Graphic novels and comics are often thought to be somehow less sophisticated or overall inferior to traditional novels, as if the use of Illustrations rather than lengthy textual descriptions made a medium more simplistic. However, the mixture of illustrations and text in graphic novels creates an equally complex experience, in my opinion, and offers an interesting opportunity to analyze the ways in which text and illustrations interact. In this article, I will take a close look at Alison Bechdel's graphic memoir, Fun Home, to determine some of the ways in which the use of illustrations enriches the experience of reading this book. I will show, through analysis of various passages in the book, that the illustrations support the text by revealing the nature of the relationship between Alison and Bruce, using specific images that reflect the text, and providing deeper insight into the how the artist and writer of the book sees his world and the people who live in it. The relationship between Alison and Bruce becomes easier for the reader to understand when examining the intricacies of their interactions, for example a conversation between them in Bruce's library on pages 84-86 that highlights how close their relationship is often cold and tense by Bruce's disconnection with reality, and the scene between them on pages 220 and 221 in the car on the way to a film that depicts the intense struggle it takes for them to communicate despite their enormous similarities. Specific images that support the text can be found by comparing the first and last scenes of the book, both of which feature Alison as a young child depicted as if she is flying while the relationship between her and Bruce is compared to the myth of Icarus , and on page 134. which depicts Alison's emotionally distant "art colony"(134) family in their own isolated creative bubbles in the house. Further insight into Alison's worldview can be gained by examining examples of how she visually depicts masculinity and femininity, for example how she depicts the effeminate gay men of New York on page 190 and the very masculine way in which she emerges throughout the book. . The multiple scenes on pages 12-21 where Alison draws Bruce as a menacing shadow-like figure are also notable, as they show what an intimidating force her father was to her and her family. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay When the illustrations are analyzed along with the text in Fun Home, a deeper insight into the relationship between Alison and Bruce can be gained. An example of this is the scene between them in Bruce's library on pages 84-86. In the text, Alison reflects on her father's mysterious ways, describing his "preferring fiction over reality" (85) and the strange similarities between his death and that of F. Scott Fitzgerald, as if Bruce had planned it. in this way. Bruce is a mystery to her - he has a complex inner world that her daughter will never understand or infiltrate, so she finds herself speculating after his death. Simultaneously, the images reproduce a seemingly banal scene between Alison and Bruce in which she asks him for money to buy books. They are visibly cold towards each other for a father and daughter. They only say minimal things to each other and never make eye contact throughout the scene. Bruce never looks up from his book (a biography of Fitzgerald's wife, Zelda) and seems completely uninterested in thepresence and questions from Alison. He sits surrounded by his books, reading in an armchair, looking focused and serious. Bruce cannot break his focus on literature for his daughter and despite herself remains in his own world. Alison, meanwhile, has a slightly flustered facial expression, as if she's dreading having to talk to her father. She experiences the same frustration at being excluded from her father's world as she does when she questions his death while writing the text portion of the book. The text does not literally describe what is happening in the illustrations, however, the two elements of the scene work together to construct meaning: Alison's distance from the mysterious figure that is her father. Another scene that explores their relationship is the scene in Bruce's car on pages 220 and 221, in which they cautiously attempt to discuss their sexuality for the first time. The only text in the scene is their dialogue and some of Alison's thoughts in the moment. The complete spread of small, identical square panels creates a feeling of suspense, as if they were frozen in time. “I stood still, as if it were a magnificent deer that I didn’t want to scare.” (120). The layout of the scene creates the intensity and calm that she feels perfectly in this decisive moment where she almost establishes a connection with her enigmatic father. Their rapidly changing facial expressions from one box to the next make them both nervous. The similarity of the panels, except for the text and the characters' facial expressions, reflects the similarity of Alison and Bruce that is so evident in this scene. They both have difficulty communicating but want to open up, they have struggled with many of the same issues related to their queer identities, they are both challenged by their complicated relationship. They