Fun Home: Revelation of Reality and Relationships Through Grief

Mary Margaret Hughes

Abstract

The musical Fun Home by Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori follows Alison Bechdel as a child, a young adult, and a grown adult as she looks back on her memories of her deceased father and their relationship as two queer individuals. Alison’s father carries the emotional gravity of the text, driving the scenes forward through the theme of control and the damage it does. Alison and her father both seek to control much of their lives, including their sexualities and subsequent realities about their sexualities. Made clear through a critical analysis of the musical’s plot, character, themes, and language, Fun Home reveals the how grief can change our perspective of a loved one, while also demonstrating the profound impact relationships leave in our lives.