Graphic novels and comics are often thought to be somehow less sophisticated or overall inferior to traditional novels, as if the use of illustrations rather than long textual descriptions would make it a more simplistic medium. However, I believe that the fusion of illustrations and text in graphic novels creates an equally complex experience and offers an interesting opportunity to analyze how text and illustrations interact. In this article I will carefully examine Alison Bechdel's graphic memoir Fun Home to determine some of the ways in which the use of illustrations enriches the experience of reading this book. I will show, through the analysis of various passages in the book, that the illustrations support the text by revealing the nature of the relationship between Alison and Bruce, using precise images that reflect the text, and providing further information on the way in which the artist and writer of the book he sees his world and the people in it. The relationship between Alison and Bruce becomes easier for the reader to understand when they observe the subtleties in their interactions, for example a conversation between them in Bruce's library from page 84-86 which highlights how their relationship is often cold and tense due of Bruce's disconnect with reality, and the scene between them on pages 220 and 221 in the car on the way to a movie that depicts the intense struggle it entails for them to communicate despite their overwhelming similarities. Precise images that support the text can be found by comparing the first and last scenes of the book, both of which feature Alison as a child depicted as if she were flying while the relationship between her and Bruce is compared to the myth of Icarus, and page 134 which represents Alison's emotionally distant “artist colony” (134) family in their isolated creative bubbles at home. Further insight into Alison's worldview can be gained by looking at examples of how she visually represents masculinity and femininity, such as the way she portrays effeminate gay men in New York on page 190 and the very masculine way she draws herself throughout the book. . Also notable are the multiple scenes from pages 12-21 in which Alison draws Bruce as a menacing shadow-like figure, as they show what an intimidating force her father was to her and her family. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay When the illustrations are analyzed alongside the text in Fun Home, more information can be gained about the relationship between Alison and Bruce. An example of this is the scene between them in Bruce's library on pages 84-86. In the text, Alison reflects on her father's mysterious ways, describing his "preference for fiction over reality" (85) and the uncanny similarities between his death and that of F. Scott Fitzgerald, as if Bruce had planned it that way. Bruce is a mystery to her: he has a complex inner world that her daughter will never understand or penetrate, so after his death she is left to speculate. At the same time, the images reproduce a seemingly banal scene between Alison and Bruce in which she asks him for money to buy books. They are remarkably cold to each other for being father and daughter. They only say the bare minimum to each other and never look each other in the eye during the entire scene. Bruce never looks up from his book (a biography of Fitzgerald's wife, Zelda) and seems completely indifferent to Alison's presence and questions. He sits surrounded by his books, reading in his armchair, looking focused and serious. Bruce can't break his concentration on theliterature for his daughter and despite her he remains in his world. Alison on the other hand has a slightly agitated facial expression, as if she's afraid of having to talk to her father. She is experiencing the same frustration of being locked out of her father's world when she questions his death while writing the text portion of the book. The text does not literally describe what is happening in the illustrations, however, the two components of the scene work together to construct meaning: Alison's distance from the mysterious figure that is her father. Another scene that explores their relationship is the one in Bruce's car on pages 220 and 221, in which they cautiously attempt to discuss their sexuality for the first time. The only text in the scene is their dialogue and some of Alison's thoughts in the moment. The entire arrangement of small, identical square panels creates a feeling of suspense, as if they were frozen in time. “I stood still, as if it were a beautiful deer that I didn't want to scare.” (120). The layout of the scene creates the intensity and stillness that she feels perfectly in that decisive moment in which she almost manages to establish a bond with her enigmatic father. Their rapidly changing facial expressions from box to box make them both look nervous. The identity of the boxes, except only for the text and facial expressions of the characters, reflects the identity of Alison and Bruce which is so evident in this scene. They both have difficulty communicating but want to open up, they have struggled with many of the same issues related to their queer identities, they are both challenged by their complicated relationship. They are even drawn with similar facial features, such as a nose and jaw, which is easy for the reader to notice when they are drawn side by side in square panels repeated for two entire pages. Fun Home is clearly a meticulously crafted book, so it's no surprise