Holocaust trauma being passed from father to son and the uniqueness of Maus as a graphic novel

In Maus by Art Spiegalman the traumas of the Holocaust get passed from father to son. Art gets to see on a first hand basis almost daily how effected his father Vladek is from the awful traumas he witnessed during the Holocaust along with his “survivors guilt” that Vladek feels. This pain that Vladek feels from watching his family, friends, and basically his entire community die resonates to a point where he takes some of this pain out on Art. This led Art to have a breakdown and end up in a mental hospital. The whole family is shook by the Holocaust and is dysfunctional because of it. Anja kills herself because of the pain she feels, and both Art and Vladek blame themselves for not being there for her. Art also feels guilt in making profit off the pain of the Holocaust experience his dad had and we see this when he is writing at his desk on top of a pile of dead Jews. Vladek also passes the traumas of the Holocaust to Art by guilt tripping him into talking to him more so he can feel like a better father. Art Spiegalman was brilliant in choosing to convey the story in graphic novel form. What makes it so cool is it’s completely out of the norm. Comic strips are suppose to be funny and quirky like The Peanuts. Obviously, the subject matter of Maus is a lot different from Lucy calling Charlie Brown a blockhead. The way he portrays people as mice, pigs, and cats also helps in simplifying Nazi attitudes of devaluation towards Jews. Personally, I think that making the story a graphic novel makes it better. The map, diagrams, detailed plans, and commentary gives it that something extra which in turn makes it better than a book. All in all, Spiegalman’s use of the graphic novel technique greatly enhances the story.