Saif's Coming of Age Blog

  Look Both Ways Before You Cross! Was Bruce Bechdel’s death a suicide or just a careless mistake? Throughout the entirety of Fun Home, that one question sits in the background. Early in the story, readers learn that the cause of Bruce’s demise was by means of a truck. Though, instead of presenting one definite answer, Alison repeatedly returns to that one singular moment and examines it from different angles. As for one of the possibilities, the accident could have simply been a mere mistake where Bruce forgot to look both ways before crossing the street. We were told that it was common for Bruce to walk along the road, and it is quite plausible that he misjudged the distance of the truck or stepped into the road without realizing how quickly it was approaching. However, the way Alison reflects on the event makes the moment feel more complicated, which keeps the possibility of suicide prevalent in the reader’s mind.      As the story continues to unfold, the questio...

       Buddy Willard is one of the most unsettling characters in The Bell Jar , and it is not because he is openly cruel. It is because he is portrayed as so convincingly perfect. On paper, he is initially described as everything Esther is supposed to desire in a partner. He is charismatic, handsome, and headed toward a respectable career as a doctor. Buddy also offers the lifestyle that all the girls around Esther had been actively seeking. At a time when Esther is coming of age and unsure of who she is becoming, Buddy appears to be the safest option.      Yet early on, Esther just feels something off about him. She notices that Buddy often wears “a kind of mild, pleased expression” (Plath 52). He always seems satisfied with himself, as though he knows he is playing the part correctly. In Esther’s eyes, Buddy does not simply exist as a decent man and senses that polish long before she understands why it unsettles her.      The illusion ...