Experience And Survival In The Holocaust: Vladek Spiegelman's Maus

Art Spiegelman’s Maus, provides readers with a personal insight on his father, Vladek Spiegelman’s, experience and survival in the Holocaust. As a result of Vladek’s experience, the physical and emotional effects due to the Holocaust greatly impacted him as an individual. The effects also placed a strain on the relationships Vladek had with other individuals around him, especially with his son Art. Their relationship appears to be strained due to the effects of the Holocaust that Vladek is unable to control, as well as many frustrations with one another and the personal guilt that is felt by both men. Vladek Spiegelman physically survived the Holocaust, mentally however, his experiences impacted his daily life. He became very stingy towards food or money matters, and in his opinion, wastefulness was not an option. When Vladek was in Auschwitz, he ate his food in small portions and never put the food that he was given to waste as he was unaware of when his next meal would be provided. He believed that by saving his food and never being wasteful would be beneficial while he was in Auschwitz. However after the war he continued to live by this philosophy even though it was no longer necessary. In a conversation between Vladek and Art, Vladek explains why his experiences in the concentration camps made him stingy. …show more content…
Vladek has a very pessimistic view of society, which angers Art because he feels as if his father should be thankful for his life. The strained relationship is due to Vladek’s frustration with Art’s inability to understand the actions that he took in order to prolong his life in Auschwitz. Art is always on edge when his father is around as he becomes easily angered with his father and seems to shows little sympathy at first to the hardships his father