Essay On Vladek Spiegelman

546 Words2 Pages

In The Complete Maus, by Art Spiegelman, a son of the Holocaust survivor, Art Spiegelman, learns the story of his father, Vladek Spiegelman. Art Spiegelman learns the causes of why his father acts the way he does and the reason for the eccentric nature he has. Although Vladek Spiegelman physically survives the Holocaust, his actions show that he is psychologically affected by his experience in the camps.

Using his quick thinking and adaptability, Vladek Spiegelman is able to endure the war and make a life for himself. While in the camps, Vladek Spiegelman must adjust to the situation and quickly learn how to survive, not just physically but mentally as well. He immediately grasps that in order to withstand the camps, he must ration his food. Telling Artie Spiegelman about his consumption habits, Vladek …show more content…

Vladek Spiegelman has clearly not fully recovered from the horrors of the Holocaust. One of the ways in which Vladek Spiegelman does not survive is the way he becomes so obsessed and conservative when it comes to food or money matters. He never wastes anything, no matter how small. After Mala Spiegelman, his wife, leaves him, Vladek Spiegelman goes to the supermarket, to return foods she left behind.Vladek Spiegelman wants to return opened and partially eaten food. After much frustration from both the store manager and himself, Vladek returns successful, remarking, “I exchanged and got six dollars worth of new groceries for only one dollar!” (250). He tries to return old food even though it is not allowed, but uses his past as an excuse. The store manager, wanting to avoid the topic of what society owes Holocaust survivors, accommodates his needs, wanting to appease him. Being a prisoner at a concentration camp alters Vladek Spiegelman's personality, making him obsessive, stingy, and unable to trust others. This alters his life and relationships with his loved

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