Previous

I suppose that a lifetime spent hiding one's erotic truth could have a cumulative renunciatory effect. Sexual shame is in itself a kind of death.

In this quote from the end of 7. The Antihero's Journey, the final section of the memoir, Bechdel revisits her emotional reaction—or lack thereof—to the death of her father. The link between sexual shame and death is prevalent throughout the memoir. Bechdel’s father commits suicide in part because he’s unable to live authentically given his attraction to men and boys. Bechdel traces much of Bruce’s unhappiness and rage throughout her life to his repressed queerness. Similarly, Alison is stifled throughout her childhood and adolescence by the ways Bruce polices her gender expression and sexuality, a repression that causes her so much anxiety that becomes a kind of death of self.

Previous section Famous Quotes Explained Page 3

Take a Study Break