends. Two weeks after a divorce was requested by his wife, he was killed after joining the ways of “an oncoming Sunbeam Bread truck”. Despite the equivocal of the evidence, Alison Bechdel assumed that her father, Bruce Bechdel, had committed suicide. The narrative also illustrates the struggle by Alison Bechdel in dealing with her sexual identity. She reaches catharsis when she realizes that she is a lesbian. Alison Bechdel’s sexual development is frankly examined within the context of her memories, which include a lot of stuff one might not want to expose, such as her childhood diary transcripts, masturbation anecdotes and her sexual experiments with Joan, her girlfriend. Exhibiting common sexuality with her father, Bruce Bechdel, she also shared artistic learning with him, as well as tendencies that were marked with obsession and compulsion. However, their relationship tension was, to some extent, a result of the opposing aesthetic senses whereby each of them was dissatisfied with their assigned gender roles: “Not only were we inverts, we were inversions of each other. While I was trying to compensate for something unmanly in him, he was attempting to express something feminine through me. It was a war of cross-purpose, and so doomed to perpetual escalation” (Bechdel). On the contrary, before Bruce Bechdel’s death he had a conversation with his daughter Alison in which Bruce confessed history of his sexuality. As such, it is a partial representation of conflict resolution between daughter and father. In different parts of the book, Bechdel asks whether she was the main cause of her father committing suicide due to her decision to become a lesbian. The major theme in the play is sexual orientation. Bechdel narrates to the audience how she has embarked on a journey to discover her sexual orientation through books. Both Alison and her father exhibited some signs of homosexuality through their behavior, though they expressed them in a different manner. “I had been upstaged, demoted from protagonist in my own drama to comic relief in my parent’s tragedy” (Bechdel 58). This is after her father’s secret is revealed to her by her mother. Even though Alison and her father have experienced situations that are quite similar, they both respond to those situations differently. Alison accepts her sexuality and joins the meetings organized by the gay unions. On the other hand, her father Bruce is not open at all with regards to his situation because he is married and has a family. The coming out difficulties may be triggered by various factors. Some gay men and lesbians may decide to be closeted because of various situations, such as engaging in a relationship with a partner who is closeted, if an individual wishes to adopt children, for example. “Coming out of the closet” is a process by which a gay man or a lesbian accepts and recognizes his/her homosexuality. For some individuals, this process is straightforward and simple whilst others find it is extremely difficult. For all lesbians and gays it is viewed as a useful experience from which one can learn. Being open or closeted as to one’s sexual orientation is a complex issue that cannot be controlled by anyone (Lendsey 187). This is so because various sources of literature differ in reference to heterosexism level. In addition to that, the faculty of lesbian differs in how open they should deal with their sexual orientation. On the contrary, the faculty of women who are not married legally may face suspicions of being lesbian in spite of them being heterosexual. Nevertheless, those lesbians who have come out are often exposed to situations in which they are assumed to be heterosexual. There are numerous advantages associated with being out of the closet just like Alison. This is because, individuals who have identified themselves as lesbians won’t have to go on pretending as heterosexuals. As such, it will be extremely easy for them to comfortably respond to questions about their personal lives, such as their sexual lives. In addition to that, as professionals, they act as role models for lesbian and gay and also colleagues and students who are heterosexual. However, this can raise feelings that are ambivalent. For instance, the urge to respect an individual choice and also symbolizes a future that is not positive for the students upon completion of their graduate school. In the light of the above, there also exists negative consequences of coming out as a lesbian or gay man. However, majority of individuals have attitudes that are biased towards lesbians. In addition to that, some are highly informed when it comes to issues revolving around lesbianism. As stated by Rohrbaugh (115), persecuting lesbians is no longer an idea that is fashionable. With the existence of discrimination against gays and lesbians, being closeted is the only solution to directly contend with heterosexism. Sometimes it is difficult for homosexuals and lesbians to be closeted as some individuals are already aware of their sexual orientation. As in the narrative, Bruce Bichdel had hid his homosexuality but his wife new about it which he reveals to her daughter Alison. It is, thus, of great significance to comprehend that there various dimensions of coming out with regards to an individual sexual orientation. At an extreme end, no one has an idea that an individual is a gay or lesbian and the reverse is also true. For quite a period, gay men and lesbians have been coerced to hide their homosexuality making Bruce Bichdel be married and at the same time being a homosexual. The homophobic society has influenced them to deny individuals whom they love