Mentor Text: In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower

Mikayla Gunther

In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower is a short story that could be described as a narrative or autobiography. This story is told and written by Alison Bechdel who at the age of 19 came out as lesbian. When she was a young girl her father encouraged her to act in a more feminine way. One thing that he really pushed upon her was his love for flowers. Alison always knew that this was a more feminine characteristic that her father had. Her father was a gay man who lived his whole life in the closet until after his death. After his death, she found pictures that he had taken of other men and compares them to photos that other women had taken of her. I have never read any other text that I could compare to this one but after reading it I think that it is meant to help others who are struggling with something similar to Alison. Not only does Alison use words to tell her story but she also uses pictures. Every page is full of drawings recreating the scenes she is describing. The book that this text is from took 7 years to publish because of the detailed illustrations in which Alison takes photos of herself to use as the figures in the story. I also think that this story is also intended to spread awareness for mental health related to sexuality. It is not clear whether or not Alisons father committed suicide but overall this story is advocating for people to accept who they are and not be scared to show it. All over the world there are people who are struggling with their sexuality and/or the loss of a loved one. Although I cannot relate to this text, someone who would be able to relate to it is someone who is struggling with their identity and is working on figuring out who they are or someone who has just lost someone close to them. In today’s society the people who disagree with homosexuality would most likely not be interested in this text. Alison is using her story to show people that although it is hard to come to terms with who you are, it is possible and you are not alone. For me, this text was a realization that everyone is struggling with something even when they're not showing it.

1/20/22