Monday, September 19, 2011
Maus I ... Family Dynamics
In his process to record his father's story of his experiences in WWII and in Auschwitz, in what ways does the author show compassion toward his aging father? In what ways does he demonstrate frustration? How has the Holocaust and its aftereffects shaped this relationship?
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He shows his compassion when his father is doing something that is stressful. He asks him to take a break or to rest so nothing bad happens to his father. He shows his frustration when his father throws out his coat and gives him a new one. The afteraffects of the Holocaust have made his father frugal. His father never wants to get handymen to work on it and insists that he does it. Art doesn't want to so it puts a strain on their realationship. - Jordan
ReplyDeleteThe author shows compassion for his father by being patient with him and he does not press the matter further when his father is done for one day. Since the Holocaust was traumatic, the author is being caring by letting the father separate the parts of his story so that he is not too stressed. Although, the author is clearly frustrated by his father when he tries to omit seemingly important information. The experience of the Holocaust had many afteraffects on its survivors such as the father is very self-reliant and does not think his son can organize his pills correctly. Also, the father's long-term health was most likely affected since he has to take so many pills and has many ailments. These afteraffects have strained the relationship because the father is slightly untrusting, moody such as to his second wife, and has a menial nature which most likely came about from his servile treatment as a prisoner.
ReplyDelete-Patrick Schukraft
The author shows compassion toward his father in the way he approaches his father with questions, as he is not forceful and does not demand any information, but takes only the details that his father is willing to give. He also is delicate with his father in letting him end the story when he believes it should end for the moment, and not pressing him for additional details. He also demonstrates frustration with his father, however, when he fails to mention important information. This also shows when his father asks him to exclude his personal experiences from the story, as he finds them irrelevant and unnecessary in comparison to the story of the Holocaust itself. The looming effects of the Holocaust on his father, in a way, create some distance between the two, as he knows that he will never know the suffering and pain that his father once endured. On the other hand, these experiences give the author a deep sense of respect for his father that seems to motivate him to learn more about what his father truly went through, giving the two some common ground upon which they can stand. In addition, the Holocaust seems to have made his father into a man with little trust for others, as he does not seem to trust or respect his wife and refuses to trust his own son with the organizing of his pills.
ReplyDeleteArt shows compassion for his father by listening to his stories and letting him end where he wants to end for the day, instead of forcing certain information out of him and making him finish parts of stories when he does not want to. However, Art does show frustration when his father leaves out information about his experiences that Art finds important, and when his father tells him that he doesn't want details of his personal life outside of his Holocaust experiences published. The after affects of the Holocaust have strained the relationship somewhat, as Art's father has become very independent and often doesn't want Art's help, such as with counting his pills. The Holocaust also seems to have given Art's father a bit of paranoia, as he doesn't want Art to publish stories about his personal life such as his relationship with Lucia. He also seems to think that other people can't do things correctly and shows trust issues with his son and his second wife. He often treats his wife in a manner that recalls his experiences as a prisoner.
ReplyDeleteThe author is very concerned about his father's wellbeing. He never presses his father to continue his recounts of the holocaust any further once his father says he is done for the day. The author also agrees to not include some of the more personal things in his story, to keep his father calm. This promise was obviously not kept for reasons unknown to the readers, but it shows the compassion and caring that Art feels for his father and his father's feelings of happyness and security. The author is also ready to accept the blame for things his father blames him for, such as the pills being spilled. The author demonstrates his frustration at his father by getting upset when his coat is thrown out and also when his father refuses to call a professional to fix things around the house. The holocaust and its aftermath has created a very complicated relationship between Art and his father. On one hand, there is a deep appreciation and respect that Art feels for his father for being able to make it through that whole ordeal and still lead a normal life. Art is, however, frustrated with his father's lack of trust in him and his ability to help. After the Holocaust, it appears that Art's father has issues trusting many people and prefers to do things himself, instead of trying to trust another person to do an adequate job. This trust issue leads to some strain put on the father and son's relationship. Art's father also compulsivley collects everything, which shows more of the aftermath of the Holocaust. Art's father is unable to let go of insignificant things because he is afraid of losing all of his possesions, just like he did in the Holocaust.
