Analysis Of The Use Of Illustration In Fun Home By Alison Bechdel
Alison Bechdel’s realistic memoir, Fun Home: A Family Tragomic is an honest account of her life. The book is centered around Helen and Bruce’s role in Alison Bechdel’s life. Bechdel bases her story on the sad event of the death of her father. Following her journey as a child and young adult to discover her lesbian sexuality. She also reveals her father Bruce’s (no-doubt) suicide. Graphic novels and comics are often viewed as less important or modern than traditional books. This is because they use outlines rather than long messages to convey their message.
The combination of illustrations and texts in graphic novel is also mind-blowing. It gives me a chance to look at the various ways content and images can cooperate. This paper will explore the various ways that Alison Bechdel used illustrations in her memoir Fun Home. Through an examination of several entries from the novel, I hope to demonstrate how illustrations enhance the text. They do this by revealing the idea that Alison has with her father Bruce. Also, the use of exact symbolism mirrors that of the text. This paper will also include a discussion on the style of art and its influence on whether you decide to read a book.
In their interaction, Alison’s and Bruce’s connection becomes more apparent. Take, for example, their discussion on pages 84 to 86 about how they are separated from reality and it’s cold, and their scene in the car as they drive to the movie on page 220 to 221, which shows the battle that it is to portray their incredible likenesses. It is possible to find the precise symbolism of the text when you compare the first two scenes. They both show Alison at a young age, looking like she is in flight, while Bruce and Alison are linked to Icarus’ myth.
Alison has a unique perspective of the world. You can learn more about her by looking at how she portrays masculinity or femininity. She depicts herself in the book as a masculine character, which was also interesting to me because she said that she disliked girly clothes.
This is when, after examining the Fun Home text and outlines, you can gain more insight into Alison’s relationship with Bruce. This is evident in the scene that occurs between Bruce and Alison, as I mentioned earlier. Alison ponders her dad’s secretiveness, describing how he prefers fiction to reality, and how his demise is similar to F. Scott Fitzgerald. It’s as if Bruce arranged the whole thing. Bruce is a mysterious figure to Alison. She has no idea what his inner life is, and she cannot enter it. Alison is seen asking Bruce for money in the photos to buy books. For a father-daughter pair, they are both remarkably cold. They barely say anything to one another and make no eye contact.
Bruce doesn’t look upwards from his book. It’s a biography on Fitzgerald’s spouse, Zelda. Alison is completely unconcerned by the questions and quality of Bruce’s work. He’s surrounded by books, rocking in his chair, and looks engaged. Bruce’s fixation is to write for her, despite his girlfriend. Alison has an outward appearance that is slightly heightened, as if she was afraid to address her father. As she writes the book’s content, she feels the same dissatisfaction at being cut out of her father’s world. The text doesn’t reflect what’s happening in the pictures, but both work together to convey one important message: Alison feels distant from her dad because he can be difficult to understand. The scene on pages 220 & 221, where they cautiously try to discuss their sexuality, is another scene that explores their relationship. The scene’s main text is their conversation and Alison’s feelings at that time. The squares are indistinct and create a feeling of anticipation. The scene’s format conveys the calmness and strength that she feels at that moment when she’s almost able to make an association between her dad. Both of them seem to be anxious as they move rapidly from one box into the next.
The identicality of these panels, beyond the text and appearances, is a reflection of Alison’s and Bruce’s similarity in this particular scene. It is evident that both Alison and Bruce have difficulty in communicating. However, they must open up. Even their facial structures and noses are shown in comparison, making it easier for the reader/audience when they’re drawn together on two pages.
When I see graphic novels like Fun Home, I am influenced by the quality of the work. Alison has been a master at making her graphic novels as realistic and authentic as they should be. Her style has been drawn in such a way as to be semi-practical without editing profanity. The style is simple yet noble, with new dull lines. Ignoring subtleties, illustrations convey storyline superbly. The style is neat and simple, but it changes a lot. Alison’s initial style was dark lines with various shades of blue. Darker shades of blue are used to portray depth and perspective. The first significant change in style occurs on page 41. The Addams Family image is found inside the book. It is utterly unique and blindingly different from the rest. Charles Addams was the original creator and illustrator of The Addams Family.
Page 107 is another page that has a distinct style. The style of the photo is completely different. The man is lying back, loose or snoozing in bed. The photo is hidden using cross-presentation. This photo appears strange and is different from the norm. The explosions of different styles were not enough to convey the character’s emotion. The characters’ appearances were worn-out at times when I predicted their mood. On page 182, Beth Gryglewicz & Alison decide to dress in the old clothes of Alison’s Dad. The two young ladies look tired or confused when they are trying on their outfits. This is not the feeling a teenager would have when sprucing themselves up in his parent’s clothing.
In Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel Fun Home the text interacts with the descriptions. Details in the illustrations help us understand Alison and Bruce’s connection and enhance the information we have gleaned from the text. The text is reinforced by the use of exact symbolism. Alison’s pictures are so detailed that we can now more easily understand what she is experiencing and how the characters in her life feel. The graphic novel and Fun Home in particular are fascinating, but incredibly different from the traditional novel. When done right, the combination of images and text creates a rich, multi-layered narrative.