are even drawn with similar facial features, such as their noses and jaws, which is easy for the reader to notice when they are drawn side by side in repeating square panels over two full pages. Fun Home is clearly a meticulously designed book, so it's no surprise that the subtle images in the illustrations always help to strengthen the text. The first example of this is the comparison between the scene in the first pages of the book, which shows Alison as a young child playing "airplane" with her father, and the scene in the last pages, which shows her again as a young. child jumping into a pool as Bruce prepares to catch him. In both scenes, Alison is shown with her arms outstretched, in the air above her father as if she were flying. This is a subtle way of reflecting the text as it explores the Greek myth of Icarus, the son of the inventor Daedalus who flew so close to the sun that he melted his false wings made of wax and feathers, and it's a reflection on Alison and Bruce. . “In our particular reconstruction of this mythical relationship, it was not me but my father who was to fall from the sky. » (4). By making the end of the book mirror the beginning, Alison brings the reader back to the central theme of the book: her relationship with her father. By illustrating those rare childhood moments when she felt close to her father, she takes the story away from the mysteries and complex analyzes surrounding him and brings it back to a place of love and innocence. Even though she never understood Bruce, she still considers him her father and avoids portraying him as a villain in her story. A second example of imagery that reinforces the book's text is found on page 134, which features an illustration of life in Alison's childhood home. “Our house was like an artists’ colony. We ate together, but otherwise were absorbed in our own separate activities."(134). Both of Alison's parents were quiet, unaffectionate people who instilled the same values ​​in their children. She describes how she felt neglected as a child due to her parents' "creative solitude" (133), but quickly learned to find joy in the same way. On page 134, the members of the Bechdel family are shown as silhouettes in isolated bubbles in different parts of the house, all engaged in creative activity. A home is a place that is supposed to be lively and warm, but the feeling in this illustration is one of loneliness. Their literal depiction in bubbles and the fact that they are just faceless, expressionless silhouettes makes the house feel incredibly impersonal and distant. The emotional coldness of Alison's family is constantly apparent in Fun Home, but this one This is certainly the best representation. The visual aspect of Fun Home also allows us to better understand the view of its writer and illustrator on the world. The book deals extensively with the idea of ​​gender and defiance of gender roles. It is therefore interesting to examine how stereotypes of masculinity and femininity are represented visually. An example is on page 190, when Alison and her family are on a trip to New York and she is exposed to the gay community for the first time. She is fascinated by the "cosmetic masculinity" (190) she sees in gay men and depicts a man walking down the street with perfect hair, thick eyelashes, pierced ears, and wearing tight pants. A male ballet dancer in a show she is going to see is also drawn in an elegant pose while dancing. These things are clearly striking as feminine to Alison and seem unnatural or strange to her in men. Another example of gender role representation is that throughout the book, Alison is drawn in a rather masculine manner. She rebels against wearing anything girly as a child, and even in cases where she feels obligated to wear a dress or skirt, such as at her father's funeral, they are simple and modest. The rest of the time, Alison is drawn with short hair and androgynous or typically masculine clothing. When I started reading Fun Home without any prior knowledge of the book, I assumed Alison was a boy for the first few pages until her gender was stated. Gender and gender roles are discussed at length in the text of the book, but having visual representations reinforces this gives us, as readers, a better idea of ​​how Alison is affected by gender roles that she sees around her and helps us to question our own points of view. what kind of characteristics we consider masculine or feminine. Another example of how Alison's perception of the world is subtly reinforced by the illustrations are the recurring instances in which her father is depicted as an ominous silhouette on pages 12 to 21. On page 12, after Alison accidentally breaks a glass vase, she is shown holding the broken piece, looking terrified, as Bruce's shadow looms over her. On page 16, he hides behind her while she is cleaning a lamp. On page 21, he stands in her bedroom doorway after reading her a bedtime story and turning off the lights. The text explains how living with Bruce is always unpredictable and a constant source of stress for his family who are trapped, always avoiding his anger. “The constant tension was heightened by the fact that some encounters could be quite pleasant. His outbursts of kindness were also.