After
reading first two assigned readings in Fun
Home, written by Alison Bechdel, I have found myself interested in the
title of this graphic novel. She tells us that she and her brother nick-named
the family funeral home business, “fun home” (36). Although the siblings were
given duties to fulfill while at the fun home, they found ways to entertain
themselves, such as the “folding-chair trolley” (37). I understand the meaning
behind that reasoning for the title, but before reading that section, I wondered,
“Why is this book titled Fun Home?”
It didn’t necessarily seem like fun to me at all, and as we have read, this
family has had their fair share of things go wrong in their lives. Alison even
describes their family as “a sham” (17).
Their life, although it seems like they had a few good memories, for the
most part, it seems like they have had a pretty rough. The father was having an
affair with men, he was killed after being hit by a car, and the entire family
seems distant from each other. I just found “Fun Home” to be an interesting
title that does not necessarily connect to the novel as a whole, but more to
just the particular section that discusses the funeral home.
I think it might have been titles "Fun Home" for two reasons. First, growing up in the funeral home seemed to be a large part of the author's childhood. Second, it probably has a darker irony too it. Being in an abusive home would not be considered a "fun home" at all.
ReplyDeleteI thought that perhaps the title connected because it was emphasizing death as a major topic. She discusses her fathers death as the motivator of the story. It is present throughout with the owning of the funeral home. The concept of death is constantly present to Bechdel and so I saw the use of "Fun Home" as the title showed a perpetual presence of death.
ReplyDeleteI found "Fun Home" was meant to be ironic to the story. Bruce was so obsessed with their home and continually making improvements. The home seemed to cover up the darkness within the family and the family business.
ReplyDelete