The Burden Lessens

Homosexuality and mental illness are both often misunderstood in their own unique ways. Many people are ostracized or struggle to come to terms with themselves. It can be hard to live happily under such circumstances. However, as demonstrated in “Fun Home” and the film “Tarnation”, it does get easier to cope with these tough topics of homosexuality and mental illness with each passing generation.

In “Fun Home”, Allison’s father had to live a life that was a fabricated identity of heterosexuality.  He was gay in a time when that was not an acceptable lifestyle. He felt isolated and did not embrace his sexuality as a positive. He spent most of his life hiding who he really was and what he wanted. In contrast, Allison was able to find her sexuality without as much shame. She joined gay clubs in college and had a girlfriend. She told her parents and friends she was gay. This is all because the social climate had changed drastically from when her father was her age and struggling with his sexuality.  While homosexuality is far from being totally accepted, it is less of a taboo than ever before in history.

 

Likewise, in the film “Tarnation”, the newer generation has it easier than their parents’ generation in regards to mental illness. Jonathan’s mother, Renee, was treated for mental illness in a period of history that was ill equipped, due to a lack of medical knowledge, to effectively treat mental illness.  Renee was forced to have shock therapy treatments which sent electricy through her brain. This series of treatments is no longer in use today because doctors know that it does not help the patient and actually does more harm than good, but in Renee’s time it was widely used partly because so little information existed on how to treat chemical imbalances in the brain. She suffered lifelong repercussions that she never recovered from such as a loss of her original personality by age twenty-five and mental incapacity that rendered her childlike and incapable of leading a productive, normal life. Jonathan, on the other hand, was able to deal with his mental illness in a healthier way. He had a very difficult childhood and did drugs that contributed to his unstable mental health. He suffered from depersonalization which was a mental illness that made him feel disconnected and as if he were living in a dreamlike state or a movie. Jonathan had an easier time dealing with his mental illness than his mother did. He did not have to have shock therapy because it was no longer used to treat mental illness. He was able to move to New York City and have an apartment of his own which lends to the fact that he was, most likely, a functioning member of society in ways his mother was never stable to achieve. He also managed to use his mental illness to express himself artistically. His mental illness made him feel like he was in a film or watching himself in a film. He used that to his advantage in that he starting actually making films.

 

 

For every generation, the struggles and scrutiny seem to get easier to bear. These two stories prove that fact beautifully. With any luck, the generations to follow will be even less misunderstood and mistreated.