Fiction and the Lives of the Bechdels

" …The most arresting thing about the tape is its evidence of both my parents at work, intent and separate… It’s childish, perhaps, to grudge them the sustenance of their creative solitude. But it was all that sustained them, and thus was all-consuming. From their example, I learned quickly to feed myself."

- Alison Bechdel, Fun Home

    

    The Bechdels, as portrayed by Alison Bechdel, lived lives cloaked in fiction. Bruce, in particular, drowned himself in the painted stories of novels and meticulously fabricated a life for his own family. From the curtains on the windows of their antique home to the outfits they wore to church, Bruce's work only covered the darkest of secrets. But Bruce was not the only Bechdel to live through fiction. Helen, Alison's mother, was a devoted actress. Although Alison does not dig too deep into her relationship with her mom in this novel, it seems that Helen threw herself completely into her roles, possibly to escape reality. 

    As the quote above states, Alison was well-aware of her family's detachment from a young age. Seeming to exist only as a prop in her parent's public façade, Alison had no choice but to take care of her needs by herself. To Alison, it felt as though she was trapped in her own story. Her means of escape came in the form of a discovery about her sexuality. Once again, she made this discovery through books at her local library. As she continues her research of this new possibility, she grows further and further from the life that had been painted for her. 

    Alison tells the story of her family through this novel by comparing the scenes of her life to works of literature, creating an intertwined story of fiction and reality. The last line of Fun Home suggests a breaking free from the traditional narrative. She says, "...in the tricky reverse narration that impels our entwined stories, he was there to catch me when I leapt" (Bechdel 232). The whole of chapter seven seems to reframe her life from a more neutral perspective, and this closing sentence hints at a positive view of Bruce, and the reality of his time as a parent. 

Esther's Coming-Of-Age

   "There ought, I thought, to be a ritual for being born twice--patched, retreaded and approved for the road..."

- Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

    Esther Greenwood has been given the opportunity of a lifetime, working in New York as a guest editor of a fashion magazine. She knows that other girls would be envious of her position and success. Everything seems to be going on the right track for Esther, as a successful man is smitten with her, and she is applying for a prestigious writing program. But what is meant to be a life-changing transition into adulthood-- her "coming-of-age"--spirals into a deep depression. Does Esther ruin her own coming-of-age? Does the book conclude with her having one at all?

    Throughout her stay in New York, Esther is continually aware of her lack of emotion regarding her current life. While her peers seem excited and passionate, she is frustratingly miserable. On page 3 she says, "I guess I should have been excited the way most of the other girls were, but I couldn't get myself to react..." (Plath). Despite her doubts, she expresses desire to experience New York and the life she had anticipated. However, she is easily influenced by her friend Doreen and spends many nights partying instead of working on her assignments.

    Something I found interesting about Esther's journey before her hospitalization is that she experienced all of the stereotypical "coming-of-age" moments, but in a twisted way. For example, she got involved in a relationship in which he proposed, but the whole time she was unsatisfied and feeling trapped. Furthermore, she realizes that his ideals do not match her expectations. This reinforces the idea that Esther is searching for the perfect life, even if she does not know what it is. 

    Altogether, what was Esther's coming-of-age? I believe that it was actually the process of getting rid of all expectations. Her journey through the inpatient homes represents a "rebirth" rather than a gaining of maturity or knowledge. She even mentions that she gains weight which could be compared to the losing of "baby fat." Overall, her coming-of-age contests the typical representations of growing up, although it might be more relatable to many.

Phoebe's Impact on Holden's Coming-of-Age

“I said I’m not going back to school. You can do what you want to do, but I’m not going back to school,”

- J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

    At the beginning of The Catcher in the Rye, we are introduced to Holden's relentless criticism of "phonies", and it progresses excessively. The first person that Holden speaks fondly of is his sister, Phoebe. But what makes her so special to him? Phoebe is a smart, stubborn, and brutally honest girl who always listens to Holden.  While Holden's judgement of older characters prevents him from taking their advice, Phoebe has credibility to him. To the reader, she obviously seems more mature than Holden on many levels. She is more practical, and holds much better connections with others. This complicates our understandings of Holden, as he is drawn to the innocence and purity of childhood. And when he reunites with his sister, she is not impressed by his behavior. 

