As humans, we often shape ourselves into the people we spend the most time In Art Speigelman’s graphic novel Maus, it is obvious that his father, Vladek, has passed down various traumas brought on by the Holocaust. There is obvious guilt that Vladek feels for surviving the war when so many were lost. This is passed down to his son when Art starts to profit from telling his father’s story. They both feel as though they do not deserve to be doing well and feel like they are benefitting from other people’s loss. Art’s guilt is shown in his novel in Maus II, when we is shown at his writing desk, which is on top of a pile of dead bodies. The author’s mother was also severely affected by the Holocaust, and it ultimately leads to her suicide. The author feels guilty about his mother’s death. He shares in his novel that he wishes he had been the one to find her body so that his father would not have to have seen his beloved wife’s lifeless body. This book serves as Art Speigelman’s way of telling his father’s story of survival, but also is an outlet for him to share all of his emotions that come with having two parent’s that survived such a traumatic experience.
I believe that guilt is a major theme in this novel and Vladek does pass down his guilt to his son Art. At the same time I think Vladek telling his son what happened to him in the holocaust is form of catharsis as it is for Art writing and making this novel it does serve as an outlet to let go guilt and traumatic emotions.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you said. Vladek’s experiences has manifested into guilt for art and we can see how it affected him writing his book. I really like the symbolism presented in Maus II when we see Art’s desk on top of dead bodies. It just illustrates how the guilt and anxiety is swallowing Art.
ReplyDeleteAs Rafael stated, it does feel like Vladek telling his experiences is a catharsis. It is quite human to release everything that you have been bottling up. It’s purifying and releases the burden. In addition, although Art is feeling guilty about writing his father’s story, I feel like Vladek’s story is something that needs to be told. It’s moving and powerful.