I've Read These Books Before

 Throughout Fun Home , Bechdel makes multiple notable literary references, even stating that her "parents are most real to [her] in fictional terms" (67). Through her childhood as the daughter of two English teachers, and her literary explorations throughout her life, Bechdel has been exposed to a plethora of prominent works of literature. These analogies are used frequently in Fun Home . Some notable analogies that will be discussed include the story of Daedalus and Icarus and Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. The first analogy, appearing a mere two pages into the book, is about the story of Daedalus and Icarus. In the myth, Daedalus is a talented craftsman and the father of Icarus; to allow himself and his son Icarus to fly out of prison, he builds two pairs of wings. Although Daedalus warns Icarus not to fly too close to the sun, Icarus disregards his father's warnings and his wings melt. The story concludes with Icarus' fall and subsequent death. Bruce is compare...

In “Lady Lazarus,” Plath tackles her repeated suicide attempts by taking on a bold, defiant persona ("Out of the ash/ I rise with my red hair/ And I eat men like air")—even as a "peanut-crunching crowd" watches her self-destruction. Plath's metaphorical depiction of herself as a Jew in Nazi Germany tells us a lot about her thoughts. One of the most striking images in the poem is when she compares her skin to a “Nazi lampshade,” a reference to the rumor about lamps made from the skin of Holocaust victims. This image of her skin being forcefully stripped away mirrors the feeling of being exposed against her will, much like an animal inside the bell jar. Yet, she asks, “Do I terrify?”. The lampshade metaphor is fitting for Plath in a way, since it has the same grotesque and test-subject image as an animal trapped inside a bell jar. Instead of being peered in from the outside, the lampshade has her skin forcefully removed, alluding to her sense of being unwantedly e...

J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye features Holden Caulfield as its protagonist. From the moment of his expulsion from Pencey, Holden spirals into a downward mental decline. One of his most defining traits is his willingness to become a martyr—sacrificing himself to uphold his values and idolizing self-destruction as a means of achieving moral victory. The first instance of this is his fight with Stradlater. Despite Stradlater practically begging Holden to stop calling him a “phony” and a “moron,” Holden persists, refusing to back down even when he is physically harmed. Holden is furious that Stradlater—a shallow and insincere figure—does not appreciate Jane Gallagher the way he does. While Holden treasures small, intimate details about Jane, such as how she keeps her kings in the back row when playing checkers, Stradlater sees her as just another conquest in the prep school dating scene. This infuriates Holden, leading him to provoke Stradlater despite knowing he will be overpower...