Through the use of literary allusion and the unique yet complex relationship between a father and daughter, the author of the graphic novel Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, Alison Bechdel, was able to capture and represent a father’s internal struggle of identity between the expected society's gender roles and perspectives versus his very own.Within this graphic novel, Alison Bechdel’s father goes through a long struggle with the identity he wants to present on the inside and the identity that society believes he should uphold on the outside. His daughter Alison goes through a similar process of the struggle with the identity she wants to present and the identity her father forces her to present. Bruce utilizes his relationship with his daughter
…show more content…
Alison Bechdel saw the resemblance and connection to both Bruce and Jay Gatsby by describing “Gatsby’s self -willed metamorphosis from farm boy to prince is in many ways identical to my father’s.” (Bechdel 63) She also explained ”Like Gatsby, my father fueled this transformation with “The colossal vitality of his illusion.”Unlike Gatsby, he did it on a school teacher’s salary.My father even looked like Gatsby, or at any rate, like Robert Redford in the 1974 movie.” (Bechdel 64) With the background knowledge of reading the novel The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald, one can see the connection between Bruce and Jay Gatsby.Jay Gatsby unfortunately wasn’t who he appeared to be and his life was merely a facade just to win the likes of others. He distorted the figurative lines of reality and fantasy. In his inability to recognize and see the truth,it ultimately led him to act as well as behave in self destructive and critical ways. It ultimately showed the struggles and pains one goes through of …show more content…
Even though they are extremely similar, they are unable to generate an immense and strong bond amongst each other due to their reserved personalities and their level of divergence and rebellion in proposing their true outside gender identity. Bruce tends to express and display traits in a feminine matter through Allison since he denies his true identity. Alison on the other hand tends to display traits in a masculine matter and admits that she has been “a connoisseur of masculinity.” (Bechdel 95) since she was a little girl. Even though Bruce and Alison share many similarities, their actions based on the limits of society views on gender roles and identity creates and evoke tensions between them. Alison struggles to emphasize her masculinity while Bruce struggles to prevent her from expressing it and forces his feminine traits on her. There were numerous times Bechdel remembered and stated how Bruce scolded her for her appearance if she was not dressed to his girly and lady like expectations. Alison even believed that he was projecting his very own desires and wishes onto her by calling him a sissy, but also understanding why he couldn't see his desires in
Alison Bechdel saw the resemblance and connection to both Bruce and Jay Gatsby by describing “Gatsby’s self -willed metamorphosis from farm boy to prince is in many ways identical to my father’s.” (Bechdel 63) She also explained ”Like Gatsby, my father fueled this transformation with “The colossal vitality of his illusion.”Unlike Gatsby, he did it on a school teacher’s salary.My father even looked like Gatsby, or at any rate, like Robert Redford in the 1974 movie.” (Bechdel 64) With the background knowledge of reading the novel The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald, one can see the connection between Bruce and Jay Gatsby.Jay Gatsby unfortunately wasn’t who he appeared to be and his life was merely a facade just to win the likes of others. He distorted the figurative lines of reality and fantasy. In his inability to recognize and see the truth,it ultimately led him to act as well as behave in self destructive and critical ways. It ultimately showed the struggles and pains one goes through of …show more content…
Even though they are extremely similar, they are unable to generate an immense and strong bond amongst each other due to their reserved personalities and their level of divergence and rebellion in proposing their true outside gender identity. Bruce tends to express and display traits in a feminine matter through Allison since he denies his true identity. Alison on the other hand tends to display traits in a masculine matter and admits that she has been “a connoisseur of masculinity.” (Bechdel 95) since she was a little girl. Even though Bruce and Alison share many similarities, their actions based on the limits of society views on gender roles and identity creates and evoke tensions between them. Alison struggles to emphasize her masculinity while Bruce struggles to prevent her from expressing it and forces his feminine traits on her. There were numerous times Bechdel remembered and stated how Bruce scolded her for her appearance if she was not dressed to his girly and lady like expectations. Alison even believed that he was projecting his very own desires and wishes onto her by calling him a sissy, but also understanding why he couldn't see his desires in