I enjoyed Allison’s Character very much. It makes the book all ha more real and understandable. I enjoyed how she used her emotion to make personal connections with her current problems. Such as the OCD that she established at a young age. I felt that it was comical yet true to the character making her all the more real in my eyes as a reader as well as interesting. At one point I began to sympathize for her because of the disconnection between her and family. They were so secluded except for when it was dinner time.

The author made sure that she stressed the fact that, the father wanted the house to appear as if it was a traditional. Although the family held great secrets that was so dreadful to society eyes that it scorned them as individuals and a whole. Therefore the father stressed because he didn't want anybody to think of him in a negative way, the mother stressed because she had to be the backbone of the household and with hold through all the fighting and arguments that occurred between the father and her. And last but not least the daughter stressed because she couldn't find her true self.

Although each of these characters suffered from some since of freedom they seemed to each gain this freedom back towards the end of the book. The mother, through finally having the release of her husband who has now passed and being able to confide in the daughter as she grew older. The mother also, vented through her historical plays that she performed, almost as if she was yearning for that attention. May it be through the play she was performing or the audience who acquired it and her family who obtained it. Her acting as if nobody should ask her questions about her performance only showed a greater repressed emotion for more freedom and attention.

The Father gained his sense of freedom I believe twice in the book. His first encounter with freedom, I would say, would have to be when the daughter finally spoke up about her sexuality. This moment was pivotal for their relationship because they finally understood one another. Just like when the mother found Allison to confide in, the father did as well. Although the situations might not have been as clear as the mother daughter relationship, due to awkwardness, they still confided in one another. His second sense of freedom would have to be his death. Weather planned, assumed, or accidental, his death truly set him free from the twisted/secret bearing life.

The daughter's freedom I would say would kind of coincide with the fathers somewhat. Her sense of freedom came from the death of the father and when she revealed her true self/sexuality. Although her father’s death made her upset for a while, when he finally thought it through she realized why her father had left and came to an understanding of the harshness of his life and what correlated in hers. When she finally spoke up for herself and announced her sexuality she freedom herself from the unknown and curiosity she had as a child

At points the book did puzzle me on the relationships area. Such as why did the mother continually stay with the father even after she found out his secret? Or did she know his secret at all? Another question that drew to my mind was what was the relationship between the father and the two brothers? Did he ever have or try to have and sexual relations with them. And what were the brother’s true importances in the book? I ask this last question because every author includes particular characters at certain points in the book to specify an importance of a particular moment. So what was Bechdel's importance of her two brothers besides the fact that the book was a memoire? I wish I had enough time to analyze this book in greater detail because a lot occurred through underlying messages that I still do not understand....

Alison Bechdel did an excellent job on the book Fun Home. Although, personally I believe that the context and language was difficult at times. While reading the context in the book it became difficult because I began to lose the author when she spoke about literature and made personal connections to it. Maybe it was difficult to me because I never read any of the books she mentioned; therefore understanding her arguements only became that difficult and fustrating to understand. Despite this, Bechdel tried to incorporate the literature of the particular books into this small comic novel. I felt like she did this because she knew that her audience wouldn't understand or hasn't read any of the books that she mentioned.

Another form of Bachdel's writing in this particular book is flashbacks. What I mean by this is that Bechdel uses a lot of connection from past experience in her writing. Each chapter has a direct correlation to another from some sort of past experience. But, then again the book does solemly rely on her memory of her father, which was in the past so that does make sense. This made that book actually interesting when the context began to get difficult.

I also, adored how the author had pictures through out the book. I never read a novel, for school, that actually had pictures. The pictures interested and confused me at the same time. Not because the book was boring or anything. But, mainly because I have a hard time staying focused sometimes so the pictures would interupt my reading from time to time. Sometimes I just looked at the pictures then read the commentary. The actually detail in the picture made the book that much more interesting.

At some points in the novel the audience was us the reader and from other aspects I believe that the audience could have been herself as well. This, trying to convience herself the relevance to her father and his death. Through out the novel she talks about how writing in her diary because tedious and it showed her OCD as well. But I believe that by Alison Bechdel writing this novel it showed that through literature she lived. Therefore, by writing this book it could've let some certain release from the anger and repressed emotions she holds inside. Thus, making the audience true to herself.
Due to the extreme difficulty this book must have been to write, I think the author did a great job at telling her history through this tragicomic. And I congratulate her on showing creative, literal knowledge, as well as creativie writing through personal connection. I adore when authors go the extra mile and Bechdel did an excellent job!

5) By the end of the novel, do you get used to Alvarez’s style? Why did she choose
this style? Does it work? Is she able to get you to finish reading the book even
though you know the ending? What does she focus on instead and why?

By the end of the novel, I felt more comfortable with the book then when I started as well as Alvarez's choice of writing. I feel like she chose this style to get her reader's more engaged and because it must have been extremely difficult to keeping a verbatim story true to it originality as much as Alvarez portrayed it.

 I have to admit that her style made the story all the more interesting, due to the fact that when I read I like to imagine the book as if I'm watching a movie. And when Alvarez does flash backs in the middle of the story I can imagine the characters dazing off into thought. To have the ability to transform you reader's mind into an imagery form makes you a great storyteller/author; Alvarez succeeded in interpreting this story.

Although Alvarez did a great job with this book, I found it hard to keep interested a certain points in the book which made it extremely hard to finish it in the time spend that I usually give myself to read and it was extremely aggravated seeing that I have such a busy schedule. But, when I finally finished I understood her purpose in her writing and in her choice of style in her writing.

She keeps her readers wondering and ready to see what is going to happen in the next chapter, with each character picking up from where the other one left off. By her doing this it helped her focus on another aspect, which is the importance of her message and the timelines. She positions the characters by significance in that certain time frame of the current story; therefore making it easier to understand as a reader.

When you finally get to the end you see her switch up her style a little bit more to having Dede speak in the first person. Almost as if Alvarez wanted Dede to really pay attention the message she was trying to give her. That it's okay to be free and be yourself...especially since your sisters are free now. Viva Las Mariposas!

Around 1925 ~ Dede Birth

1938 (Jan) ~ Goes away to Immaculada Conseption

1943 ~ : Resistance beginning of nvlment of Las Mariposas

1948 ~ Marriage to Jaimito: exciled of Minera's relationship. Met Lio, Bin in resistance (important), Enemy of the state, revoluntionist; he is banned.

1949 (October 12) Goes to Discovery Day Dance with Minerva. The beginning of trouble with the government.

1950 ~ Ice Cream Shop fails

1954 ~ Dede and Jaimito move back to family Farm. They have 2 children by then.

1959 ~ Patria ask Ded if group can be held at family farm; Jaimito says no

1960 ~ All sisters come and ask Dede if she wants to join them. Dede sisn't get involved so the onl person who husband wasn't arrested was him. Sisters Die

1994 ~ Living in the Dominican Reublic, Ojo de Agua, At family farm/house:Runs tthe museum, envolvement of nieces and nephew (authoritive figure)