Bruce and his artifice.
"He used his skillful artifice not to make things, but to make things appear to be what they are not." (Bechdel, 16) That is the line that sticks with me when it comes to Bruce and his work in architecture. Aside from its relation to the rest of the Bruce's secrets. The house was originally built in 1867, and Alison's Parents bought the house 95 years later in 1962. The house was incredibly dilapidated and in a state of incredible disrepair when they got it. Bruce put a lot of effort into repairing the house. As is described as being able to turn trash into treasure when it comes to the materials (Bechdel, 5-9). The house is amazing on the surface, then what it is it really?
This house is not some house in the past, its a house in the same town he was born in, lived in, died in, and was buried in (Bechdel, 140). In the town where the rest of his family had done quite the same (Bechdel, 30-32,125-127). Perhaps the house helped ease that burden when you always wanted to leave. Bruce originally arrived back at Beech Creek after his Grandfather has a heart attack, so Bruce and Helen had to leave West Germany to help run the family funeral home. They ended up staying Beech Creek since they started having kids (Bechdel 32-33). So perhaps it is in a way an escape from the shattered dreams of leaving Beech Creek and living in Europe,
The most simple answer to the question of what the house truly is on the inside is perhaps the most literal. Bruce is making the house appear to be in perfect condition, when in truth the house is still old and run down. Despite all of Bruce's efforts, the old house is still old, that can't really be changed so easily. The original wood is getting old, and its unlikely to be possible to remove all of it. What can't be removed, is worked around to hide the imperfection (Bechdel, 4-6,20). I believe the main flaw with this argument is that it is kind of meaningless. It takes a phrase loaded with meaning and implications, and then guts it. It treats the statement as being shallow, because after that there isn't much elsewhere to go. And besides there isn't much evidence that the house has been falling apart since Bruce restored it. I feel as though it more has to do with being an escape from being in the same town for his entire life than it does with the just being old. One simply has more connection to the story than the other.
I agree that there is likely a connection between Bruce's obsessive and aestheticist work on the Victorian manse and his "shattered dreams" of living in Europe, and it definitely seems like an "escape" from the prosaic surroundings of Beech Creek. The "library" especially seems to embody this idea, as Alison describes it as a kind of "stage" for Bruce's performance as the "country squire" (an English/European idea), and literature in general becomes a kind of second, fictional life for Bruce to live imaginatively. But as you note, the house is a lot of things apart from Bruce's work of art, and among them, Alison describes it as a "labyrinth" full of dark corners, mystery, confusion--itself something a young Daedalusian artist might want to *escape*.
ReplyDeleteHi David!
ReplyDeleteYou totally cooked with the "Bruce is using the house to live out what he couldn't live out in Europe" thing. Kaylee mentioned on her blog that we can see Helen use her acting as escapism, and that seems kind of similar to your take on Bruce's work on the house. This makes for really interesting parallels! Also, I don't think I've seen counter-evidence to counter arguments discussed so much, so it was pretty cool to see one here.
Hi David! I agree that Bruce uses his hobby of making everything look perfect and renovate often as a way to escape. I believe that having to hide his true self morphed into needing to create the perfect picture, while also giving him time to find a calm space where he can create something. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteHi David! I can definitely see how Bruce might use his hobby of repairing the house as a way to cope with his shattered dreams of living in Europe. Beech Creek, being the small and rural town it is, seems to be a source of resentment for Bruce. Along with his wife and children, Beech Creek is what keeps Bruce from living his true identity. We get a glimpse of what this would look like when he and his children visit New York City, and Bruce goes out late one night (presumably to meet other men). I think that a big reason why Bruce pours so much of himself into the house is because he has no other escape. Great blog!
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