We mentioned briefly in the last class that the last panel of Maus Part I is altogether shocking. After telling us of the horrors Vladek experienced (prior to entering Auschwitz), Art calls his father a "murderer." The statement is so horrific that it resonated with me even after closing the graphic novel. I was appalled at Art's reaction to his father burning Anja's diaries. Vladek explains "These papers had too many memories. So I burned them" (panel 1, p.159). Two panels later, Art screams at his father, yelling "God Damn You! You - You Murderer! How the hell could you do such a thing!!" (p.159). Yet, we understand why Vladek burned the diaries. As he explains, the memories were just too painful. His wife committed suicide. After surviving the horrific events of the Holocaust, she could not survive everyday life. Or maybe the memories of the Holocaust were just too painful for her. There is an anger and a hatred in Art's words as he leaves his father. It is altogether shocking, for lack of a better world, that Art would respond to his father in such a way.
While this seems uncharacteristic of Art (yes, he does often times have a short temper with his father, but this statement is over the top), it is not. This resentment towards his father continues into Part II. Chapter 1, "Mauchwitz." presents us with another disturbing view of Art. During his car ride, he explains to his wife Francoise that he has yet to understand the dynamic between himself and his father. However, the following panels are the most startling. He states, "When I was a kid I used to think about which of my parents I'd let the Nazis take to the ovens if I could only save one of them ... usually I saved my mother. Do you think that's normal?" (panels 7-8 p.14). It is through this graphic novel that Art is trying to figure out why he saved his mother and not his father. More importantly, "Maus" is providing Art with the opportunity to understand his father. His harsh reactions don't seem so out of place in this first chapter. It is easier to understnad that his outburst are out of confusion, not out of hatred. He does not yet understand why these memories are so painful for his father.
While it is obvious that Anja spoiled Art, we can not really call Vladek a bad father. Quite the opposite. As an outsider, it is easy to assess that Vladek's miserly tendencies, his overbearing personality, and neediness, are more for Art's benefit. Vladek is trying to forge a close relationship with Art; to enable him to have the life and happiness that Vladek never did.
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I completely agree with you. Often I found myself thinking that Art was acting like an angsty teenager toward his father, and that Vladek really didn't deserve this treatment. His harsh words at the end of Maus I are the best example of his anger.
The part about saving his mother struck me as particularly poignant, especially considering the way he reacts to her asking if he still loved her in "Prisoner on the Hell Planet." While he would have opted to save her from the Nazis, I think he feels tremendous guilt over the fact that neither he nor Vladek were able to save Anja from herself. Maybe this is one of the reasons he is so often harsh to his dad?
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