Month: September 2019

Bechdel’s comical representation of a global Issue in “Fun Home”

PG 72

On Bechdel’s parent’s trip to Germany, we get to see one of the only times “Father” expresses emotion, which lead to what seemed to be verbal domestic abuse. Father’s choice of insults creates the comical effect here, as “crazy” is not a proper insult for people that can’t read maps, “imbecile” or “idiot” on the other hand would be a lot more accurate. This deliberate word choice is to paint a picture of a man in utter rage and losing all self control. We can also observe the facial expressions of the mother when walking out of the car. She appears intimidated and wry. The ironic comparison between the bravery shown by walking out on a husband and the fearful expressions brushes over the difficulty for people in toxic, and abusive relationships to extract themselves set in the scenes of domestic abuse. We can also project the idea of using a self-bolstering action to mask inner insecurities onto the father. He acts as a dictator inside the house and the family, only to never be able to come out to his family. This to a degree creates a satirical power dynamic of social consensus-father-mother.

 

Gianina wrote”Just when Alison feels as though she is finally becoming her own person and establishing her unique identity by deviating from the social norms at the time and coming out as lesbian, she is once again seen as being resemblant of her father. It is almost as if she has had a piece of her identity stolen from her.” I did not think about the idea of estranged parent and child would change the concept of sharing an identity to stealing. In a normal family coming out of the closet with your father would be comforting and supportive for each other, but it was disappointing in a dysfunctional family like Bechdel’s.

Behaviours of emotionally intelligent people that I should improve on

I should improve by learning to disconnect, not let my mistakes hold me down, and learn to give while expecting nothing in return. I should know when to stay at a distance from the heat of a debate or disagreement. I should extract myself from the difficulties once in a while to get me in a  better mood to deal with them. I should focus on what I did wrong when I made my mistake and how to not make these mistakes again in the future instead of dwelling over the consequences of my mistakes. I need to be more altruistic in group works without being overly compromising, and this would make me an easier person to work with.