Maus: The Conclusion

Maus, in my opinion, is a great book series. It highlights the firsthand experiences of an ordinary Jewish person during the Holocaust and the feelings that are attributed to living through such a dangerous event. But that isn't what makes it especially great to me; the relationships that the survivor, Vladek, has makes Maus remarkable. Even though survivors are seen as people to be respected because of what they have been through, Vladek manages to make Maus's readers dislike him in some senses, and that stems from his relationship with his son, Art(ie).

Vladek talking to Artie

Artie and Vladek aren't very close at the beginning of Maus, likely because of the way Vladek raised Artie. For example, Vladek did not approve of Artie's career choice of being a comic artist, which caused a rift between the two individuals. As Artie started to interview Vladek more about his stories of the Holocaust, the two became closer.

But, there was an obstacle in the way, and that's Vladek's past. Vladek only thinks of Richieu, his deceased son, as his child. But, that's not the case anymore.

Many people may tell you that they felt as though their parents were constantly comparing them to their siblings, but in the case for Vladek and Artie, a comparison isn't even given because only one sibling is recognized: Richieu. Artie, in comparison to Richieu, was not given the same level of acknowledgement, which shows Vladek's attention to strictly the past. This attention causes him to live as though he is his younger self in the Holocaust, but he fails to recognize those around him, such as his son, Artie.