ReplyDelete--Paige Bohn
Art and his father's relationship is complicated. They both genuinely care about each other but usually can't display their affection. Art gets frustrated when his father when Vladek compares minor situations with the Holocaust. The fact that they rarely see each other besides the creation of the book adds tension to their relationship. They also have different viewpoints on interacting with other people. From the beginning, Vladek shows psychological effects of distrust and betrayal as an aftereffect of the Holocaust. Art shows compassion when he is reminded of the suffering his father went through. He is always polite and ready to help his father, regardless of the fact that Vladek would refuse help. Vladek is very frugal from his Holocaust experiences. He is unable to throw away any food or buy possessions that cost much money. Art's father was mentally traumatized by the Holocaust which caused many familial and personal conflicts such as the desire to save food and not form emotional relationships with others.
ReplyDeleteJen Schlegel
Art and his father have a relationship that is like a roller coaster. It is unbalanced because one moment his father is mad at him but then likes him the next. He gets frustrated because his father yells at Mala and always complains about how his first wife, Anja, was much better. Art also gets frustrated when his father never tells him where Anja's diary is. Art, even through some of the stress shows compassion for his father. Art does a good job at allowing his father speak about his life stories during the Holocaust. He also places his fathers heart conditions first during his visits. For example, when his father needs to stop for the day or take a break from a walk Art allows for it and tries to help. The Holocaust's aftereffects shaped their relationship drastically. His father seems very meticulous with his work and yells at Art if he wants to help. This occurred when Art tried to help sort the pills and accidentally spilled them instead. He scared he might lose everything he has such during the Holocaust, just like how he lost his wife Anja after she committed suicide.
ReplyDelete- Nathaniel Pascual
The author sees how the war has scarred the man his father once was and has stopped him from living a normal life. He gives him compassion by being able to listen to his stories and seeing how much pain is coming out of his father and recording it. His frustrations come when his father is making it difficult to try and write the book because the pain of recollecting the events is too much for his father. The holocaust makes their relationship more difficult because Spiegleman sees a dark portion of his father's life for the first time and learns so much about the man he otherwise would have never came to know.
ReplyDeleteArt and his father's relationship is complicated to say the least. They both care about each other, but they have trouble expressing it. Despite this, Art still does show compassion for his father in a number of ways. He know how sensitive it is to talk about the holocaust around his father. Because of this, he never tries to force his father to give him information. Art also keeps his father's more personal experiences to himself. He also shows frustration to his father. He gets frustrated when his father does not share information that seems important. thought Art tries to be patient with this, sometimes he does get very frustrated. The after effect of the holocaust put a large amount of distance in their relationship. Art's father now wants to be more independent, and does not want Art to help him. This happened, when Art tried to sort his father's pills.
ReplyDeleteArt shows compassion for his aging father in several ways, even though their relationship is strained because of the war and his parents losing their first son. Art still tries to be there for his father even though he's stubborn and stuck in his own way of life. Art reacted quickly to his fathers call about a heart attack, he was immediately worried for his life. He tries to be compassionate with his father about speaking about the Holocaust and Anja, always asking if its ok at ask and continue with the story. Art shows a lot of frustration when it comes to his father. He had gotten mad at his father for destroying his mothers diaries from the war, calling him a murderer. Also showing frustration to his father every time his father asked him for help with something or lectured him about smoking. Even getting mad at his father after Mala had left him and taken most of his money, refusing to stay with his father through the rough transition of being alone again. The holocaust and the aftermath of it has strained their relationship very much. Art has resentment about his older dead brother, and not growing up during that time period. Art wishes that he could fully understand what his family went through but knows that he can't. Vladek is more cheap with his money and is always asking Art to be cheaper with things and it causes more strain in their relationship, because Art doesn't always want to help his father with work.
ReplyDeleteThe author shows compassion for his aging father through patience and how he manages his stress. The author showed frustration for throwing away his old coat and by destroying his mothers diaries that were written throughout the Holocaust. After the war his father suffers from the fear of being scared and trusts very few people. He almost results in him being paranoid.
