Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic

“Like many fathers, mine could occasionally be prevailed upon for a spot of ‘Airplane.’ As he launched me, my full weight would fall on the pivot point between his feet and my stomach. In the circus, acrobatics where one person lies on the floor balancing another are called ‘Icarian games.’ Considering the fate of Icarus after he flouted his father’s advice and flew so close to the sun that his wings melted, perhaps some dark humor is intended. In our particular reenactment of this mythic relationship, it was not me but my father who would plumet from the sky.”

This introductory passage poses the reader with three key elements of Fun Home: (1) The relationship between Bechdel and her father is one characterized by physical and emotional distance. (2) We are introduced to the motif of Bechdel connecting the themes and events of classic stories and literature to her own life. (3) We are introduced to the motif of reversal: she and her father are presented as mirrors of Daedalus and Icarus while simultaneously being presented as a reversal of Daedalus and Icarus, wherein Daedalus falls instead of Icarus.

“Historical restoration wasn’t his job. It was his passion. And I mean passion in every sense of the word. Libidinal. Manic. Martyred.”

This quotation paired with the visual of a shirtless Bruce hauling lumber across the yard casts him as a Christlike figure. This image will be echoed in Chapter 3 when Helen recites a poem about the Crucifixion after Bruce’s death.

“Was Daedalus really stricken with grief when Icarus fell into the sea? Or just disappointed by the design failure?”

In this quotation, Daedalus is a direct stand-in for Bruce Bechdel. By wondering whether Daedalus was grieving the loss of his son or the failure of his project, Alison is actually questioning the depth of her father’s feelings toward his children.