and their true identity. This has made gay men and lesbians to live with extreme fear such as fear for their jobs, rights to those whom they care for and also their lives in general. Coming out is viewed as a step that is great within the context of integration. It is viewed as a test of paranoia and fears about personal rejection. It strives towards a more honest, satisfying and full relationships. On the contrary, coming out not only solve problems but also create new ones. Coming out from disguise offers those who dare to do so a sense of reality with regards to their relationships, fears and love in their lives. It is confirmed that those who have decided to come out in whichever degrees have experienced increased self-esteem and relief via sharing their sexual orientation secrets. This has made it possible for individuals to document about ‘gay and lesbians’ personal accounts. “Coming out of the closet” is an issue that is being ongoing virtually in the lives of gay people. Coming out involves how individuals perceive themselves, how they handle their sexuality, how they structure their lives, the way they present themselves and their loved ones to their friends, families and their world. Coming out as a process comprises of many stages and individuals go through it quite often. Coming out not only means disclosing your secret to your parents, involving yourself in a gay organization, having a love affair with a gay or lesbian or relocating to the “gay ghetto” in the city. Individuals should understand that coming out is a continuous process by which individuals constantly deals with their integration and acceptance of their gayness within a society that is partially hostile and repressive. Arguably, some people are extremely private and conceive sexual orientation as a matter that is extremely personal. On the contrary, heterosexual individuals are very free and have no reservations about embracing each other in the public, putting on wedding bands or debating on issues related to their love lives. Majority of people have come to realize that all of us have the right and need to publicly and openly share and celebrate the relationship that love and form part of their lives. For some gay men and lesbians, the coming out process is an easy one. They experience no difficulty when it comes to accepting or recognizing feelings that are homosexual. For other people, the initial stages of the process are often more painful. This is because of the struggle by individuals to affirm themselves as gays. Similarly, some people are confined within situations where the existing reality requires their sexual orientation to be secretive and well-guarded. No matter the situation in an individual life, there exist those situations that impacts positively in the life of an individual. As such, decisions made require a consideration that is careful and one that involves risks. As a matter of fact, there are always real benefits in the form of mutual understanding that is deepened, improved communication, personal relationships that are honest, relief from fears that are painful as a result of rejection and a perfect contribution to dialogues in education with individuals who are not gay about their rights and lives. Such messages are aimed at helping gay people make responsible and realistic decisions about coming out to friends, relatives, parents and other influential people in their lives who are not gay. Conclusion The society we leave in is indoctrinated consistently with worst fears, stereotypes and myths about homosexuality. As a matter of fact, our societies are structured in a manner that it assumes that each and everyone is and a must to be heterosexual. Given such a condition, it is not amazing that individuals both young and old have come in terms with the gravest difficulties in accepting their feelings that are homosexual or orientation. This has made its guilt to be unwarranted and the pain can never be justified. The occasional suicides illustrate a fact that is tragic. Ideally, each and every one of us has the right to decide for him/her. As such, if an individual decides to identify him or her publicly or privately with other gay men or lesbians, it is up to him. As a matter of fact, an individual does not have to conform to the societal fads, stereotypes or expectations that are sub-cultural. In the process of coming out, an individual not necessarily need to abandon his or her friends who are not gay or his lifestyle. This is because, coming out means making decisions about an individual life and comprehending that each one of us has the right and the need to undertake particular decisions for himself or herself. In the light of the above, it is evident that lesbian and gay friends, church groups and organizations have been significant source of support for individuals in the coming out process. Some gay individuals hailing from minor communities or area that are rural have often experienced situations that are painful and associated with isolation. Individual’s decisions should be respected and there is no need to persecute lesbians and gay men in our societies. Works Cited Bechdel, Alison. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. New York: Houghton Muffin Harcout, 2006. Print. Lindsey, Elizabeth. “Re-examining Gender And Sexual Orientation: Revisioning The Representation Of Queer And Trans People In The 2005 Edition Of Our Bodies, Ourselves”. Journal of Re-examining Gender and Orientation, p. 184-189. Print. Rohrbaugh, Jeffersons. Issues confronting Lesbian Academics. Career Guide for Women Scholars. New York, Springer, 1986. Print. Read More