ReplyDeleteThe author shows compassion to his father when he would listen to his father talk about the Holocaust and not interrupt him or stop him when he didn't want to listen. There relationship was complicated to say the least. They both cared about each other but had trouble displaying their affection for each other. Art shows frustration toward his father when he would not tell him information that seemed important and when his father destroys his mothers diaries from the Holocaust. The war had a huge impact on their relationship on the way his father acted and showed affection toward Art. He felt like he couldn't trust anyone, only few people.
ReplyDeleteThe author showed compassion when he really didn't want to interrupt or stop the dad from talking about his past. So he was smart and bought a tape recorder. So instead of writing he could record and then listen later. A whole lot easier for the both of them. He showed frustration when he went over to the dads house and Mala puts his coat in the closet. As soon as Art is leaving he goes to get his coat and realizes it is missing, so he asks around, and his dad finally says "oh i threw it out." At that time he got mad because he just there it out without even telling ARt.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Nate Pascual on how their lives are unbalanced. For one reason obviously they differ in taste for clothes, because the dad threw away his son's coat when he put it up in his closet trusting that his dad would't do anything to it. Another way how they are unbalanced is by the way they act around Mala. The Dad is usually mean to her and always yells at her and talks smack about her to his son! But Art usually speaks up for Mala and tells his dad that he needs to stop that it is not nice to go behind your wife's back. The are alike in many ways as well, one reason is the way they communicate. They communicate almost telepathically and they always have trust in one another. The dad trusts he can tell his son anything and that he will keep it to himself or he will talk with his dad about it. These are some ways I think they are alike.
ReplyDeleteThe author shows compassion towards his father by being very patient, yet there were a few times when he became frustrated with his him. One example was when Art's father threw out his coat because he thought it looked bad. Another example was when he was trying to find his mother's diaries and his father told him he burned them because they were collecting dust and no one read them anymore. Art commented on how his father kept a lot of junk, and when he actually needed something, it wasn't there. The war had a big affect on his fathers life. I think they start to bond more and more through out the story. After the war his father think he can only trust a few people. He also thinks he can do everything by himself even though he is too old. An example of this was when the roof of their house was leaking and Art's father tried to go up by himself and fix it.
ReplyDeleteArt Spiegelman shows compassion whenever his father is telling him about the experience his father,Vladek, went through. He also showed compassion for his father whenever his father was tired or went off to share another memory while he was telling his story. When Vladek was infuriated by Mala's actions Art asked Vladek calmly what was it that made Vladek go off so easily. Frustration takes over Art when he is told that his father burned his mother's diary. Art's mother Anja had committed suicied in 1968 which had completely destroyed Art and his father Vladek. When Art was lectured by his father that he was no good when it came to fixing a roof or using a hammer it caused him to be frustrated. After the Holocaust his father became independent and trusts very few people. He wanted to able to fix a roof by himself but due to his age he is becoming less and less independent. He also has become extremely careful about how he spends his money and has given very few to Mala.
ReplyDeleteI would describe the relationship between Art and his father as a roller coaster. Yes, it may be a weird description but I will explain. There are at times in which the relationship may be idle, and at other times it which there may is 'peace'. There was some dispute or in other terms, frustration, as Rodrigo previously stated, when he found out that his father burnt his mother's diaries. Compassion and sympathy demonstrated by Art is when he listens to his father when he shares his past life and thoughts. He acts like a gentleman by cooperating with Art and by not being disruptive. Art sits down socially next to his father to discuss this matter. The Holocaust, like any other war, has some affects on a family. Art believes that all the frustration, story - telling, what happened in the past, caused the relationship to weaken.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the relationship between Art and his father is like any relationship. They have their ups and downs but no matter what always love each other. Art shows compassion for his father on page 11 when they are so happy to see eachother . Art shows frustration for his father on page 68 and 69 when Vladek has thrown out Art's coat.
ReplyDelete@Garrett
ReplyDeleteI don't see how he showed compassion by not interupting his father. He showed respect as his father was talking but I still don't understand how he showed compassion to him by doing that.
Art has an up and down relationship with his father I believe. I think that they do because they can be mean to eachother at one point and then later on be like a great father and son and be very loving.
