Is the Funhouse Actually Fun?

John Barth’s “Lost in the Funhouse” isn’t your typical short story. Unlike most stories, Barth adds his own thoughts into the mix of the actual story. These thoughts are sporadically thrown into the mix, leaving readers slightly confused about the text they are reading.

            In the beginning, “Lost in the Funhouse” seems as though it’s just going to be traditional story about a family who goes to Ocean City for Memorial Day. The first few pages, have the sole purpose to just “introduce the principle characters, establish their initial relationships, set the scene for the main action, [and] expose the background of the situation if necessary (326). This setting and background provides a little “fluff” for readers, but is not what the story is actually about. On the surface level, the story is a careless and fun trip to the beach, but in reality it is not, especially not for Ambrose. Instead the story is focused on his first sexual encounters and his thoughts of sex. Peter and Ambrose are both clearly attracted to Magda, the “pretty girl and exquisite young lady” who accompanied their family on the trip to Ocean City (323). Once they finally reach their destination Peter’s first thought is to do the funhouse. But Ambrose resists because he has never done it before so they opted for the beach. Being at “that awkward age” Ambrose was stuck between a kid and a teenager. He “wanted to converse with Magda” but “could think of nothing to say” when he made any attempts (329).

          At this point they still have not gone into the funhouse, which from the title seemed to be the sole purpose of the trip. Barth even comments that “there’s no point in going any farther” in the story (330). But this is exactly where the story begins to change; this is the point where Ambrose experiences sexual desires for probably the first time. I am not sure if he and Magda actually had any encounters or if it is just Ambrose’s fantasy, but either way this marks the point where Ambrose realizes the true purpose of the funhouse. The whole point he realized, had to do with the girl’s dresses that everyone, their boyfriends and others around, could up (334). When Ambrose looked around he “noticed that almost all the people…were paired off into couples except the small children” (334). This is why Ambrose who was “only thirteen, athletically and socially incept” got lost in the funhouse. Literally yes he was lost, but metaphorically he was lost in life. At such an awkward age was helpless when it came to his sexual desires. The funhouse was “a place of fear and confusion” for Ambrose, which is the message that Barth is trying to get across to readers, through both the actual story and his own comments that interrupt the story (323).