49 pages • 1 hour read
Alison BechdelAre You My Mother?: A Comic Drama
Nonfiction | Graphic Novel/Book | Adult | Published in 2012A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
Why does Bechdel frame the book’s title in the form of a question? Describe which characters play the role of her “mother” over the course of the story.
Explain what a non-linear narrative is and how Bechdel applies this to this book. What are the advantages of this approach? How is the medium of a graphic novel beneficial to this approach?
Bechdel introduces each chapter with a dream that foreshadows her areas of focus. Select one chapter and analyze how events call back to the dream. Why are dreams important to Alison’s therapy?
Why does Bechdel favor Donald Woods Winnicott as a psychoanalyst? Select two of Winnicott’s essays that Bechdel discusses and explain how she applies their ideas to her life.
What do Alison and her mother want from each other in their relationship? How does this dynamic shift as Alison reaches adulthood? Include two psychoanalysis concepts on mother-daughter relationships in your response.
Carol notes that Alison wrote her memoir about her father to better understand her relationship with her mother. Identify the psychology concept behind this phenomenon and how it works. If the same concept applies to this book, who is Alison trying to write about?
Jocelyn tells Alison that she is angry about both her father’s suicide and her relationship with her mother. How does she come to this conclusion? In what ways does Alison mask her anger?
Evaluate how Bechdel views her sexuality and how it influences both herself and her relationship with her mother. How does her relationship with Eloise relate to the book’s themes?
Analyze Helen’s past and how it influences her worldview. How does the era she grows up in affect her opportunities in life and her treatment of Alison? What do their stories say about the development of feminism over the years?
Bechdel concludes that “I have destroyed my mother, and she has survived my destruction.” What psychoanalytic concept does this refer to, and how does Alison achieve this feat? Considering that Bechdel is open about her control over the narrative, why does she come to a positive conclusion?
