Fun Home

The fact that this story was a graphic one helped a lot when it came to reading and making sense of it. Since the novel tells the story of Bechdel’s childhood memories, and skips around a lot, the pictures help me to piece it all together. It’s interesting that we are able to see what she saw instead of just reading her retelling her story.
After our class discussion on Wednesday I looked more into the pictures in the novel, as well as their placement. I like the juxtaposition of certain photo. The pictures on the bottoms of pages 16 and 17, that we're pointed out in class show a lot about the Bechdel family. It goes well with the idea that the father treated his family like furniture. He wanted everything to be perfect. His attention was clearly always on the house and its components and never fully on his children or wife.
I reread the story of Deadalus and Icarus since Bechdel chose to use this Greek myth in regards to herself and her father. After reading both stories, I can see some and why Bechdel would use this comparison. Her father is Deadalus because they are both shut out from society, her father because of his hidden sexuality. But he was also so into his project of the wings, like her father an the house, that, as Bechdel questions on page 12, it is unclear as to if Deadalus really mourns Icarus or the wings.
Even though the story brings a main focus onto Bechdel's father, this helps to shed a lot of light on herself in my opinion. By looking at her fathers life, we are able to see the similar and dissimilar qualities that Bechdel and her father possess. Obviously they both struggle with their sexuality, but in different ways. Whereas Alison is open about it, her father is very secretive. They both turn to the idea of books, but her father buries himself in them while Alison goes out and finds people she can relate to as well.

Just some thoughts so far.