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Rachel Montpelier
ENGL 389, Section 30
Dr. Mitchell
April 24, 2013
Genderlect in Fun Home:
How Sex Roles Dominate Discourse Between Alison and Bruce
Alison Bechdel’s graphic memoir, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, presents a narrator
trying to make sense of her relationship with her father. Alison as a character is coming of age
and is accepting herself as a lesbian while learning that her father is also gay. In fact, Alison
labels herself and her father as “inversions,” and then explains “While I was trying to
compensate for something unmanly in him…he was attempting to express something feminine in
me” (Bechdel 98). Although Bechdel argues that she was masculine, while her father was
feminine, the characters in the memoir actually establish some gender norms. From a genderlect
perspective, Bechdel and her father both fulfill their stereotypical roles of men and women when
they verbally and sometimes nonverbally communicate, which confirms that the two are in fact
“inversions” of one another, but are not complete inversions of gendered behavior (Bechdel 98).
Genderlect is a communication theory which stipulates that “masculine and feminine
styles of discourse are best viewed as two distinct cultural dialects” (Griffin 430). Men and
women, especially when communicating with each other, often inhabit certain roles in discourse.
Women often talk more and “seek to establish connection with others,” while men seek “to
command attention, convey information, and win arguments” (Griffin 432, 433). Alison the
narrator often points out the feminine behavior of her father, and her own “butch” style, but the
way Alison and Bruce communicate follows the set patterns of genderlect (Bechdel 15). Alison
repeatedly seeks connection and common ground through her speech, while Bruce speaks much
less but manages to dominate their diegetic conversations. Bechdel never points out the
distinction between Alison and Bruce’s communication styles, but the “descriptive figures” of
the book illuminate the genderlect that is the basis of their discourse (Warhol 11).
Bechdel blatantly describes the many differences between herself and her father in Figure
1. She labels their opposite natures by saying “I was Spartan to my father’s Athenian. Modern to
his Victorian. Butch to his nelly. Utilitarian to his aesthete” (Bechdel 15). Under the caption in
which Bechdel describes how her father’s femininity clashed with her own masculine style, there
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is a panel that depicts a young Alison in a dress looking uncomfortable and asking “Who cares if
the necklines don’t match?” (Bechdel 15). Her father effectively ends the conversation by
pointing away from Alison and replying “Yellow turtleneck. Now” (Bechdel 15). Bruce’s
preoccupation with his daughter’s outfit might be considered traditionally feminine, but his
domineering conversation tactics agree with the masculine side of genderlect. This directly
correlates with stereotypical male behavior in conversations, like male students controlling the
flow of conversation in classes (Galvin et al. 24). Bruce’s refusal to engage his daughter in an
actual discussion and his controlling nature as he orders her to change clothes is evidence of
genderlect at work. Alison might consider her father a “nelly,” but his dialectical techniques are
very masculine (Bechdel 15).
In turn, Alison’s behavior in Figure 1 is very feminine. In the bottom two panels, she
asks questions to create connection with her father. The panel about her dress is an example of
her trying to engage her father in conversation, while the
next panel shows her trying to communicate her anger and
frustration with him. The visual depicts her with a scowl
trying to clean an antique and asking “What’s the point of
making something that’s so hard to dust?” (Bechdel 15).
The panel shows how Alison uses her words to try and
understand her father’s motives, even when she is angry or
annoyed with him. Her questions seek connection even
when they are in anger (Griffin 434). Although Bruce
replies with the curt and short “It’s beautiful,” it is clear to
the reader that he has won the conversation and has
effectively shut down any chance for real discussion
between himself and his daughter (Bechdel 15). He
refuses to even make eye contact with his daughter, and the
panel depicts him looking more interested in the mail than
Figure 1, (Bechdel 15).
in talking to Alison (Bechdel 15). The point of Figure 1 is to highlight the
differences and opposition between Alison and Bruce. Bechdel furthers the message of her
images and captions by showing the characters using the set patterns of genderlect. The daughter
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and father are very different from each other, but their communication tactics are also very
traditional.
Like Figure 1, Figure 2 also demonstrates the gender divide between Bruce and Alison,
but it adds another dimension by making the narrator’s memories the main topic in the panel.
The tradition of genderlect stipulates that women are more disposed to need interdependence,
which gives them “an advantage over men in memory for what the targets had shared about close
others” (Horgan et al. 169). Since Fun Home is a
text “in which the present self speaks” and the
“past self experiences,” the narrator’s memories
of communication are a very important element to
explore (Warhol 3). The panel shows Alison with
her hands on her hips, looking up at her father and
arguing with him about the appropriate wedding
attire (Bechdel 98). Alison again tries to establish
connection, while Bruce effectively ignores and
answers her by saying “It’s a wedding! I wish we
had some sort of straw hat for you” (Bechdel 98).