    In Holden's life, Phoebe is one of his only constants. He feels wildly out of place and longs to run away from the complexity of the world. So when she refuses to let Holden "fall" by himself, he is forced to reconsider his emotions. In class we discussed the image of Phoebe running after Holden wearing his red hunting hat. It is almost like a mirror image of Holden, and it seems to impact him enough to snap out of his bout. I was struck by the scene of Phoebe on the carousel in particular. Holden has realized that his little sister is growing up, but has remained her authentic self. Watching her ride the carousel, Holden feels happy for the first time in a while. This could be interpreted as him recognizing that growing older doesn't mean losing yourself. He will always be able to return to his memories and find joy. Although the last chapter doesn't reveal much of his current thoughts, I like to imagine that he finds hope for his future and the future of those around him.

All posts from this point on are for the Coming-of-Age Novel

Forgotten Heroes in The Song of Solomon

 

    A central theme in The Song of Solomon is flight. More specifically, the flight of men. But what happens to the women in this story? 

    Once the men "fly away," we don't know what happens to them. But we do know that they are gone, and the people left behind are the only ones who can continue their legacy. For example, Solomon's wife, Ryna, was abandoned by his "flight" and left to raise their twenty-one kids alone. Even the song that the children in Danville sing depicts this scene, "O Solomon don't leave me here / Cotton balls to choke me / Buckra's arms to yoke me." While Solomon and Ryna both suffered the terrors of slavery, Solomon was the only one to unearth freedom. This pattern is repeated once again with our main character, Milkman. 

    The most important women in Milkman's journey are Pilate, Hagar, his mother, and his sisters. Whilst Pilate raises Hagar independent from men, Milkman's mother and sisters are overshadowed by him and his father. Morrison reveals this quite later in the book, in a section through Lena's perspective. Although brief, we learn a lot about what might be the reality of their family dynamic, where the sisters have given up their childhood to raise Milkman. I think it is interesting how Morrison chose to include this after we have become sympathetic towards Milkman. Throughout the second half of the novel, his sisters establish their independence through hard work, while Milkman takes a road trip to learn how to fly. 

    Pilate on the other hand, seems to represent an "untethered" character, and is literally missing a navel. She is loving and fiercely loyal, contrary to the men in her family. At the end of the novel, Milkman says, "without ever leaving the ground, she could fly." Without leaving behind her loved ones, Pilate created a life and identity for herself. Her daughter Hagar, however, becomes heavily infatuated with Milkman. This only leads to disaster, with Milkman not willing to commit emotionally. When he leaves, Hagar is devastated and falls into a state of depression, eventually passing away. This happens at the same time that Milkman makes his enormous discoveries, and is about to make his "triumphant return" home. I believe that Morrison intentionally overlapped these scenes, in order to contrast the state of the two characters. In the end Milkman takes his flight, leaving behind the ground where the body of Pilate lays. 

Post-War Limbo

"You are all a lost generation"

- Gertrude Stein

    It can be inferred that Gertrude Stein is talking about the generation most affected by World War 1. But how did Hemingway, who was one of this generation, interpret this quote in The Sun Also Rises?

    The novel starts with a very sarcastic summary of Robert Cohn's life. What's interesting about this is that Robert is the only (main) character that was not directly harmed by the war. Jake and his friends seem to have plenty of criticisms of Robert, but generally allow him to tag along. As discussed in class, the use and non use of irony and sarcasm could represent a sense of dark humor developed from the war. Robert not only lacks in the other's humor, but he has a frustrating sort of blind hope. His extended pursuit of Brett seems to anger the others. A theory that I have slightly developed is the post-war limbo. The other main characters all lost something in the war and are not shown to be boding well. For example, Brett lost her husband and is constantly trying to fill the hole he left behind, Mike Campbell uses alcohol to distract himself. Cohn's aspirations to be with Brett represent characteristics that they have lost, evoking bitterness. These characters are caught in a state of numbness, always returning to the comfort of distractions.

    In the final scene, Brett and Jake meet in a cab, reflecting our first introduction to them. This parallel emphasizes the sense that nothing has really changed. Despite their eventful journey through Spain, they feel they have no choice to return to their previous way of life. Brett will never be content with Jake and Jake will always love Brett. 

    It is interesting to note that Hemingway later included Gertrude Stein's quote to contrast the excerpt from Ecclesiastes. The introduction reveals that Hemingway ultimately criticized Stein's generalization, after living through experiences that proved her wrong. Although The Sun Also Rises could be interpreted as pessimistic, there is also a vision of hope that is portrayed through Jake's adventures in Spain and the lasting bonds with his friends.

