Alison’s sexuality in Fun Home is similar to her father's; the family is conscious about both sexualities, yet do not acknowledge it. In Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home very early in the book, both Alison’s and Bruce’s Sexualities are revealed. Both family members keep their sexualities hidden from the other family members. Alison admits on page 74 that she has been a feeling of doubt about her sexuality ever since 13 and she had seen the word “lesbian in her dictionary “ I'd been having qualms ever since I was 13.” Alison had been questioning her sexuality ever since a young age; But she only came to terms with her sexuality at the age of 19. Similarly her dad only came to terms with his sexuality after he married Alison’s mom. Eventually he came …show more content…
This outcomes in diverse activities to achieve their sexuality. Alison is open about dating Joan. She does not try to hide any aspect about her sexuality, either to her parents, or to herself. Bruce on the other hand, tries to hide his sexuality in every way possible. An example is when Alison and Bruce go on a trip to nyc. Bruce occasionally wanders off for unknown reasons. It is later revealed that he is ging of the hook up with other homosexuals visiting NYC for the bicentennial. A further example is Bruce’s nature of having illegal sex with teenage boys. He controls his anger of holding his secret inside. Alison does not need a secondary way to express her sexuality other than her usual sexual actions. Bruce also channels his anger into architecture and interior design. It is his way of conveying his energy and anger into a physical hobby. As Alison says “My father's death was a queer business, queer in every sense of the multi-valent word” to Alison her father's homosexuality was not known to her at the time. A further reason this instant queer is that Alison came out a short period before his death. She believes that her father could have committed suicide due to her sexuality. This is another example of Alison admitting her sexuality, while Bruce does not confess any one thing to Alison. Since Bruce cannot openly express his homosexuality, he has to channel his inner feeling into other activities —legal, or illegal— to release tension. Alison on the other hand is wholly tranquill. She is comfortable in her own skin, and does not desire activities to fill a hole in her
The Glee has been one of the most popular sitcoms in recent years. It was identified as a gay-friendly show on the mainstream TV station. The show breaks the boundaries and stereotypes that have been set and present audience with the real world of gay and lesbian. More specifically, the unique gay/lesbian characters representation in the show not only allows heterosexual people to have their finger on the pulse of homosexual culture but also resonates the homosexual audience.
In his most recent album, Kanye West raps, “Now if I fuck this model/ And she just bleached her asshole/ And I get bleach on my T-shirt/ I 'mma feel like an asshole.” He suggests that it is the girl’s fault for getting bleach on his tee shirt, which she only did to make herself more sexually appealing. This misogyny in hip-hop culture is recognized to bring about problems. For instance, the women around these rappers believe they can only do well in life if they submit themselves to the men and allow themselves to be cared for in exchange for physical pleasure. In her essay, “From Fly-Girls to Bitches and Hoes”, Joan Morgan argues that the same rap music that dehumanizes women can be a powerful platform for gender equality if implemented correctly.
On page 113 she tells her brother to call her a man's name instead of her name so that she could fit in as a boy, not a girl. “Call me Albert instead of Alison” (Bechdel 113). Whenever her brothers were looking at a naked women calendar Alison had the curiosity and need to look at it. That may have helped her realize that she was actually interested in women, not men. When she left for college she started to experience and putting in place her sexual orientation. She got a girlfriend which actually supported her during hard times in her life like her father’s
Amy Tan’s novel, The Joy Luck Club uses much characterization. Each character is portrayed in different yet similar ways. When she was raised, she would do whatever she could to please other people. She even “gave up her life for her parents promise” (49), I the story The Red Candle we get to see how Tan portrays Lindo Jong and how she is brought to life.
When they were in their mother's presence, they were happy, but still resent their mothers. Resenting their mothers for not being able to take care of them, they both ended up in an opposite appearance compared to their mothers. Roberta’s mother being religious and conservative led her to being freer about her sexuality. While Twyla’s mother was more open, she was more conservative, working a regular job, and having a normal family. Problems for women or anyone being able to express their sexuality can come from their upbringing.
Elizabeth Montgomery was an American actress who lived from 1933 to 1995. Of her five decades of work in the entertainment industry, her most renowned role was as Samantha in the comedic-fantasy TV series Bewitched which aired from 1964 to 1972. During the period when Americans were experiencing trying events such as the assassination of President John Kennedy and the civil rights movements, Samantha’s magical powers and almost perfect life served as a means for the stressed public to periodically dismiss reality. In real life, Elizabeth Montgomery was an empowered activist. However, this paper will explore the influence of social and cultural aspects in regards to gender and women’s leadership roles as observed through the character Samantha, which Elizabeth Montgomery developed and brought to life.
