Art Spiegelman has created an authentic graphic novel, that depicts a personal and cultural collection of traumatic memory of the holocaust. Through the eyes of his father with great orientation, Spiegleman has demonstrated these horrific events with pictorial aid. The emotional, mental, and physical aspects due to brutal treatment towards the Jewish community from the holocaust reflects on how both Spiegleman and his father Vladek struggle to resurface these memories on personal and collective account. Recollecting on traumatic events within personal experiences displays a great deal of emotional and mental strength, forcefully resurfacing catastrophic
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For instance during one of their sessions- Spiegleman interviewing his father- Vladek tells of a memory which happened after his return home from the prisoner-of -war camps: The Nazis had taken a close friend of his -Cohn. Cohn and his family had been hung and placed in the middle of town for an entire week, as examples to the Jewish community: Cohn and his family were warnings to anyone else selling without a coupon that this to would be their outcome (Spiegleman, 1986 p. 83). Vladek reflects that still to this day the event has the same emotional effect on him, as if it happened yesterday (Spiegleman, 1986, p. 84). Memories aren’t just a nostalgic event, they have the ability to affect an individuals state of mind for an immense period of time. Vladeks memory also depicts the control the Nazis held over the Jewish community: Jewish and non-Jewish individuals were afraid to speak out on this matter, in fear of segregation and judgment: and for the Jewish member of the community speaking out would only lead to immediate consequences that of which would be placement in a concentration camp. In Anh Haus essay she states that Memory studies can demonstrate how power works, And also give voice agency to the subjugated (Anh Hau, 2005 p. 199). In both of Vladeks recollection this quote is thoroughly demonstrated: because people were afraid to speak out this allowed the Nazis to maintain control for a lengthy period of
For instance during one of their sessions- Spiegleman interviewing his father- Vladek tells of a memory which happened after his return home from the prisoner-of -war camps: The Nazis had taken a close friend of his -Cohn. Cohn and his family had been hung and placed in the middle of town for an entire week, as examples to the Jewish community: Cohn and his family were warnings to anyone else selling without a coupon that this to would be their outcome (Spiegleman, 1986 p. 83). Vladek reflects that still to this day the event has the same emotional effect on him, as if it happened yesterday (Spiegleman, 1986, p. 84). Memories aren’t just a nostalgic event, they have the ability to affect an individuals state of mind for an immense period of time. Vladeks memory also depicts the control the Nazis held over the Jewish community: Jewish and non-Jewish individuals were afraid to speak out on this matter, in fear of segregation and judgment: and for the Jewish member of the community speaking out would only lead to immediate consequences that of which would be placement in a concentration camp. In Anh Haus essay she states that Memory studies can demonstrate how power works, And also give voice agency to the subjugated (Anh Hau, 2005 p. 199). In both of Vladeks recollection this quote is thoroughly demonstrated: because people were afraid to speak out this allowed the Nazis to maintain control for a lengthy period of