Given that this graphic novel is named Fun Home, the actual fun home aka funeral parlor is not actually talked about that much in the story. I think to Alison the concept of the “fun home” in relation to her father’s tragic storyline is more important than the actual funeral parlor that she spent her childhood working in. For example, the only reason why Alison’s father leaves Europe (and his possible coming of age/coming out) is because his own father passes and he needs to run the business. It ended up being a kind of trap for the father, as in a force that pulled him away from the big city where he could have fully realized his identity rather than hiding it. Going off of Alison’s hypothesis that her father committed suicide, then the end of his life could have very well been caused by his isolation in the small town of Beech Creek.
I think in Alison's eyes, the fun home caused her father’s death more than just literally, but also the death of his identity, morals, and maybe even happiness. The story that best highlights the way that Alison sees the change in her father, is the one that she and her siblings are obsessed with as kids when his mother puts him in the oven as a child after he is helplessly stuck in mud. Here is a short quote from the story:
It was that wet, pretty soon he couldn’t lift his little legs out of the mud… then I wrapped him in a quilt and put him in the oven (40-42).
This story really contrasts the isolation that her father seems to feel for much of his adult life, where there aren’t really people that he can rely on in the same way that he could in his childhood. The innocence of his childhood is washed away when we see him numbly trussing up cadavers in a basement, and the help he receives to free him from the mud as a child is gone when he no longer feels safe to be himself, and chooses to hide instead.
I say that the fun home caused the death of his morals because we see him do illegal things, like courting underage boys, because he is not able to court a man in public for a multitude of reasons. And I say the fun home also caused the death of his happiness because Alison’s father never seems to be truly happy with his life, although he puts a lot of effort into making it look like he is happy to anyone who may be watching. For example, the lovely architecture of their house disguises a disjointed and disconnected family. So in the end, the fun home is a hurdle that her father is just not able to overcome. And as Alison puts it, after her father allegedly commits suicide, he is “stuck in the mud for good this time” (54).
Wow, this was a very good analysis and brought up some points and details from early on in the story that I hadn't been thinking of at all - the more blog posts I read, the more I realize how well-crafted this book is and how many threads run from the very beginning of the story to the end. The short story of Alison's father as a child also kind of stuck with me, though, and this blog post has finally let me put my finger on the reason why that specific unusual moment of vulnerability is so interesting. Bruce lost all of the people and places who could have helped him out of his situation (both his general depression and his potential suicide), and I believe that Alison leaving could have definitely been a reason. There was absolutely no one left in Beech Creek who he shared something as personal with as he did with Alison, and so the last person who could have dragged him out of the mud was far away and busy with her own world.
ReplyDeleteThis is such an amazing and interesting analysis of the role of the fun home in Bruce’s story. While reading, I also found the connection to the fun home really interesting because it seemed like such a central aspect of the story and Alison’s childhood at first, but we don’t really see it come back in the latter half of the novel. It represents more of an idea than the physical place. I completely agree with your interpretation that the fun home was what caused Bruce’s death in a way. The death of his identity, morals, and happiness that you discuss really appeared to happen when he began to work in the fun home in Beech Creek.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis and discussion of the “stuck in the mud” story is super compelling too. While reading, I don’t think that I was able to grasp the complete meaning and significance of the story, and it faded from my mind by the end of the novel. However, after reading your post, I feel that I understand this story and its significance so much better and can see how it connects to the entire narrative.
Perhaps to Alison, the oven in the story could even be representative of Beech Creek too, a confined and cramped space that Bruce is forced into after he tries venturing out but isn’t able to progress further? I’m really not sure though! But, as you discuss, both the fun home and the idea of being “stuck in the mud” are central to Bruce’s story. Thanks for this awesome analysis!
This is a really interesting analysis. The fun home is an important symbol in the novel because of its significance in Alison and Bruce's stories (as you pointed out), but also because of its role in the central idea regarding their relationship that neither can flourish with the other's presence. The fun home is an integral component of the beginning of Alison's life and the end of Bruce's—it shaped both and in doing so, contributed greatly to the nature of their relationship.
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