We see from the beginning of Fun Home that Bruce is morally ambiguous. He is depicted as not especially caring for his children, being too concerned about the house, and generally being a lackluster parent for Alison. Furthermore, we know that he has had sexual relations with teenage boys, making the reader feel strongly against Bruce’s morality. For Alison, the lack of interaction with her father growing up and the general mystery surrounding him may have caused her to compensate by trying to create a more meaningful relationship with him. We often see Alison described in opposition to her father in many ways. For example, we see from a young age that she has a dislike for her father’s aesthetic (in the house). We also see extensions of this divide between the characters in the way their sexuality is expressed. We see that Alison is taking her time to diligently read up on the lifestyle of being lesbian, and carefully coming out to her parents at the right time. However,...
One interesting thread in Song of Solomon is the changing dynamic between Guitar and Milkman. Recently the reader has been introduced to a secret society/group that Guitar is part of called the Seven Days. Guitar uses his affiliation with the group as evidence that he is beginning to add purpose to his life and, unlike Milkman, is maturing and bringing something valuable to the world. In this post, I want to analyze how valuable Guitar's participation in the Seven Days really is, and whether or not it is an actual indicator that he is more mature than Milkman. The Seven Days has a very dark moral background. The actions that it takes to help the civil rights movements are very violent, and somewhat unjustified considering the attacks are not targeting individual oppressors. I think a very rational argument that could be made is that the Seven Days' fundamental concept is unproductive because the act of attacking random white people as a whole is m...