This document discusses how Art Spiegelman and Alison Bechdel both experienced generational trauma through their works "In The Shadow of No Towers" and "Fun Home", respectively. While the scale and time period of their traumas differed, both impacted and changed their behaviors. For Spiegelman, the 9/11 terrorist attacks became a trauma for himself and all Americans, causing anxiety and worry for his family's safety. Bechdel's trauma stemmed from the lack of societal acceptance of homosexuality during her childhood and father's closeted identity. The document analyzes how each author represented and dealt with their generational traumas through their artistic works.

1. ENGL112 Wednesday
Dr. Jason Starnes
March 9, 2020
Human Response to Trauma in In The Shadow of No Towers
and Fun Home
Trauma means the response to a deeply distressing or
disturbing experience that overwhelms
and diminishes their sense of self. When facing trauma, people
will show different reactions. Art
Spiegelman and Alison Bechdel in In The Shadow of No Towers
and Fun Home have a
similarity which they also face generation trauma. However,
their generation traumas are
different in scale and period. After experiencing the trauma,
their behaviors also have different
changes.
Generation trauma means a psychological trauma which
occurs in a generation and can be
transferred in between generations. After the first generation
people experiences the trauma, they
are capable to transfer their trauma to their children and further
generations of posterity. They
may suffer mental disease such as Post-Traumatic Stress

2. Disorder and depression.
As for the book “In The Shadow of No Towers”, the 9/11
terrorist attack not only become
Art Spiegelman’s trauma, but also become whole American’s
trauma. This incident converted to
a generation trauma of whole American at 21st century. When
9/11 terrorist attack occur, all
American are not sure what is happening at that time. All the
internet connection are lost. For
Art Spiegelman, he shows a nervous and anxiousness towards
the trauma. His wife and him are
walking normally on the street. But suddenly they heard that
there was a crush behind them. The
author shows an awful face and realized their daughter was
having class. (Art Spiegelman P2,3).
They rushed to school and found their daughter. It can show
that the writer is worry about his
family members. He wants his family member to be with him at
that time. However, after his
daughter had found, they walked back home and not concerned
about the 9-11 attack. (4). He is
selfish when facing such a horrible terrorist attack. When facing
such a big event, the writer is

3. just concern about his own personal interest and does not care
about others.
After the 9/11 terrorist attack, Art Spiegelman and many
American suffer Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder. (Art Spiegelman P2,8,9).
In Fun Home, Alison Bechdel and her father also have
trauma which the society were not
open-mindedness enough for homosexual in that generation.
Most of the people are not
accept for homosexual because of the culture, law, religion, and
belief, they consider
homosexual is illegal, against moral, ethics, and nature.

4. The difference of generation trauma between the Art
Spiegelman and Alison Bechdel.
Art Spiegelman and Alison Bechdel also experience
generation trauma through In The
Shadow of No Towers and Fun Home. Although their trauma are
different in scale and period,
the trauma affect a lot to them and change their behavior and
lives.