Greek Mythology and Parallels in Bruce’s Relationship With Alison

    Fun Home was quite an interesting book. I think we can all agree on that. One thing that stood out to me, though, was Alison’s references to Greek mythology when talking about her father and her relationship. It added so much to the book and the characters themselves because you had another lens to look at them through. I had wondered why she used so much Greek mythology in reference to Bruce, but thinking about it, it makes sense since the college class she took on Ulysses (Odysseus) brought her and Bruce closer together. Honestly, it also seems like an homage to him, referencing a time in their relationship that brought them closer together.

    I have to say I really loved that Alison went full circle with the beginning and end of the book. I thought it was such a good parallel, especially after the journey Alison went through trying to discover her father’s identity. As you know, the book starts with a reference to the story of Icarus and Daedalus (Alison and Bruce respectively), with Alison on Bruce’s feet, ‘flying’ through the living room (Bechdel 3-4). In the myth, Daedalus gave Icarus wax wings so that he could fly, but they melted under the sun and he fell to his death. Alison’s return to this story at the very end of the book transforms this Greek myth into a happier story by showing Bruce catching her, much unlike Daedalus. Alison’s portrayal also shows her journey and her realizations that she and Bruce were very similar, tying the small sense of security she feels about their relationship into this happier parallel.

    Earlier on in the novel, Alison represents Bruce in a harsher way, though still as Daedalus. Instead of the loving and supportive father we see on the last page of the novel, this Bruce is cold and sees everything as a project, including his children. Alison writes: “Daedalus, too, was indifferent to the human cost of his projects” and “he hid the minotaur in the labyrinth–a maze of passages and rooms opening endlessly into one another…and from which, as stray youths and maidens discovered to their peril…escape was impossible” (Bechdel 11-12). This is vastly different from that happy Daedalus story later on. It even shows us that the Bechdel family, especially the “stray youths,” viewed their home (the labyrinth) as a hostile obstacle when escaping Bruce’s abuse. He often treated his family like objects, and Alison recognizes that isn’t something to want to connect with. By showing how Bruce would often enjoy his projects and home more than his family, Alison brings a lot more depth to the Daedalus narrative, and therefore to Bruce’s character at the same time.

    Honestly, I really enjoyed Fun Home for its intriguing and complex details, and I think the Greek mythology touch was perfect, especially seeing how Daedalus as a character became more complex as Alison grew. Likewise, it was really neat to see Alison’s understanding of her father-daughter relationship change as she aged throughout the book. 


Work Cited

Bechdel, Alison. Fun Home. Mariner Books, 2007.

 

Comments

  1. PraachiApril 1, 2025 at 6:54 AM

    I also love the way Bechdel connects her journey to Greek mythology. I think there is something to be said about the fact that good literature always calls back to the past in some way, taking bits and pieces from other things in history, and this book is no exception. By comparing herself and her father to Daedalus and Icarus she is making her story understandable and relatable, while also leaving things up to interpretation, because she doesn't have to say much about the meaning of the story. I think this is especially key in a book like this, where the stuff left unsaid and the stuff she says both mean so much, and Greek mythology allows her to toe this line.

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  2. Ruby MitchellApril 1, 2025 at 9:02 AM

    I also really enjoyed the themes of Greek mythology in fun home! Unfortunately I don't know much about Greek mythology, so a lot of the more subtle references went over my head, but I think it's interesting that you point out how Alsion's perspective about her father clearly changes and softens as the novel progresses. This was a really interesting blog!

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  3. MitchellApril 4, 2025 at 8:44 AM

    There are so many "intertexts" with this book, pretty much NO reader will be deeply familiar with them all. If you have some background in Greek mythology, you can get a good handle on these allusions you cite here; if you are more familiar with lesbian-feminist memoirs about Paris in the 1920s, you will appreciate the allusions to Collette; and so on. This post once again makes me really wish there were some practical way for this course to still open with James Joyce's _A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man_, though--because many of these Greek mythology allusions are ALSO allusions to how Joyce deployed the mythical figures of Icarus and Daedalus and Odysseus and Telemachus in his works. The title of the first chapter--"Old father, old artificer"--alludes directly to the final line of _Portrait_, and Joyce's modernist behemoth _Ulysses_ is the intertext (along with Homer) in "The Antihero's Journey." To REALLY read and appreciate this book, we'd all need to do a lot more supplementary reading! I probably get about 70% of the literary allusions. At least we all could appreciate the scene where Bruce is teaching _Catcher_ in class and creating some awkwardness by citing Mr. Antolini!

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  4. AlyssaApril 7, 2025 at 10:31 AM

    Both Greek mythology and Fun Home have such complex themes and you talked about the relationship of one to the other very effectively. Instead of historical context (like praachi's blog) its like you give mythological context to certain speech which I found very interesting. I particularly liked your comparison to Bruce at the end of the novel and the context you gave about Alison's quote, "Daedalus, too, was indifferent to the human cost of his projects”. Nice blog!

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  5. SandyApril 7, 2025 at 10:34 AM

    Hello Citlali! The Greek mythology references was quite an interesting opener (Though it did confuse me quite a lot until reading further), and the story of Daedalus and Icarus really connected well to her story. I think the ending of her dad catching her was really creative and it reshaped the myth into something really sweet (Though a bit bittersweet for me considering Bruce as a person otherwise). This topic is super interesting, great blog!

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  6. Emmie VargasApril 8, 2025 at 7:44 AM

    Hi Citlali! The references to Greek mythology intrigued me as well. Alison frequent comparisons to her father's way of taking care of their home but also his ideals as Athenian and her ideals and characteristics as Spartan. Daedalus being connected to Bruce defintely enriches the narrative of Bruce's character and how he treats and values his children as more for the aesthetics than the emotional toll that took on his children. Great job!

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