However, the main topic in this panel is the
narrator’s captions, which describe the memory.
The narrator describes that she and her father were “inversions” of one another and
Figure 2, (Bechdel 98).
goes on to say “While I was trying to compensate for something unmanly in him…he was
attempting to express something feminine through me” (Bechdel 98). The image is also
punctuated with smaller captions that describe the controversial clothing. Alison’s garb is the
“least girly dress in the store,” while Bruce’s suit is simply “Velvet!” (Bechdel 98). Figure 2’s
extensive use of captions is evidence of women “reporting more thoughts and feelings” and
“adopting the perspective” of others (Horgan et al. 170). The narrator explaining the conflict
between Alison and her father is her trying to understand her father’s point of view and trying to
empathize with his behavior through memory. The narrator explaining her father’s struggle in
his own sexuality, as well as the character of Alison trying to ask her father questions,
demonstrates how these two “inverts” still manage to follow genderlect standards while being in
opposition of each other (Bechdel 98).
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Bechdel’s memory of this instance in Figure 2 is also highlighted with the rare presence
of her mother, who makes snide contributions to the conversation. Alison’s mother, referring to
the velvet suit, opines that Bruce will “upstage the bride” with his outfit (Bechdel 98). Bruce
does not respond, and does not even look at his wife. He manages to control the situation by
disinterestedly answering his daughter and pretending that his wife is not speaking (Bechdel 98).
The narrator’s explanatory captions are providing reasons for Bruce’s cold behavior, and both
sets of behavior follow the genderlect model. In discourse, men often seek out status and power,
while women seek intimacy, and Bruce demonstrates his position of power and control in Figure
2 (Parkhurst 18). Bruce is exhibiting his high status of head of the family and controller of
clothes and conversation, which is a prime example of genderlect in action (Parkhurst 18). He
keeps his status by dominating the conversation, deciding on the family’s attire and by
pretending his wife is not speaking. The narrator’s memory of her father’s communication and
her attempt to understand and explain it demonstrates perfectly how Alison and her father were
very different, but still managed to follow the habits of men and women when they
communicated.
While Figures 1 and 2 depict Alison’s actual actions and words, Figure 3 demonstrates
how she hides certain parts of herself, in order to adhere to the genderlect pattern specific to
women. The two panels are set at Bruce’s funeral, when a guest is trying to comfort Alison at
her time of bereavement (Bechdel 125). The first panel features a mourner saying “the lord
moves in mysterious ways,” referring to the sudden death of Alison’s father (Bechdel 125).
Instead of saying what she is thinking, Alison responds “Yes. He does,” while thinking “I’d kill
myself too if I had to live here” (Bechdel 125). What’s most interesting about these set of panels
is that the first shows an alternate version, which presents Alison straying from the genderlect
path. She imagines herself yelling, with her face scrunched in frustration and shoulders hunched,
“There’s no mystery! He killed himself because he was a manic-depressive, closeted fag…”
(Bechdel 125). Alison hiding her true feelings, in order to avoid losing her cool and yelling, is
another element of women’s communication. Many women view conflict as something to be
avoided, since it hinders connection and understanding (Griffin 435). Alison’s conceals her true
opinions about her father’s suicide and her feelings about divine plans, in order to keep her
composure and create connection to her fellow mourner. The character effectively avoids
conflict by only imagining what would happen if she “spoke the truth,” instead of actually
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sharing her perspective (Bechdel 125). Alison seeking connection with someone she actually
disagrees with demonstrates how she does fit women’s genderlect patterns.
In addition to the dialogue and visuals of Figure 3, the captions also highlight the
genderlect patterns Alison conforms to during the funeral scene. The first panel that depicts
Alison’s imagination contains the caption
“My numbness, along with all the mealymouthed mourning, was making me irritable.
What would happen if we spoke the truth?”
while the second panel that shows reality is
labeled “I didn’t find out” (Bechdel 125).
This caption might be discussing the
narrator’s “emotional experience,” but it is
also implicit evidence of Alison’s feminine
communication patterns (Warhol 10). Alison
holds back and does not speak her mind in
order to preserve the dignity of her family.
She does not vent to the mourner because she
Figure 3, (Bechdel 125).
seeks connection and because she cares about her family’s feelings
during their own time of grief. Many times women will make decisions based on
“considerations of compassion, loyalty, and a strong sense of responsibility” (Griffin 437).