In chapter one, “Old Father, Old Artificer”, of her graphic novel Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, the young Bechdel generated her identity through the tensions and mysteries that engulfed her family the home. Masculinity, physical strength and a modern outlook were her personality traits as she grew, becoming the “Butch to [her father’s] Nelly” (269) and his opposite in several aspects. A conscious effort was made on her part to set her own pace from what her father expected of her. He was a strong, influential figure within her life. Expressing emotions towards her father was strictly not allowed in the home. Bechdel was left “rushing from the room in embarrassment” (273) on the one unforgettable occasion that she went to kiss him goodnight. She...
...within her household. Within her own household, Alison was uncomfortable of being herself; in fact, at times she felt that she almost had no say in the selecting items such as clothes. This was also quite complex when it came to her subjectivity as well. Instances such as the time Bruce wanted Alison to wear a particular dress to a wedding, or when he insisted for her to were a particular set of pearls, would play a pivotal role in her sexual self development. Other factors such as her relationship with her girlfriend and the news she would find out following her fathers death seemed to also play an important part. Alison Bechdel’s battle in her sexual self-development was one full of anguish and pain because of all of its complexities but she now presents the confidence in herself and her sexuality to present in her eloquent and impactful graphic novel, Fun Home.
In Fun Home: A Family Tragic Comic, Alison Bechdel uses the graphic novel technique of bringing visuals and concise text to her audience to reveal the relationship with her father in a perspective that can not be modified through the readers perspective and interpretation. Bechdel employs this type of writing style to help visualize a better interpretation of how she describes the differences in both her and her fathers’ gender roles throughout the novel. This tactic helps discuss and show how these gender roles were depicted as opposite from one another. But, in this case being opposite from one another made them gain a stronger relationship of understanding and reviling that these differences were actually similarities they also shared.
Every family has secrets. Taboo secrets are typically the one's we'd like to keep hidden the most. Unfortunately, what's done in the dark always finds itself resurfacing to the light. In Allison Bechdel "Fun Home", she recollects the memories that impacted her life the most when she was in the stage of discovering her true self. The memories we remember the most tend to play a major role in our life development. For Allison, one well-kept secret that her father contained well from her, unraveled many memories of the truth that laid before her eyes.
In What ways is Sexuality portrayed as central to the conflicts of the individual-v-society in Ken Kesey's One flew over the cuckoo's nest and Tennessee Williams A street car named desire? In What ways is Sexuality portrayed as central to the conflicts of the individual-v-society in Ken Kesey's 'One flew over the cuckoo's nest' and Tennessee Williams 'A street car named desire'?
Throughout Amy Tan’s novel, The Joy Luck Club, the reader can see the difficulites in the mother-daughter relationships. The mothers came to America from China hoping to give their daughters better lives than what they had. In China, women were “to be obedient, to honor one’s parents, one’s husband, and to try to please him and his family,” (Chinese-American Women in American Culture). They were not expected to have their own will and to make their own way through life. These mothers did not want this for their children so they thought that in America “nobody [would] say her worth [was] measured by the loudness of her husband’s belch…nobody [would] look down on her…” (3). To represent everything that was hoped for in their daughters, the mothers wanted them to have a “swan- a creature that became more than what was hoped for,” (3). This swan was all of the mothers’ good intentions. However, when they got to America, the swan was taken away and all she had left was one feather.
“…sex attains meaning in social relations, which implies that we can only make appropriate choices around sexuality by understanding its social, cultueral and political context.” (Quote: 9293 jeffrey weeks)
The short story, Girl, by Jamaica Kincaid, can very easily be related directly to the author’s own life. Kincaid had a close relationship with her mother until her three younger brothers were born. After the birth of her brothers, three major values of her mother became apparent to Kincaid. In turn, Kincaid used the three values of her mother to write the short story, Girl. Specifically, these values led to three themes being formed throughout the story. It appears in the short story that the mother was simply looking out for her daughter; however, in all reality, the mother is worried about so much more. Kincaid uses the themes of negativity towards female sexuality, social norms and stereotypes, and the significant
Simone de Beauvoir brought about the idea that one is not born a woman, but becomes one. Other thinkers of phenomenology such as Merleau-Ponty frame the body as an historical idea rather than a natural species. In viewing the conception of the body body as different from its physiological form, the social construction of gender can be understood. This social construction is what Judith Butler discusses in her essay: “Performative Acts and Gender Constitution”