March 24, 2011

Initial Reactions to Fun Home by Allison Bechdel

I haven’t read a graphic novel before, seems kind of interesting. From the beginning I noticed that the father seems detached from the daughter, based upon the blank facial expression on his face in the illustrations. The family lives in a Victorian home built in 1962, and the father is very handy in trying to re-store the house to its Lumber-Era Glory. There are other siblings that are introduced later in the story. I have the impression that the parents have a withdrawn relationship with each other. It strikes me that the father is more interested in restoring the home in which the family lives in as opposed to being interested in the family dynamics/ He treats the children like furniture and the furniture like children.

The father and mother have reversed roles in the home. The father bathes Allison and dresses her and her mother is not included in any of the illustrations. The father has sex with teenage boys, which shocked me! Because he tries to give the allusion that the family is happy and they’re not.

This entire family isn’t physically expressive at all. Such a shame