Location, Location, Location: a Brief Analysis
In “Fun Home,” Proust is said to assign people to locations and then convolute their identities to the place to which they belong. We know from page 30 and many descriptions throughout the book, that Bruce Bechdel lived and died in Beech Creek. What does this say about him? And what does it say about Allison that she didn’t stay there? At first, through Alison’s eyes, we see Beach Creek as a small, limited place– a place for fake scholars and real bumpkins. As Alison grows older, however, she comes to realize that there’s a gay bar (Bechdel, 223). The reason Alison originally wasn’t aware of the gay bar is because it is secret– you sneak in, you sneak out– in the back of a regular topless bar. This gay bar itself represents a facet of Bruce; he is aware of who he is, and so are those others sneaking around, but it is a dirty secret to be kept hidden. He is out to himself, and a few others, but he cannot live this truth in light. Alison, on the other hand, joined a group as soon as she ...