Man I'm Getting Old

     While reading Fun Home, I noticed that Bruce does a lot to hide his and Alison's identities as some way of putting up an act to be perceived as a "normal family" and keep a good reputation. Bruce reminds me of my mother and how she tries to steer me off from certain things she disagrees with (this book being one of them) as a way of keeping a good face for the rest of our family and the people she knows. He acts like a shield for things that he has experienced that he doesn't want Alison or others to see and tends to push her one way or the other.       Like Alison, I feel that I don't really care much about a reputation, but more about exploring things that are related to how I feel and what I like and enjoy or what is interesting. I feel like I relate to her in more ways than I would have thought. There are many things that she did in the book which I also feel that I have done or currently do, like checking out specific books in a library or reading about

       For Esther, The bell jar is a space of confinement and societal pressure. She is trapped and on display, for the world to see her success and her failure, like a specimen, and she has to sit there and face their judgmental gazes.  She feels that if she isn't able to find her own way to escape the pressure, death may be her only other option.     Esther's situation reminds me of an ant trapped under a cup. An ant came to mind because people often put a cup over an ant if it is unwanted in their space. For Esther, this is like being told she is unwanted for choosing to follow her own path. Like Esther, the ant is on its own, trapped away from its colony, with little to no support from anyone, except the person trying to preserve its life. The ant will do whatever it takes to escape and get back to its colony and will die trying, since like Esther, those are its only options.  Esther wants to be in total control of her life. She wants to work and have her own personal succe