Art Spiegelman made his book sound very human, and his characters are real and complicated. Vladek causes controversial feelings during the course of the story. First words about Anja’s personality in his narrative include that she was from a rich family (Spiegelman, 1987). One may assume that if not for money, Vladek would not be so willing to meet her. However, as it can be seen further, Vladek was in love with his wife and did his best to support her during the hardest moments. When she was desperate, Vladek told her they needed to struggle together and only together they would survive (Spiegelman, 1987). It also characterizes him as a very strong person who was not going to give up.
However, no matter how strong he was, the Holocaust influenced his personality. For instance, he became very stingy, which can be seen from the situation with Mala. According to her words, he gives her just 50 dollars a month and mistreats her (Spiegelman, 1987). Artie, meanwhile, is trying to be understanding, suggesting that “the war made him that way” (Spiegelman, 1987, p. 131). When discussing Artie’s character, it is possible to agree that having parents who survived the Holocaust impacted his personality.
It is known that Artie was in the mental hospital in his youth. One may assume that his parents’ past influenced the formation of Artie’s mental state. Even in his childhood, Artie hears words that are not very suitable to comfort a little boy: “If you lock them together in a room with no food for a week… then you could see what it is, friends” (Spiegelman, 1987, p. 5). Artie may cause negative feelings at some points in the story. For instance, after his mother’s death, he blames her that she left him (Spiegelman, 1987). Nevertheless, Artie’s behavior is understandable as he had to pass through many difficulties. In addition, he finds a way to cope with the shadow of the Holocaust through his art. In this regard, it is possible to characterize him as a struggling and thinking person.
The ending can be called rather emotional and focuses both on personal and historical issues. He calls his father a murderer for destroying Anja’s diary. With his action, Vladek destroyed not just a piece of history. On a personal level, he murdered the memories of Artie’s mother and the part of her that he probably wanted to know better.
Reference
Spiegelman, A. (1987). Maus: A Survivor’s Tale. Penguin Books.