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Alison Bechdel

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This shattered heart represents how Bechdel feels emotionally broken in her relationship with her mother. Even though it’s clear she loves her, that love can be painful. The shattered heart represents that love isn’t always warm and comforting it can be hard and broken. The broken heart also connects with Winnicott’s “ good enough mother”, as Bechdel’s mother might have tried but their emotional was damaged. The heart in the image isn’t a perfect heart, it’s broken into pieces and that is like Bechdel’s feelings. Her feelings are complicated and confusing not simple and clear.

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The comic structure is an essential part of the way Bechdel tells her story. Each panel captures different layers of time and memories with in-depth meaning. Through the comic we see her in different stages of life, adult, a child, and sometimes both in the same frame. At times the comic can become confusing as your unsure as to whether you’re reading about a dream, real time, or a memory.I felt as if the comic layout helps us feel that confusion to. The comic structure matches Bechdel’s complex theme of how hard it is for her to understand her relationship with her mother.

It’s also important to note that she uses monochrome style in the comic which mirrors the emotional tone to her story.

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The concept of “ a good enough mother “ comes from the psychologist D.W Winnicott. Bechdel includes theories from Winnicott to try and understand how her mother acted. This video helps put into context Winnicott’s idea that a mother doesn’t have to be perfect just ‘ good enough” to help their child succeed. Throughout the book Bechdel is always wondering if her mother was “ good enough” or what “good enough “ for her means.

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Why Good Enough Parenting Is Great Parenting

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This video connects directly to “ The Ordinary Devoted “ Mother” because it shows how Bechdel’s writer’s block is a part of her struggle to understand her relationship with her mother. In the book it’s clear she’s not just trying to write a simple story, she’s trying to make sense of strong emotional memories. Hence why she includes moments where she feels stuck. This video helps put into context why her story isn’t in a linear order, rather it’s her working through these emotions as they come and including outside references.

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KQED's The Writers' Block: Alison Bechdel: Are You My Mother?

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“ AM I ALLOWED TO HATE MY MOTHER?”               ( P.102)

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“ AM I ALLOWED TO HATE MY MOTHER?”               ( P.102)

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This quote shows Bechdel questioning whether it’s okay to feel anger toward her mother. The first panel shows her self reflecting, and the panel shows that strong inner voice shutting that feeling down. Bechdel doesn’t feel safe expressing anger, although she definitely feels it. This quote is a good representation of how complicated and painful their relationship is, it helps us as readers understand Bechdels confusion and emotional split.