Alison’s decision to not tell the truth is a choice to protect her family. She feels responsible for
them and does not want her own honesty to hurt them. In this way, Alison’s behavior at the
funeral and the captions’ explanations demonstrate how feminine genderlect is a part of Alison’s
life. She views herself as an inversion, but her communication patterns are traditionally
feminine.
The contrast between Alison’s imagination and actions continues in the panels of Figure
4. The scene presents Bruce telling his daughter that he will be going to therapy, much to
Alison’s surprise (Bechdel 153). In the pattern of genderlect and in the general communication
between the father and daughter, Alison speaks more in their discourse, while her father
dominates the conversation by saying very little. In fact, the reader does not even see Bruce
telling Alison where he is going; all the reader sees is Alison asking “Where are you going?” and
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then in the next panel, with her jaw dropping, asking “Why?!” (Bechdel 153). Bruce effectively
controls the flow of the discussion, and the reader knows this without even witnessing the
dialogue. Before her father explains his choice, Alison imagines, in visuals, Bruce with an
analyst (Bechdel 153). Alison’s daydream depicts Bruce and his therapist as humorously
uncomfortable in New Yorker cartoon fashion (Bechdel 153). However, her reverie is
interrupted when her father solemnly tells her that “I’m bad. Not good like you” (Bechdel 153).
Bruce manages to surprise Alison and the reader, all while retaining the power in
communication. His short, clipped sentences maintain his status and fit the gendered pattern of
men using “short one or two word” sentences and questions (Parkhurst 18). These panels
effectively demonstrate that, while Alison is the protagonist, Bruce is more powerful and
controlling in his communication with his daughter. Alison speaks more, Bruce dominates
conversations by saying very little, and they both follow genderlect norms with their behavior.
The images in Figure 4 also especially highlight the gendered practices of Bruce and
Alison during his confession. Even though Bruce is revealing something that would potentially
embarrass or hurt Alison, he still manages to
preserve his “hierarchical social order” and
still negotiates power during their short, almost
one-sided conversation (Parkhurst 18).
Bruce’s facial expression barely changes.
Throughout the four panels, he maintains an
enigmatic pose that is somewhere between a
frown and a skeptical pursing of the lips
(Bechdel 153). In contrast, Alison’s widens
her eyes and hangs her head when she learns
her father will seek therapy, and she raises her
eyebrows in a shocked expression when her
father tells her that he is bad (Bechdel 153).
The only real emotion that Bruce portrays is a hint of shame when he looks down
Figure 4, (Bechdel 153).
as he tells his daughter that she is good, unlike himself (Bechdel 153). Bruce maintaining almost
identical expressions throughout the panels ensures that he upholds his status and power during
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his interaction with his daughter because he betrays no hint that he would like to confide in her.
However, Alison showing shifting expressions of surprise and shock ensures that is trying to
understand her father’s confession and is determined to process it. She is concerned with what
Bruce is saying, while he is concerned with preserving his own power. The visuals and facial
expressions in this set of panels are further evidence of the genderlect patterns that the characters
follow since they depict how Bruce withholds emotion and establishes power, while Alison seeks
to understand her father’s position.
Bruce’s control of communication continues in Figure 5, which depicts Bruce driving
Alison, while the two talk self-consciously about their respective sexualities (Bechdel 220).
Although he is opening up, Bruce invites
minimal connection in his speech. Instead,
he faces forward and describes his same-sex
encounters. In consecutive panels he
describes “My first experience was when I
was fourteen. Norris Johnson. He helped
out at the farm and the fun home. He was
real well-built, with black, wavy hair. It
was…nice” (Bechdel 220). Bruce is
straying from the rigid genderlect path by
attempting to relate to Alison, but his
clipped sentences and domination of the
conversation follows masculine gender
Figure 5, (Bechdel 220).
norms. In turn, Alison’s memory of this important interaction also follows
gender roles. Women often pay attention more in conversations that they relate to and when they
recognize “self-relevant information” (Horgan et al. 173). Alison sees her father’s sudden
revelation as important and as something that is very similar to her own life. She recognizes her
father’s struggle with his sexuality as similar to her own discovery of being a lesbian. This
recognition provides her the perfect moment to listen to her father and attempt to establish
deeper connection with him. No one else has the potential to understand Bruce’s struggle with
sexuality and societal conventions more than Alison. Bruce is following masculine patterns by
dominating the conversation, while Alison is fulfilling feminine norms by listening to him and
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realizing the potential for a deeper relationship between them. In this scene, the two realize that
they are inversions of one another, but the way they reveal themselves is inherently traditional.
