Bruce vs Alison: A cautionary tale
Throughout Fun Home there are snippets of text where we can compare the lives of Alison and Bruce. Primarily these comparisons consist of the difference in how they view and express their sexual identity. Bruce, possibly as a result of the time he grew up in, lives a very repressed and artificial life. In Alison's eyes, Bruce's is not only a victim, but also a cautionary tale.
Similarities. Bruce and Alison are similar in a few ways. For the most part, Alison's similarities to Bruce are likely because she learned certain things from him. The main similarity they share is their level of discomfort when discussing their sexuality with each other. The scene that best exemplifies this is their car ride on the way to the movies. They have a very brief and awkward conversation in which Bruce maintains a very monotonous look. I think reason why Alison has trouble expressing herself to Bruce is her prior experiences with him. Firstly, Bruce attempted to control the way Alison dressed. From this age, Alison was fed the idea that there was a set way she should and shouldn't act in front of her dad. Also, when they both saw the women dressed in men's clothing at the diner, Bruce asks in an almost disgusted manner, "is that what you want to look like?" (Bechdel 118). This likely invoked a level of fear and shame for Alison to have conversations relating to her sexuality with her dad. Another example of a similarity between them is their use of literature to express themselves. They often communicate by book recommendations.
A key difference between the two characters is the level of self-acceptance they have. Unlike Alison who openly accepts her identity, Bruce hides his true identity under a veil. He attempts to maintain a certain stereotypical family image, seen in the amount of detail he puts into the family home. Alison is different than Bruce in that she doesn't hide from her identity. She comes out to her parents in a letter, actively participates in and embraces the queer community, and regards the woman in the diner as someone she identifies with. I think to a large extent the differences between the two characters form because Bruce serves as a warning to Alison. She can see how much he obsesses over artificial appearance (the house) than the actual truth, and how that ruins his life. His life of secrecy and repression is highly unappealing to Alison.
Bruce will always be such a complex character to understand, and I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand his story or him. Throughout a reflection of his story through Alison's perspective, Alison is in a constant state of attempting to reconcile, but never seems to completely make amends. They have so many parallels in their stories, but Bruce wasn’t able to take the next step.
ReplyDeleteHi Kabir! I think the difference you pointed out between how Bruce suppressing his sexual identity and Alison doesn't is not only important to distinguish the two, but also because Alison lived the life Bruce wanted. In fact, Alison said at one point that she thought her coming out might have been related to his death though of course we can never know for sure. The femininity that Bruce constantly attempted to portray through Alison was not only rejected but transformed into the masculinity that Alison proudly displayed with her coming out, something Bruce never managed to do. Great post!
ReplyDeleteRemember too that Alison describes Bruce throughout this conversation as terrified, paralyzed with fear and anxiety. Of course, she doesn't KNOW how he is feeling, and he is not being very expressive. But it's possible to tell (some say to SMELL) when someone else is full of fear, and it makes sense that this might be a moment when Bruce is acutely uncomfortable--BUT he DOES haltingly try to speak, and he says some pretty revealing things. And Alison directly alludes to her own gender nonconformity as a kid, and it doesn't seem like she's worried about his disapproval at this point--she's riffing on HIM saying he used to want to be a girl. The tragic part of this failed conversation, in my view, is that they never get to continue it: clearly Bruce wants to keep talking, when he tries to take her to the gay bar after the movie (an apt setting for them to start being open about these subjects). If only that bouncer had let them in, this evening could have turned out quite differently.
ReplyDeleteWell if it ain't the Big KT, i like how you pointed out the similarities and differences that Bruce and Alison had. It very much reminds about the prompt we did over how Alison's story is that of a hero and Bruce is more of an antihero in the sense that they deal with the same problems of being able to show the world who they truly are. Bruce chooses to hide himself from the world, thus not being able to live a truly happy life with a happy ending for his struggles. Alison is the opposite of that as she manages to exactly show the world who she really is and the majority of people around her being supportive of her coming out (including her father, proud of her for being able to do what he couldn't). Great Job Thun!
ReplyDeleteHi Kabir. One interesting point to add is how the time period each character grew up in affects their choices. Bruce grew up when being openly queer was much less accepted, so he felt pressure to hide his identity. Alison grows up later, when she has more freedom to explore and accept who she is. I feel this makes Bruce’s life feel even more tragic, because things might have been different for him if he had lived in another time. I also think seeing how unhappy her father was motivated Alison to be more honest about who she is and to accept herself. Nice job!
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