ReplyDelete@ Nate and Garret
ReplyDeleteI agree with Nate, because not interrupting a person while they tell a story is more of a sign of respect then compassion.
In this story, Art and his father Vladek, develop a love-hate relationship which help the way they related in life. Art gets very frustrated when his father will not tell him where his mother's diary is, but eventually Vladek tells Art that he burned his wife's diary. Art was infuriated, but Art is pleased with his father when he is nice to him and shares very explicit details about the Holocaust with him. At times Art was annoyed with his father, when his father always blamed him for spilling his pills even though it was a complete accident. The holocaust greatly increased the relationship between Art and his father. Vladek was very careful with his work and always was offering help to Art just like Vladek offered help to his fellow prisoners.
ReplyDelete@David
ReplyDeleteI agree with David. Due to the fact that Vladek is nice to Art half the time, their current relationship is like a "roller coaster." Throughout the book Vladek and Art show acts of kindness towards each other, like when they first met Vladek was ecstatic. They also have been known for being mean to each other as well. Vladek was furious when Art spilled his pills and Art was furious with Vladek when Vladek wouldn't show him his mother's diaries.
Art shows compassion to his father by helping him with thing that he can no longer do because of his age. Also when Vladek was having a heart attack Artie got his fathers nitrosat pills out for him to take. Artie also shows frustration by yelling at his father at times and saying how crazy he was. The Holocaust shaped the relationship between them by bringing them closer together in a learning experience for Artie.
ReplyDelete@Nate Sennett
ReplyDeleteI agree, not interrupting his father did not really show compassion. Letting his father end when he wanted during the day showed compassion because the stories might have been to emotionally stressful for him to re-live all in one day.
Artie shows intrest in his fathers stories because they are very intresting.
ReplyDeleteArt shows compassion for his father whenever there is something emotional about his past brought up. The Holocaust having affected many people emotionally, such as how Anja committed suicide. He is also compassionate and understanding when it comes to his fathers aging and health problems. Some of the reason behind this is because when his mother was going through depression he ignored her but regretted it for the rest of his life. Art becomes very frustrated with his father when it comes to his old fashioned ways and 'needs'. An example is how he tries to make himself believe he is working by organizing his pills. Another example is when he treats his wife poorly and complains about everything. The writing of this book brought them closer together because it forces them to be with each other due to research purposes.
ReplyDeleteArt shows compassion because he sees that his father is struggling to talk about his past. The emotions that are in the room are very hard to bear through. Art let's his father take his time. He does not rush him because he knows that it still hurts his father to remember all these events.
ReplyDeleteArt shows compassion towards his father the entire time he is talking with him about his experiences. If it started to become to painful for him to continue, or if he was not feeling good and wanted to stop or take a break, Art was perfectly fine with it. His father went through so much, and Art knows that so he shows very much compassion and love towards his father.
ReplyDeleteHe shows compassion to his father as soon as the book begins, when his father calls.Art and his wife immediately drop what they are doing and go down to see him. Sometimes his father is rather short tempered, and yells at him for simple things such as using a wooden match or breaking his favorite dish. The war still effects him in that he doesnt waste anything, as he tries to reutrn half finished boxes of cereal after he glues the lid shut.
ReplyDeleteHe is compassionate by how he asks the questions. He asks in a caring and polite way, and he intently listens to what his father is saying. He shows fustration when his father won't call a handyman to fix things. The war effected his father by making him care about simple things and not waste anything. This effects the relationship by sometimes causing Art to get fustrated by his dad, but he still cares for his dad and understands what he went through.
ReplyDeleteArt shows compassion by letting his father take breaks because art knows his father is elderly and needs more rest that him. Art shows frustration when Vladek omits information that, even though it does not seem important to Vladek, he wants to know so he can tell his father's story. The Holocaust strengthens their relationship because Artie likes knowing what happened to his father during it and Vladek likes spending time with his son.
ReplyDelete@kyle patterson
ReplyDeleteI also agree that Vladek and Art had an up and down relationship because as it said in the book Art and his father did not talk much but now they were talking a lot.
