Trauma In Maus Research Paper

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BreeAna Diefenderfer Professor Levy ENG 201 19 March 2024 Memories, Trauma, and its Long-Term Effects in MAUS In the graphic novel MAUS, Art Spiegelman’s juxtaposition of his father, Vladek’s, memories, and his present-day experiences illustrates the reality of trauma and the effects it can have on a person, even decades later. Spiegelman also brings light to the subjectivity of processing emotions, memories, and the value of history. Throughout the novel, Spiegelman features the psychological and emotional damage that trauma causes, the creation of generational trauma, and the subjective nature of history and memories. The juxtaposition in MAUS showcases how trauma can latch onto a person for decades. Early in the novel, Spiegelman adds a …show more content…

This reflects the intergenerational impact of trauma. Vladek’s experience caused him to have extreme trust issues, making it hard for anyone to have a genuine relationship with him. Secondly, Anja’s suicide had such a strong impact on Artie when it first occurred, and since he decided to include Prisoner on the Hell Planet, a comic that he wrote about his mother’s suicide, it shows that this event still holds a place in his mind. The impact of trauma is highly subjective, and this is mostly demonstrated in the final scenes of the novel when Artie finds out that Vladek had thrown away all of Anja’s diaries from the war. To Vladek, throwing out her diaries was a way to keep both himself and Artie from reliving the pain through Anja’s eyes. Artie felt entirely different as he felt her diaries would help him find closure and keep her memory alive, hence why he called Vladek a murderer. Vladek saw the diaries as a dark memory that should not be revisited, while Artie viewed them in a positive light. This is an excellent example of how the same experience can affect each person differently. Not only are people’s experiences subjective, but history is,

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