that the subtle images in the illustrations always work to strengthen the text. The first example of this is the comparison between the scene in the first pages of the book, which shows Alison as a child playing “airplane” with her father, and the scene in the last pages, which shows her still as a young girl. little girl jumping into a pool as Bruce prepares to catch her. In both scenes, Alison is depicted with her arms outstretched, in the air above her father, as if she were flying. This is a subtle way of reflecting the text as it explores the Greek myth of Icarus, the son of the inventor Daedalus who flew so close to the sun that he melted his false wings made of wax and feathers, and is a reflection on Alison and Bruce. “In our particular enactment of this mythical relationship, it was not I but my father who fell from the sky.”(4). By making the end of the book reflect the beginning, Alison brings the reader back to the central theme of the book: her relationship with her father. By illustrating these rare childhood moments when she felt close to her father, she takes the story away from his mysteries and complex analyzes and back to a place of love and innocence. Despite never understanding Bruce, he still considers him his father and avoids portraying him as a villain in his story. A second example of imagery that reinforces the book's text is found on page 134, which features an illustration of what life was like in Alison's childhood home. “Our house was like an artists' colony. We ate together, but were otherwise absorbed in our separate activities” (134). Both of Alison's parents were quiet, unloving people who instilled the same values ​​in their children. She describes how she felt neglected as a child due to her parents' “creative loneliness” (133), but quickly learned to find joy the same way. On page 134, the members of theBechdel family are depicted as silhouettes in isolated bubbles in different parts of the house, all engaged in some creative activity. A home is a place that should be lively and warm, but the feeling in this illustration is one of loneliness. Their literal representation in bubbles and the fact that they are just silhouettes with no faces or expressions makes the house feel incredibly impersonal and distant. The emotional coldness of Alison's family is constantly evident in Fun Home, but this is definitely the best representation of it. The visual aspect of Fun Home also allows us to better grasp how its writer and illustrator sees the world. The book deals extensively with the idea of ​​gender and challenging gender roles, so it is interesting to see how stereotypes of masculinity and femininity are visually represented. An example is on page 190, when Alison and her family are traveling to New York and she comes into contact with the gay community for the first time. She is fascinated by the "cosmetic masculinity" (190) she sees in gay men and depicts a man walking down the street with perfect hair, thick eyelashes, pierced ears, and tight pants. A male dancer at a show he goes to is also portrayed in an elegant pose while dancing. These things clearly strike Alison as feminine, and seem unnatural or strange to her in men. Another example of gender role representation is that throughout the book Alison is drawn quite masculine. She rebels against wearing anything feminine as a child, and even in instances where she feels forced to wear a dress or skirt, such as at her father's funeral, they are simple and modest. The rest of the time, Alison is drawn with short hair and androgynous or typically masculine clothing. When I started reading Fun Home without any prior knowledge of the book, I thought Alison was a boy for the first few pages until her gender was stated. Gender and gender roles are discussed at length in the text of the book, but the fact that the visual representations reinforce this gives us as readers an even better idea of ​​how Alison is affected by the gender roles she sees around her and helps us to question our opinions. of what characteristics we see as masculine or feminine. Another example of how Alison's perception of the world is subtly reinforced by the illustrations are the recurring instances where her father is depicted as a menacing silhouette from pages 12-21. On page 12, after Alison accidentally breaks a glass vase, she is depicted holding the broken piece, looking terrified, as Bruce's shadow looms over her. On page 16, he hides behind her as she cleans a lamp. On page 21, he stands in the doorway of her bedroom after reading her a bedtime story and turning off the lights. The lyrics explain how living with Bruce is always unpredictable and a constant source of stress for his family who are trapped, always avoiding his wrath. “The constant tension was heightened by the fact that some encounters could be quite pleasant. His outbursts of kindness were as incandescent as his tantrums were dark. (21). The metaphor of the labyrinth from Greek mythology is also used, to equate their whimsical home with the labyrinth and Bruce's dark side with the minotaur hiding within. His portrayal as nothing more than a dark shadow makes him seem strange and inhuman, even monstrous, in the moments when Alison sees him as threatening. Since she was a child, she has known that her father has a disturbing dark side that could be lurking around every corner, and she reinforces this very effectively by using disturbing images of him as silhouettes. Please note: this is just an example. Get a card.