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Lindsey Lundmark
Smit
AP Literature
27 March 2015
Independent Novel #3 Assignment
1. Close Reading Analysis
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic written by Alison Bechdel is a graphic novel in which
there are many important frames that reveal underlying connections within the Bechdel family;
however, there is a certain set of frames that stands out. Page 120 (see picture attached) is a
turning point in the novel where the reader is able to start linking Mr. Bechdel and Alison
together. While this happens to be the last page of chapter 4, which is only a little bit over
halfway through the novel therefore by no means appearing in the latter third; there is so much
significance within the frames on this page. At this point in the novel, the reader is already aware
of Mr. Bechdels seemingly feminine characteristics and Alisons desire to be more masculine
than her father allows. Readers also know that Mr. Bechdel has had sexual relations with many
men, old and young, and that he is now dead from getting hit by a truck which may or may not
have actually been a suicide. Anyway, this page is significant because it is an example of a metamoment in the novel which brings the novel to an even more personal level than it is already at.
Alison is looking through old photographs and her hand is visibly holding the snapshots, which
is comparable to a similar frame in the graphic novel, Maus. The top frame is home to a picture
of Mr. Bechdel in a womens swim suit. While this most likely was a prank, he seems so content
and at peace with his appearance, almost as if he wished he always dressed like that. This reflects
the times in Alisons childhood when she challenged her father when he wanted her to dress like

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a stereotypical little girl and she wanted to dress like a little boy. Mr. Bechdel hid his true desires
and lived them vicariously through his daughter. The bottom frame depicts Alison holding a
picture of her dad and a picture of herself side-by-side. The text accompanying the pictures
reveals how alike the two are after all. At first glance, Alison and her father could not seem more
opposite. He is uptight, orderly, and clearly longs to be more openly feminine than he already is.
She yearns to be openly accepted by her parents for her she truly is, and that means acting butch
and proudly displaying her sexuality. Binary opposites, right? Wrong. They both struggled with
the same general issue of not being able to express who they genuinely are.

2. Literary Cannon?
While Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic written by Alison Bechdel is one of the most
entertaining books that I have read for school in a while, if not my entire high school career, I do
not believe that it should be part of the literary canon. The definition of the literary canon is a
group of literary works that are considered the most important of a particular time period or
place. This graphic novel is a fantastic read that displays the struggles of being forced to not act
like who you truly are; however I would not classify it as being one of the most important books
defining this time period, nor do I think that it would be able to stand the test of time. Maybe I
was experiencing a contact high from the LSD trips no doubt swirling around us (Bechdel 104)
is not something that I would consider to still be relevant decades down the road. The novel is a
collection of stories from throughout the authors life. They are raw and enticing, but I would
hesitate on calling it a literary masterpiece. In fact, some literary masterpieces are mentioned
within in the comic, such as Catcher in the Rye and The Importance of Being Earnest, which I

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think further proves that this story will not literarily match up with the greats. Overall, Fun
Home is a worthwhile read, but it should not be a part of the literary canon.

3. AP English Literature and Composition Exam Prompt

The childhood of the main character, and other minor characters, is incorporated into
many pieces of literature. Choose a novel or play that has childhood somehow integrated into it.
Then write an essay in which you analyze how the author uses childhood as means of affecting
the entire work as a whole and explains how it contributes to the overall meaning of the piece.
Do not merely summarize the plot.

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Works Cited
Bechdel, Alison. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006. Print.