I agree with a lot of the forth posts here in saying how we was compassionate towards his father. He didn't ask many questions and let his father tell his story. They have their disputes. For example, art was extremely frustrated when his father said he burnt he diaries on his mother. But they still have great respect for each other because a war like the holocaust can have great effects on a family.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of those people who said that he started off being very distant from his father. Later on, after his dad told him stories of the Holocaust, I think that Art and his father became more united through the experiences his dad shares with him and feelings expressed in his stories. He started off being frustrated because his dad seemed distant, but then after many stories he understood his father a lot more.
ReplyDeleteThis combination of second generation story telling is a very difficult thing to do. after i would assume art and his father would of been very close knoing how much trust it took Vladek to share all these items. Art might of got frustrated with his father telling his stories about other girls and not about the holocaust items but all together it was a bonding experience
ReplyDelete@ ike
ReplyDeletei like your reference to the diaries. i would of been frustrated knowing you could have those diaries for the story and your father burnt them
Art is very patient with his father. He knows when he should give him a break and when to keep pressing forward. He seems highly interested in these stories.
ReplyDelete-Diego A
This story really brought him and his father together because originally art DID not like his father for burning the diaries and because of this they became distant. When Art first had his father share his stories with him, yeah he was frustrated, I would be frustrated too. Over time when he heard more of his stories he became interested in Vladek and this was a great thing fo Art and his father
ReplyDelete@ Connor Speed
ReplyDeleteI agree that it would be natural for someone to be mad about that, but I guess you could argue that the father just wanted to erase the horrible memories.
@diego
ReplyDeleteI dont agree with you because yes he was patient but not at the beginning, and sometimes he felt that he should keep going
@ Connor Speed
ReplyDeleteI think he was obviously frustrated at the fact that he could no longer get his mother's diary. Art though didn't wasn't like this the whole story. He was patient when Vladek told the stories. I also think that Art will understand and forgive his father over time.
@ John W.
ReplyDeleteI agree with him except on how Art has resentment for his older brother. I believe Art just wishes his brother was alive and becomes frustrated with his father for bringing up the delicate topic of his brother. I also believe that John makes an excellent point when he stated how Art is quick to show to his fathers side at the hospital. I believe that the reasoning behind this is that since he was not there for his mother he does not want to do the same with his father.
@ connor
ReplyDeleteI agree with him because Art was mad at his father for burning his mom's diaries because that was basically all he had left of her and he wanted her memory to live on inside him. And Art did learn to love his father after understanding him in his stories.
I believe that Art was very compassionate to his father but had trouble with his father acknowledging it. On various occasions he often would give up on interviewing for the day and would leave his father's house due to Vladek being stubborn. The Holocaust has brought the two closer together because Art understands what his father experienced. It also made Art realize the amount of courage that Vladek had during the war. His story made Art appreciate everything his father has done for him.
ReplyDeleteArt shows compassion towards his father by letting his father decide what he would like to share and not forcing him to tell him certain things or to keep sharing, as some of these things may have been very emotional and not easy to share.
ReplyDelete@Greg
ReplyDeleteYou make a very true point in saying that Art began to appreciate everything Vladek had done fore him, because the two were able to creat a special bond together through this that is not easy to make.
@Nate P.
ReplyDeleteNate, you took the words right out of my mouth. Art gets frustratedf because he sees and hears Vladek yell at his wife. It didnt help that he mentioned that his first wife was better. The past is the past. The author is very compassionate with his father because he feels his fathers pain. He also is very patient in listening to every little detail his father dictates.
Art shows compassion by being understanding to his father's age and the things that he can no longer do. He is also frustated with his father's stubborness. WW2 helped create this in his father because he had to survive during the war.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Bryan. Art has to take in consideration his fathers age. He has to give him time to think and catch his breath. At the same time he cannot forget it is hard for his father so he cannot rush him. He has to be patient no matter how stubborn his father is.
ReplyDeleteThe author shows compassion to his father when he hears of all the horrible experiences he had to go through. Still he is frustrated at his father's cheapness and stubborness. After WWII Vladek would never be the same. He kept to himself and Art wanted to help his father, but Vladek never gave him a chance. Not until the tape recording.
ReplyDelete@greg
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and you make a good point that art was very tenderhearted with his father, yet his father had a hard time recognizing it.