Vladek's relationship with his son Artie is central in the book Maus and is founded on the feeling of intense guilt. Initially, Artie exhibits a good relationship with his father and visits him more frequently after learning of his experience during the Holocaust. Later, their relationship is torn when Vladek's character changes and both do not visit or see each other even though they live strictly within the same area. Both Vladek and his son feel affected by the Holocaust experience which greatly influences part of their personalities.
Artie experiences an inner conflict towards his relationship with his father. He admires the heroism of his father and the fact that he survived the horrific holocaust experience and at the same time he is disgusted by his father's character of stinginess and harshness. "I used to think the war made him this way," Artie reflected as Mala responded by saying that no one in the camp was like him (Smith 499-508). Artie also feels guilty for neglecting his father even though he had undergone a rough time back then during the world war. Later, this guilt makes Artie be a good son to his father when her mother dies and becomes willing to assist his father with chores. The death of Anja invokes guilt in Artie as he feels responsible for her death. He is affected by the fact that her mother asked him if he loves her and he coldly replied "sure," this bothers him and somehow makes him become a good son to his father.
Vladek also struggles to build his identity by the fact that he feels guilty for having survived the Holocaust experience while many of his friends did not. In turn, he places this guilt on his son who he views as the real survivor and as a result creating the backbone of the blame Artie had for his family. Additionally, Vladek has a problem dealing with his past in the present time. This struggle is depicted when Artie is hurt while playing with his friends who left him unattended when he falls down. While Artie is working with his father he fails to realize that his son is crying and that he needed comfort. He continues sawing his board and later when he asks Artie for assistance is when he takes a step to asking why he is crying while still consumed in his work. When Artie explains himself, His father laments saying, “Friends? Your friends” and rather advise him by saying “If you lock them together in a room with no food for a week, then you could see what it is, friends!”(Maus 5)
As much as Vladek and his son had an antagonistic relationship, these changes and they once again get along. The death of Artie's mother somehow plays a role in re-uniting him and his father as he feels the same guilt of not being there for his mother for his father too and this happens when he goes back to visit his dad. Familial guilt enables Vladek and his son to get along, and their hard feelings towards one another change over time as Artie is significantly affected by the guilt of not being a good son and the guilt over his mother's death. Artie Spiegelman is trying to depict the importance of not taking a family for granted and how important it is to appreciate the efforts of others and their sacrifices. He is also trying to show that our past should not affect the way we live in the present and also the people who live around us.
Work cited
Smith, Philip. "Spiegelman Studies Part 1 of 2: Maus." Literature Compass 12.10 (2015): 499-
508.
