Fun Home - An Autobiographical Novel By Alison Bechdel

Fun Home a graphic memoir tells a story written by author Alison Bechdel narrating over images of her childhood. The use of illustrations allows readers to view and understand the story from the author's perspective which helps provide readers with a sense of what is immediately happening. It is able to demonstrate to readers on how one's family may differ from another, and not every family is perfect. Fun Home provides the audience with the major theme of illusion versus reality. In the graphic memoir, Bechdel illustrates the illusions of her family's troublesome realities by demonstrating the actions of her father, and the nature of her home. Bechdel's powerful memoir starts off with a scene of the writer as a young girl playing airplane with her father, Bruce. With her chest on her father’s feet, she says: “In the circus acrobatics where one person lies on the floor balancing another are called Icarian games.” (Bechdel 3). She uses this childhood game to show the comparison between her relationship with her father and the mythical relationship between Daedalus and Icarus.

The story of Daedalus and Icarus comes from a Greek myth which alludes to the relationship between the family. This myth tells the tale of a father and son who are in locked in a tower and Daedalus creates wings for his son, but tells him not to go near the sun or they will melt; however, he does not listen and falls into the ocean dying. Ironically when Bechdel falls to the ground it tells the story of her father actually falling to his death. This story is similar to Bechdel and her father in the opening scene; as chapter one goes on readers learn the kind of person Bruce is, for example, he was into younger boys and would sleep with them or the fact his family were not allowed to make any comments on how Bruce looked, because it would cause his temper to raise and a breakdown to occur. Readers can infer that Bechdel believes her life to be a reality which is ironic as the title is Fun Home. Her life is all but fun; as she states her house is: “just a house” (Bechdel 5) due to the fact her friends think her house is a mansion.

Clearly from this image it is not, readers know a mansion to be big and fancy; however, the image of the house does appear to be big. The fact that the narrator says her house is just a house shows readers every house really is ordinary; whether it is big or not, and it is what happens on the inside what really matters. Nobody knows what goes on in someone's home and Bechdel tells her story and the troubles faced which are her reality. The reality of Bechdel’s s life is the nature of her home with her family members. Bruce, Bechdel’s father was never a caring father and he seems to play the role of a master rather than a father. Although every families nature of their home is different it is evident Bechdel’s home has gone through some obstacles. Evidently, it seems to be natural for Bruce to hit his children when something does not go the way he wants. He has his son putting up a Christmas tree by himself directing orders, clearly his son is struggling but does not care to help. His son says: “Don’t hit me” (Bechdel 11) allowing the readers to infer hitting is a natural occurrence in the family.

Even though it is clear Bruce works very hard by fixing up the house or using his crafty skills it does not justify for his attitude as: “His burst of kindness were incandescent as his tantrums were dark.” (Bechdel 21). It goes to show how life behind closed doors can differ, and Bechdel does an excellent job portraying her family on the reality of what life could be like for some families. Fun Home is a novel that illustrates Bechdel journey of discovering the difference between illusion and reality. The hardships her family had to go through due to her father and the simple nature of her home. As she grows up she understands her father's death and how her home can be an appearance to the reality of life.