moment, Art recalls that he hated helping his father around the house, as Vladek would believe that whatever Art did was wrong: “He made me completely neurotic about fixing stuff (Spiegelman 97). Further, he says that he became an artist, as his father could not compete with him in that area (97). For these reasons, Art not only resents Vladek’s attitude, but he also suffers from depression due to the responsibility he feels towards Vladek.
In Lost, Treichel deals with identity issues, as a result of his dysfunctional family life. As indicated earlier, when the narrator’s mother embraces him, he feels resentment towards her. There is a resemblance here to Art’s relationship with Anja. Both mothers, in Lost and Maus I and II, look up to their …show more content…
Likewise, in another scene, the narrator stresses that he was becoming more like Arnold. He says, “…I wanted to stay who I was” (Treichel 45). The narrator stresses, he did not want to be like Arnold; he did not want to share his food or room with him (Treichel 45). Further, the threat of Arnold engulfing the narrator’s identity and replacing it with his own is so traumatic, that he suffers from physical symptoms. He is diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia, which he relates back to his resemblance to Arnold. He explains the pain to be like a stomach cramp which reached his face, shot up his cheek, and ended at his forehead. Simultaneously, he compares it to the feeling he would get if Arnold was literally being carved out of his face (Treichel 40). Moreover, the narrator’s resemblance to foundling 2307 causes him to doubt his existence to such an extent, that he contemplates whether he is related to his parents in the first place (Treichel 117). For the reasons above, Arnolds influence in the narrator’s life, shatters his sense of self. He struggles to form an identity for himself and constantly question his existence throughout the …show more content…
The fact that Art is attempting to heal himself along with depicting Vladek’s story, is evident in his biography. Author Elmwood believes that by intertwining himself into the narrative of his father, Art is able to overcome his insecurities and become a part of the family’s history (701). Besides, when Art discovers that Vladek read his comic strip about Anja and asks Vladek if he is angry, Vladek responds that he is glad that Art got it outside his system (104). Thus, in Maus I and II, there is a sense that Vladek and Art are aware that Art is a victim of intergenerational trauma and he needs healing, but in Lost, the narrator seems oblivious, at times. “The narrator whose suffering is to live with traumatised parents and the consequent loss of an identity is more detached from the distress that his parents experience,” explains author Van der Merwe (4). This is justified to a certain degree, due to the age difference between Art and the narrator in Lost. The narrator recognizes his emotions of anger, guilt and shame, but does not effectively work through them. Both Treichel and Art experience the burden of their parents post-war trauma; yet, Art frees himself from this “weight,” whereas Treichel remains buried beneath it. Throughout the memoir, Treichel’s emotions are
In Lost, Treichel deals with identity issues, as a result of his dysfunctional family life. As indicated earlier, when the narrator’s mother embraces him, he feels resentment towards her. There is a resemblance here to Art’s relationship with Anja. Both mothers, in Lost and Maus I and II, look up to their …show more content…
Likewise, in another scene, the narrator stresses that he was becoming more like Arnold. He says, “…I wanted to stay who I was” (Treichel 45). The narrator stresses, he did not want to be like Arnold; he did not want to share his food or room with him (Treichel 45). Further, the threat of Arnold engulfing the narrator’s identity and replacing it with his own is so traumatic, that he suffers from physical symptoms. He is diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia, which he relates back to his resemblance to Arnold. He explains the pain to be like a stomach cramp which reached his face, shot up his cheek, and ended at his forehead. Simultaneously, he compares it to the feeling he would get if Arnold was literally being carved out of his face (Treichel 40). Moreover, the narrator’s resemblance to foundling 2307 causes him to doubt his existence to such an extent, that he contemplates whether he is related to his parents in the first place (Treichel 117). For the reasons above, Arnolds influence in the narrator’s life, shatters his sense of self. He struggles to form an identity for himself and constantly question his existence throughout the …show more content…
The fact that Art is attempting to heal himself along with depicting Vladek’s story, is evident in his biography. Author Elmwood believes that by intertwining himself into the narrative of his father, Art is able to overcome his insecurities and become a part of the family’s history (701). Besides, when Art discovers that Vladek read his comic strip about Anja and asks Vladek if he is angry, Vladek responds that he is glad that Art got it outside his system (104). Thus, in Maus I and II, there is a sense that Vladek and Art are aware that Art is a victim of intergenerational trauma and he needs healing, but in Lost, the narrator seems oblivious, at times. “The narrator whose suffering is to live with traumatised parents and the consequent loss of an identity is more detached from the distress that his parents experience,” explains author Van der Merwe (4). This is justified to a certain degree, due to the age difference between Art and the narrator in Lost. The narrator recognizes his emotions of anger, guilt and shame, but does not effectively work through them. Both Treichel and Art experience the burden of their parents post-war trauma; yet, Art frees himself from this “weight,” whereas Treichel remains buried beneath it. Throughout the memoir, Treichel’s emotions are