Bruce as the Antihero
Bruce’s life is marked by stark contradictions. He is an English teacher with an eye for literature and aesthetics, yet his own life is a carefully curated facade. In the first chapter, Alison Bechdel remarks that Bruce “used his skillful artifice not to make things, but to make things appear what they were not” (Bechdel 16). He demands rigid control over the restoration of the family’s historic home, perfectly crafting its image, yet he remains unable to construct a stable emotional connection with his own family. Alison reflects on the household dynamics when saying “it’s tempting to suggest, in retrospect, that our family was a sham” (Bechdel 17). His queerness—secretive and shame-laden—stands in contrast to Alison’s eventual self-acceptance. Perhaps Bruce’s most defining antiheroic trait is his inability to reconcile his true self with the life he has built. He engages in secret affairs with younger men, including his own students, a surprising transgression that further complicates his character. Rather than confronting his desires openly, he retreats into cycles of repression and carefully maintained appearances, a choice that ultimately leads to his isolation and, possibly, in Alison’s opinion, his demise. Alison describes Bruce’s death as “his consummate artifice, his masterstroke” (Bechdel 27).
The Antihero’s Journey
The title of the final chapter, “The Antihero’s Journey,” is an inversion of the classic “hero’s journey” narrative structure. In this model, a hero undergoes transformation through trials, emerging changed and enlightened. Bruce, however, does not undergo this arc. If anything, his story is one of stagnation and tragedy rather than growth. Throughout the Memoir, we don’t see much change in Bruce as a person, but his true self if slowly revealed to us as we progress. His “journey” is ultimately one of avoidance, repression, and ultimately, self-destruction. Yet, despite Bruce’s inability to achieve self-actualization, his role as an antihero serves a crucial purpose in Alison’s own story and coming of age. His failures, secrets, and contradictions become the elements that propel her toward self-discovery. Where he remains trapped in the confines of a double life, she finds liberation in embracing her identity openly. Fun Home is, in many ways, a story of contrast—between father and daughter, past and present, repression and acceptance.
A Tragic Antihero
I think that Bruce Bechdel’s role as the antihero of Fun Home is one of emotional complexity and narrative depth. He is not a villain, nor by any means is he a conventional protagonist. Instead, he exists in the very morally ambiguous space in between sympathetic and irreversibly flawed. His presence looms large over the memoir, not as a heroic figure to be admired, but as a deeply human character who struggles with identity, secrecy, and self-acceptance. His narrative serves as both a cautionary tale and a catalyst for his daughter’s journey.
- Rishabh
Hi Rishabh, I agree that Bruce's journey was meant to be seen as a stagnation of character. I believe that Bruce's journey would closely model that of a hero's journey that doesn't end up circling back and instead stops right before apotheosis. This leads to him never truly finding and becoming himself, which leads him down to what he became in Alison's eyes.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog shabi, I also think that Bruce's role as the anti-hero in the novel was a result of the repression of sexual liberation in his life. As a result, he became the oppressive and complex character Alison had as a dad. His story was a contrast to Alison's coming out, serving as a model of what not to do/become for his daughter.
ReplyDeleteI would say that Bechdel offers a lot of evidence that Bruce's "eye for literature and aesthetics" is entirely consistent with the idea that his life is a facade--his aesthetic is one of concealment, ornamentation, decoration, making something LOOK like something it is not, and we see a range of ways in which literature serves to give him a kind of fictional paradigm (e.g. Fitzgerald/Gatsby) to recast himself in a role that "conceals" his true intentions (his "country squire routine").
ReplyDeleteThis is a very nice blog post Rishabh!
ReplyDeleteI have basically the same idea as you of Bruce, but it's a difficult idea to explain verbally. I think you did a really great job of doing that here. Throughout the story, we are fed a mixture of Bruce's positive aspects and his negative aspects, which make us percieve him as being in this sort of in between which you mention in your final paragraph. Overally very good analysis.
Hey Rishabh, I agree that we don't see Bruce grow at all throughout the book, and it's this lack of growth and self expression that causes his downfall. Although, it's interesting that to everyone but his family he seems to be a respected and great man, as we can see many people mourning for him and showing extreme respect towards him after his death, such as postponing the annual firework show. Bruce was a master at creating facades, and he was thus able to give off the impression that he was a perfect man, while in reality he was flawed and had failed to undergo his coming of age. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Shabi! I would certainly agree that Bruce plays the role of the antihero in the book, and that his role was crucial to Alison's coming of age story. Through seeing the difficult life that her father lived, Alison was able to become more in touch with who she is. She learned from his mistakes and saw what can happen when denial and suppression overcomes your life. I wonder how different Alison would be if she never found out about her father's mistakes.
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