Investigating The Stranger

   

        By the end of the first chapter from, The Stranger by Albert Camus, I was left hooked. Reading this book felt like gliding through the events of Meursault's life along with him. But this strange almost "dreamlike" state that he lives in, raises so many questions. The biggest being what is this dude's problem?

    First, I would like to lay out some interesting evidence from the first few chapters of the book. On first glance, it might seem that Monsieur Meursault is simply a clueless, emotionless vessel with no self-awareness*. Actually, that would be pretty accurate, until you notice the subtlest hints of human sentiment. Our first encounter with this is his possible guilt surrounding the death of his mother. Although he never truly expresses any guilt outright, we could interpret his dialogue to his boss as a hidden way of expressing his feelings. However, he considers his decision to send his mother to the old people's home very logically, and doesn't seem to feel much regret. A couple more absolutely absurd chapters fly by and we can only watch as Monsieur Meursault digs himself into a deeper hole.

    Unsurprisingly, things take a turn for the worse in chapter six, when he literally kills someone. Now if that wasn't a wake up call for him I would be seriously concerned. But alas, he only shows the tiniest morsel of emotion regarding the crime he has just committed. However, his interview with a lawyer reveals some notable information. Meursault says, "my nature was such that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings" (Camus 65). Now that explains a lot. He sleeps because he's tired, he eats because he's hungry, he kisses a girl because it feels good, and he pulls the trigger because he's in pain. This guy seriously never has a goal, whether on a day-to-day basis or in his overall life.

    I would like to go back to chapter five, when Meursault has a talk with his boss. The conversation ends with his boss telling him that he has no ambition and Meursault thinks, with no perceptible sadness, that he lost his ambitions when he gave up his studies. So is he the way he is because of this?  Is his lack of ambition the explanation for his prioritization of physical needs? I think his situation is far too complicated to be reduced to this conclusion. We would also have to take into account his lack of self-analysis which he reveals he is aware of... but that would be a whole new discussion (not for today). I'm sure this book will have a nice, satisfying ending that clears everything up...

    

 *Reading his perspective felt like playing a video game for the first time and growing increasingly frustrated that you can’t see anything about your avatar except for its forearms and hands, before finally figuring out how to use a birds-eye view. Maybe this is just a me problem.

Septimus and Clarissa on Death

“Fear no more the heat o’ the sun / Nor the furious winter’s rages.”     

- William Shakespeare

Cymbeline Act 4, Scene 2

    In Virginia Woolf's, Mrs. Dalloway, Septimus Smith and Clarissa Dalloway seem to be entirely different on the surface. Their characters are first merged by their enjoyment of this quote from Cymbeline. The "sun" is meant to represent death, and, throughout the course of the book, both characters spend an extensive amount of time thinking about their existence. Our first impression of Clarissa's thoughts about death is her anxiety surrounding aging and time. Having endured the deaths of her parents and sister, she seems to be extremely aware of the dangers of life and inevitability of death. However, Clarissa also appreciates the beauty of the world, as seen by her pleasant walk to buy flowers. The line from Shakespeare helps her to accept mortality as a comfort instead of something to be feared.

    Septimus, similarly, is portrayed as appreciating the simple beauty of the world while also holding strong feelings towards the corrupt nature of human society, which is a factor in his suicidal ideation. In one scene, he is walking in the park when he notices the breath-like movement of the trees, only to be sent into a spiral by the noisy sounds of human life around him. In the last moments before his suicide, Septimus expresses that he does not want to die. Instead he feels as though death is the only escape from Holmes, who he sees as the epitome of human evil. Just before he jumps, Septimus thinks to himself, "life was good...the sun hot"(Woolf 146). This appears to reinforce his desire to live, which makes his suicide additionally meaningful. His decision is not an act of cowardice, as Holmes suggests, but a final act of defiance against oppression. 

    These storylines meet once again when Clarissa learns of Septimus's death. Initially, she is offended that the mention of death is brought into her party, which is an important event for her. But, as time progresses, she experiences an eerie connection to Septimus in his final minutes. Clarissa recognizes his decision just as Septimus had--an act of defiance. She is able to sympathize with his struggles, his hatred of Sir William, and his criticism of society. The news of Septimus's suicide prompts Clarissa to remember the line from Cymbeline, and she seems to further embrace the beauty of death. Thus, these two characters are able to find some semblance of peace, in life and in death.