Fun Home: Reflection

Colin Hayes

EN.387.01

Dr. Juniper Ellis

27 March 2018

Fun Home

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, while rather tragic and morbid, promotes ideas that are quite universal to humans as we reflect on times of the past. Much of her tragicomic graphic novel contemplates how her father’s death as well as his time alive influenced her, and made her think deeply about the events surrounding her adolescence and coming of age. Although not confirmed, Bechdel believes her father committed suicide as a result of his shame and embarrassment from his closeted life outside of the Bechdel family. Bechdel’s narrative presents the all too common occurrence of learning through reflection. In her present moments Alison is often going through the motions, never able to stop and think about the emotional roller coaster that she calls life. It is not until she discovers her true self and begins to reflect on the events of her life that she truly begins to dissect her life and more importantly her relationship with her late father.

            Personally, I can directly relate to Alison’s experiences, not because I have lived through what she has, but based on the fact that I often have reflected on my past to reveal aspects of not only myself but those close to me as well. Reflection is a way of transporting yourself back in time to relive a moment. One might reflect to elicit feelings that they had in moments of ecstasy or to delve deeper into themselves so that they may learn. Either way, reflection is a way of leaving the present in order to relive the past and possibly make a change for the future. Through my almost eight years of Jesuit education I have been encouraged to reflect constantly, but to also live out St. Ignatius’ practice of living in the moment. Thankfully, Jesuit education has promoted a deep inner thought within me at a young age, something that Bechdel did not end up doing until she was older and had found herself. Reflections on the past have made me realize that I need to live in the present so that each moment can be lived to the fullest and not taken for granted. It does not necessarily have to be a moment of happiness, a moment of sorrow has the ability to teach just as effectively, if not better.