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  • Essay / The portrait of Bruce Bechdel in "Fun Home"

    In the graphic novel "Fun Home" by Alison Bechdel, she talks about her family but more about her relationship with her father. She portrays her father as an emotionally disconnected man while trying to understand his habits. Bechdel talks about how the two are complete opposites and uses his images to replace some of the text. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Bechdel's father, Bruce, was an English teacher and World War II veteran. He loved literature and the aesthetics of surfaces. She portrays him as a very feminine man and recounts his obsession with flowers and artificial beauty of all kinds. This is seen through his constant obsession with repairing his house (Bechdel, 2006, p. 5). Bechdel explains that she feels that he “treated his furniture like children and his children like furniture” (Bechdel, 2006, p. 14). She calls it “the Daedalus of the setting” (Bechdel, 2005, p. 6), referring to Greek mythology when Daedalus created the labyrinth to trap the Minotaur. Bechdel returns to say that his father's obsession was trapping. People often got lost in the house because of the multitude of mirrors, statues and corridors (Bechdel, 2005, p. 20). Bruce does this intentionally to hide what he is truly afraid to reveal, the shame of his homosexuality. Due to her obsession with her house, Bechdel develops a distaste for all its ornaments and decorations, she considers them a lie (Bechdel, 2005, p. 16). She portrays her father as a skilled artificer, because not only does he hide the truth, but he uses this skill to make himself appear as something he is not. Just as he uses bronzer and makeup to appear younger or to appear more “perfect,” he uses his home and family to pose as the perfect father (p. 16, 17). However, in reality, he neglects his children and has multiple affairs with teenagers. He is a very strict man who lacks trust, love or room for error, which makes their home a very unpleasant place. However, Bruce gives Bechdel the basic needs of what a father should provide, but without depth or emotion. Bechdel explains how she and her father are complete opposites in many situations. “I was Spartan with my Athenian father. Modern at its Victorian. Butch to his Nelly. Utility for his esthete” (Bechdel, 2006, p. 15). One difference was that he used artifice to deceive others, while she used her art to tell the truth. In the novel, she often interrupts herself to ensure that the story she is telling comes from her experience and her own subjective understanding of situations, the opposite of what her father did. He is portrayed as a deceptive man who will do almost anything to make himself look better, no matter how others feel. Bruce was considered a very selfish man. Bruce's "story" can also be compared to Bechdel's. Although she was capable of openly expressing her sexuality and identity, Bruce never did. Bruce built walls and trapped himself to hide the truth. He had multiple affairs with his wife and abused his children. His actions were the result of his hidden shame. He never seemed okay or happy with who he was, but he was proud of his daughter for "coming out" and speaking out in such a critical time of judgment, which he didn't. never done. Bruce considered his daughter more of an intellectual companion than his daughter. as we age (Bechdel, 2006, p. 201). They both had a love for..