The second to last panel of Fun Home really fascinated me because the truck impedes upon the
scene of the pool. Allison is telling of how her father was always there to
catch her when she jumped. The scene is discussing Joyce’s children and how
that matches the story of Ulysses. The second to last panel shows the front of
the truck in an impact, almost as if you are Bruce. This panel drew me to it
because it impacts the reader mentally, because they do not expect it to come.
It also puts the reader in the place of Allison and Bruce at the same time. The
reader is Allison is because she is not expecting the truck to hit her father
and it comes out of nowhere, like the panel does. The reader is in the place of
Bruce because they see the front of the truck like it will impact them. I like
how this closes the novel. It is almost happy because Allison is sure that her
father will catch her, but the idea of the truck impact is right there in her
mind. What did you all think of that? Did the truck panel make you guys think
about that at all?
That last panel is unexpected, especially because of the panels preceding it. Reading about her early childhood with her father immediately to the panel of his death is striking.
ReplyDeleteI think for me, I enjoyed the metaphor of the whole panel. As someone who has a close relationship with her father, I can relate to the feeling of always having someone there to catch you. I think the truck is a metaphor for knowing that life can come at you fast and hit you when you least expect it. Bechdel is saying that if you have someone on your side, you can brace for impact because you know they will be there after the wreckage no matter what.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you made this observation Caroline! The second to last panel is very much the bittersweet reminder that, even though her father would be there to catch her when she fell, that she could not ignore his death. The presence of the truck also reiterates our contemplation of his potential suicide, juxtaposed with the almost happy ending. In these ways, we see again _Fun Home_ is tragic, comic, and absurd.
ReplyDelete