Week 12

For this week I read Alison Bechdels "Are You My Mother?" comic. I felt intrigued by this comic because it's unique to find a lot of stories where the mother is not a nurturing sort of best friend figure for their daughter. The relationship between the two is more complex and uncharted/awkward. I like the way the comic deals with the subject matter, through a more lighthearted kind of dry way. The subject matter is not too serious, however it can be boring if you don't play with how it is portrayed or written as a memoir, so I appreciated the entertaining ways in which she described her mother. Interestingly enough, her mother is basically the anti-thesis of how a mother is supposed to be. Her mother resents her daughter for taking away her career and does not accept her sexuality. She has spent most of her life trying to gain her mothers acceptance, change her mother into the more nurturing responsive person she would like, but she cannot. Eventually she learns through her therapist she can not do so and she should change her attitude. She learns to understand her mothers struggle in life a little more as a result. Through this experience she understands she should not attempt anymore and leave her as is, because otherwise the good in their relationship will be lost. I felt like this is relatable for a lot of people. Being someone who doesn't always get along with my father, I've attempted to deal with the conflict by tossing aside our differences and just enjoy what we like or not trying to argue or push them. At times I can see why it's beneficial to not push further because it hurts your relationship with your parents more and more until the good is lost on you. Anyway I thought this was a refreshing exploration into female relationships that we don't see as often because of how the world views women. It's a memoir explaining a real life relationship that is probably very common, but a lot of women don't feel as though its a normal experience.