Social conventions imposed on both men and women have plagued the pages of society for decades. The belief that the ideal man spends more time on the masculinity of hard work than on his appearance, while the ideal woman does not care about work or anything other than clothes and entertainment, appears from time to time from time to time. as a social "norm". Members of our society use these “traditional” gender characteristics as an integral factor in assuming a person's sexual orientation. Alison Bechdel, in her memoir Fun Home A Family Tragicomic, uses these same conventions to her advantage, but reverses the roles society has assigned to gender, giving male characters more "feminine" qualities and women more "masculine" qualities. ”. In this way Bechdel illustrates the breadth of gender roles, a key factor in determining sexuality, thus eliminating the idea that “traditional” sexuality is synonymous with “normal” sexuality. Bechedel first illustrates the reversal of gender roles when she describes the differences between her roles. and the characteristics of his father. As the story progresses, Bechdel reveals a sense of resentment towards her father for the way he treats his "furniture like children, and his children like furniture" (14). Examples of this include her neglect of her male children and using the children as free labor. Due to her father's neglect, she decided early in life that she would be the complete opposite of her father, "my father's Athenian Spartan." Butch to his Nelly. . . I developed a disdain for useless ornaments, what purpose did the scrolls, tassels, and Bric-A Brac that infested our home serve?”(15-16) In this passage, Bechedel describes herself as having….. . middle of paper… restrictions on what each gender is allowed to do Furthermore, by redefining these characteristics, which are used by society to determine whether a person's sexual preference is normal, Bechedel renegotiates sexuality, demonstrating that just because something. is traditional and standard does not mean that this is the case for every person. By demonstrating over and over again that what is considered integral in the evidence of a person's sexual orientation has flaws, Bechedel inadvertently demonstrates that even the biggest problem of what. "normal" sexuality has flaws. Through Fun Home, Bechedel renegotiates what are considered the "normal" actions of genders, and therefore renegotiates the concept of sexuality that those characteristics heavily influence. The novel speaks against “tradition” and what is “normal” and shows that each person is individual.