Bruce the "Antihero" to Alison
Although Bruce often aligns with those of a traditional antagonist, Alison doesn’t resent him in her story about him. Alison’s narration presents him in a more nuanced light. Even when he engages in affairs with younger men, “Your father had affairs with other men”(Bechdel 58); neglects his family, and imposes impossibly high standards on their home(Bechdel 11), “when Alison does not reduce him to a simple villain. A good example is when they share a moment in the kitchen: “The gay group at school is picketing that movie cruising.” “Why?” “Uhh... I dunno. I guess because it has, like, bad stereotypes,” “snort” (Bechdel 218). This moment represents Bruce and Alison’s connection as she finds her sexuality throughout the book and finds out his sexuality in different pieces, such as this moment they are sharing.
Another example would be when Alison is in the car with Bruce, having an awkward but memorable conversation with each other. This scene stands out because, despite Bruce’s emotional distance throughout much of her childhood, it is one of the few times they openly acknowledge their shared experiences. Bruce opens up about his past relationships with men in a way that feels both confessional and restrained. Alison, in turn, grapples with the complexity of the moment—she wants to reach out, to understand him fully, but there remains an unspoken distance between them.
In the end, Bruce Bechdel’s character serves as a reminder that antiheroes are not simply figures of wrongdoing, but individuals whose flaws and struggles make them compelling in.
You are right, even though Bruce committed crimes, cheated on his wife, lied to his family, Allison still portrays him as a complex character, a antihero, even though he did bad things. She really wanted to connect with him, as they both shared issues with their sexuality, but he didn't wish to connect with her about that. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteI guess in Bruce's case, even an anti-hero is a hero, a hero that has failed in trying to find what they want and now gives insight to the next generation (Alison). Bruce never had the same freedom Alison did, but they share an unspoken connection due their similar thoughts and ideas when they were young. While Bruce had his flaws, he became the hero that Alison never wanted but needed.
ReplyDeleteI've not seen this new cover for _Fun Home_ before--they keep changing the cover image from the one I have, which is the original 2006 edition. I like this one--the "spot of airplane" scene that opens the novel nicely reflects the Daedalus/Icarus ambiguity about their relationship that persists throughout the book, and which is at the heart of what you write about here.
ReplyDeleteThat scene in the kitchen is ambiguous, though: on one hand it clearly reflects this potential for a new kind of honesty between father and daughter, as they tiptoe around the subject but also acknowledge it--Alison is pointedly talking to him about the Gay Student Union at college and their organized protest of a harmful antigay stereotype promoted by a Hollywood movie. But his reaction ends up completely shutting her down, as his "Snort!" suggests a dismissive attitude toward the protest, and toward the wider reality it implies--he seems to say, "Yeah, good luck with that!" as if the protest is pointless and a little trivial. It connects to Bruce's whole "I'm not a hero" thing, but in this moment, WE can see Alison using it as a way to broach the larger subject--to actually get Bruce talking about issues of sexuality and representation and stereotypes, which could easily lead to more personal subject matter. Alison is opening a door for him here, but he chooses to shut it again. Of course, neither of them knows this is one of the last chances they'll have to engage in this discussion, so it feels like a painful missed opportunity.