The spare use of captions is also very indicative of the feminine and masculine uses of
communication that run throughout Figure 5. The figure begins with the voice-over caption that
explains “I kept still, like he was a splendid deer I didn’t want to startle” (Bechdel 220). Alison
decided to keep quiet so her father would tell her his story without fear of interruption. By not
speaking in the panels, she is trying to understand what her father wants and is also trying to
listen to his story. In the traditional pattern of genderlect, Alison decides to cede her own
participation in the discussion in order to understand her father’s point of view (Galvin et al. 27).
As a result, Bruce is the only one who speaks in the figure and is controlling the path of the
conversation. The figure’s visuals also work to communicate how Alison is engaging by
listening to Bruce, even when she remains silent. Her facial expressions include widened eyes,
raised eyebrows and she turns to face her father as he speaks (Bechdel 220). This directly
correlates to the way the women will often prove they are listening by reacting to a story and
trying to maintain eye contact (Griffin 433). Alison’s active engagement with her father’s
story—even when she is not speaking—shows how she is trying to understand him and find
connection with him. Her trying to find common ground, even when giving Bruce the power in
the conversation, is a traditionally feminine form of communication.
While the use of captions is an essential part of Figure 5, Figure 6 uses no captions
because the conversation between Bruce and Alison
is fairly self-explanatory and needs no further detail.
In one panel, Bruce explains “When I was little, I
really wanted to be a girl” and in the next panel
continues “I’d dress up in girls’ clothes” (Bechdel
221). In order to create connection and commonality
with her father, Alison does not “celebrate or
condemn” Bruce’s knowledge of his sexuality, even
when he was closeted while being married to her
mother (Warhol 6). Instead, she reiterates her own
similar experiences. In consecutive panels she
excitedly explains, with an obscured smile and with
Figure 6, (Bechdel 221).
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her hand up, “I wanted to be a boy! I dressed up in boys’ clothes!...Remember?” (Bechdel 221).
Bruce’s lack of response speaks volumes. Alison is using her own experiences and memories to
create conversation and intimacy with her father, and even uses a question to motivate him to
contribute more in their discussion. Alison hopes to “participate in open, friendly dialogue,” but
her father refuses to engage more in their conversation after she makes her own confession
(Griffin 434). Just when the reader thinks that there will be a renewed relationship between
Bruce and Alison, he pauses the connection by refusing to speak. In this way, the two continue
their patterns of genderlect. Bruce maintains his status by staying silent and keeping his power,
and Alison attempts connection by comparing her father’s childhood experience to her own.
Bruce’s powerful silence and Alison’s personal empathy follows the conventional patterns of
genderlect, while demonstrating how the two family members are different. They feel like they
do not fit in their own gender groups, but they do not completely stray from the labels of
masculine or feminine.
Furthermore, Figure 6 highlights once again how Alison considers herself an “inversion”
of Bruce (Bechdel 98). They find commonality in the fact that they both desired to break free
from certain gender norms during childhood. In fact, Alison uses their mutual longing to dress
like the opposite sex in order to find likeness with her father. However, neither Bruce nor his
daughter fully rejects gender norms. The way that Alison adds her own experiences to Bruce’s
story follows the feminine habit of showing support by aligning his childhood with her own
(Bechdel 221). Her attempt to show solidarity to Bruce is a way to seek mutual understanding
(Griffin 434). Also, even though Bruce speaks about his struggle with maintaining masculinity,
his continuous refusal to look at Alison underlines his control and dominance in the
conversation. Alison often turns her head while she is listening to Bruce, but he never returns
the gesture. He keeps his status of power by not fully responding to Alison’s words and by never
looking her in the eye (Parkhurst 18). He ensures that he is the one in control by refusing to
engage with his daughter. Even though their conversation explains the father and daughter’s
frustrations with gender roles and expectations, both of them exhibit the pattern of genderlect
throughout the panels.
In her conclusion of Fun Home, Alison Bechdel categorizes her story and her father’s
story as a “tricky reverse narration” (Bechdel 232). The narrator subtly describes how she and
her father did not fit traditional roles and were actually inversions of one another. Bechdel
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explores this idea throughout her memoir, but does not analyze one instance of their relationship.
Although Bruce and Alison were very different, both of them adhered to genderlect patterns. As
the six figures throughout the paper demonstrate, Alison followed feminine communication
patterns while her father was traditionally masculine in the way he communicated. It is true that
the two did not fit in many gender norms, but the way they communicate is evidence of the way
that they did adhere to certain aspects of gender roles. They continued to be inversions of one
another, but were not necessarily complete inversions of their respective genders. Bruce and
Alison might have felt like anomalies that could never be truly masculine or feminine, but their
conversations suggest that they were not completely “nelly” or “butch,” either (Bechdel 15).
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