Fun Home is an autobiographical graphic novel by American author and designer Alison Bechdel. It follows the story of his maturation, growing up in Pennsylvania, moving out of home, and coming to terms with his sexuality. In doing so, she discovers surprising secrets that her family hid from everyone, including each other. Bechdel uses this piece to argue that the structure of the home is a reflection of the family and a way for the family unit to express itself. This particular family uses their home to hide and create a facade that hides their problems from the rest of the world. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The decision to tell this story in graphic novel form helps paint a more complete picture for its audience. Bechdel recreates photographs and entire locations, references old diary entries, and even imitates his old handwriting and the wallpaper of his childhood home. She goes so far as to imitate her father's calligraphy, which she calls "one of the craziest terriers she discovered on this project (Chute)". She goes to extreme lengths to preserve the authenticity of the graphic novel and the accuracy of this account appears to be of great importance to Bechdel. However, she looks at her childhood through adult glasses, which inadvertently changes the way she sees things. Bechdel even calls Fun Home a “revision” of his story (Tison). While all of his reference materials add credibility to his story, the memories may not be entirely accurate and may have become distorted and shifted over time. In general, a house is a reflection of its inhabitants. From the architecture to the accessories, you can tell a lot about the family that lives there. Architect Lindsay Daniel says, “There is an intimate relationship between your visual tastes and your values.” Suggesting that we can learn something about a person by the way they hold their space. Perhaps unconsciously, we are quick to judge each other, with what little knowledge we have, before we understand them and learn something deeper. We are interested in the way they dress, the way they maintain their car, the organization of their work and this hasty judgment can also extend to residences. Even different building materials can evoke different feelings. Carlos Raul Villanueva, famous Venezuelan architect, created an example in concrete and called it “a symbol of the construction progress of a whole century, submissive and strong as an elephant, monumental as stone, humble as brick”. Something as simple as the building material can speak in favor of the house and send a message about the people who live there without even mentioning its contents. Bechdel repeatedly references her father's uniqueness and high expectations for the upkeep of their home. Bruce Bechdel carefully selects each room in the house and takes good care of it. He has a passion and eye for design that he extends not only to his own home but also to the homes he restores, which are a hobby and outlet for him. He also employs his children to help him take care of the house. In the first chapter, while doing household chores, Bechdel states, “I began to resent the way my father treated his furniture like children and his children like furniture (Bechdel). » It's not typical of a child to enjoy doing household chores, but it seems that Bruce takes these chores to the extreme, expecting every aspect of thehouse remains perfectly tidy and, it seems to Alison, that this cleanliness comes at the expense of her children. If the house is a reflection of the family that lives there, then it is clearly important to Bruce that he and his family are seen as close-knit and near-perfect. This overcompensation may stem from Bruce's secret of being a closeted homosexual and his desire to keep this information private. He wants to make him and his family seem perfect by making his house perfect. Bechdel makes numerous allusions to other famous works throughout this story. She does this to help the audience better understand her history and childhood through works that the audience may already be familiar with. Bechdel may also reference these documents not only for the reader's benefit, but also because they help Bechdel herself better understand her existence, her family, and her relationships. She repeatedly compares the events of her life to those of Greek tragedies. However, one reference that particularly stands out is the comparison between the Bechdel family and the Addams family. She points out her mother's resemblance to Morticia, how a bat occasionally flies into their house, and the similarities in the family businesses. The most significant comparison Bechdel makes is to their homes. In chapter two, Bechdel writes of his Addams Family comics, saying, "The captions deluded me, as did the ironic reversal of suburban conformity: the dark, high ceilings, the peeling wallpaper and the menacing horsehair furniture in my own house (Bechdel).” In this passage, Bechdel acknowledges that his family is unusual and nontraditional, without saying so. She detours by implying that the Addams family is nonconformist and that her family is like the Addams family. She does it again when she compares her features to those of Wednesday Addams in the form of two side-by-side photos, even recognizing that they have the same lamp, which in this case is a form of self-expression. She then describes Wednesday as a “worried girl.” Bechdel uses Wednesday as a catalyst to express his own feelings and the Addams Family in general to stand in for his own. Additionally, The Addams Family is a somewhat autobiographical story of the creator, Charles Addams' own family, which may serve as inspiration for Bechdel to turn his own life into a cartoon. The title of Fun Home comes from the nickname given by the Bechdel family. to their family funeral business. However, it could also be a reference to a fun house, as in a fun room with deceptive mirrors and slanted floors, typically found in an amusement park. The mirrors displayed in entertainment houses do not perfectly reflect the way things are done, but rather show twisted and distorted interpretations of a subject, making it appear big, small, or upside down. Bechdel depicts mirrors in several of his illustrations in Fun Home, but only in the stories from his childhood. Mirrors play an important role in his childhood home. Bruce and Helen Bechdel try to maintain a perfect image of their family and home, but things are not at all what they seem from the outside. When one examines their seemingly perfect lives, what is reflected is a carefully crafted version of how they want to be perceived. Additionally, telling this story many years removed from the actual events makes things in the past look different, twisted and distorted over time, likely resulting in a false narrative. Artist Lydia Davis calls this “.