At its most fundamental level, MAUS is Vladek's reflections on his life during the Holocaust years. In an effort to spend a little bit of time with his son, Vladek poured out stories about his past- his heroism, his struggles, his love. For the most part, Spiegelman makes it appear easy to draw these stories out of his father's memory (see MAUS constructed). It seems Art just has to stop Vladek's complaints, and Vladek will dive right into some of his most painful memories. Spiegelman briefly shows in Book II that Vladek's ability to confront these memories has taken many years. He was explaining to Art why he threw out Anja's notebooks and the letters written by the Frenchman who had helped him: "All such things of the war, I tried to put out from my mind once and for all. . . until you rebuild me all this from your questions." Vladek was being forced to confront the past that he had hoped to forget. The necessity for a confrontation with a past that still affects the present was a theme in Beloved also. Paul D brought back many painful memories that Sethe had pushed from her mind as Vladek did. Sethe's reflections
Spiegelman does not provide the reader with much more insight into Vladek's feelings when recounting these stories. This absence is appropriate because, although the heart of this book is Vladek's story, it is being told through someone else. Art cannot know the effect telling his memories has on Vladek; he cannot be in Vladek's mind. He can only relay to the readers the words Vladek spoke and the context in which he spoke them. Another Holocaust survivor, Ingrid A. Griffin, describes some of her feelings while telling her story for a book. They may be similar to the one's Vladek experienced:
I find it very difficult to write this book. My feelings are so deep, that I wonder if there are words; words that can tell of the sorrow, hate, and horror of that time. I can only hope that a good contract writer can take all of those emotions and turn them into a book. A book that will leave a legacy for my children, and help me to understand myself. I am not sure who I am, or why I feel so empty, or why it so difficult for me to relate to anyone, or why I am such a stranger to myself . . .
I need to learn to love and trust people, and to not be afraid that everyone I care for will leave me, or that the emptiness within me will become so overwhelming, that it causes me to return to my closet, next time, never to come back. <P>
© 1995 Ingrid A. Griffin
Ingrid's difficulty relating to people echoes Vladek's own problems with his wife, his neighbors, and his son. Art complains often that he cannot stand to be with his father for any length of time. In fact, he and Francoise needed time to recover after their extended visit with Vladek in Florida. Up until her departure, Mala wonders how long she can take living with him. She shouted her frustration at Art when they were searching through Vladek's junk, "He's more attached to things than to people!"(Book I, 93) Spiegelman places evidence of Vladek's stinginess throughout the book from the wooden matches that Art used to the hair brush that Mala had to erase from the grocery receipt. This may be a quality inherent in his personality or it may be a result of the Holocaust (see Holocaust reflected) Ingrid also talks about her fixation with the cost of things
. . .I am always waiting to see what the price tag is, and I have a difficult time appreciating nice things anyone does for me. I find it hard to say thank-you. It means to me, that I am alive, and that I need more than just the little existence I gave myself. I do not know how to feel toward the human race.
© 1995 Ingrid A. Griffin
Vladek's treatment of Mala reflects this sentiment. She cooks and cares for him, and he thanks her with constant criticism. In the first few frames of Art's visit home after an absence of two years, Spiegelman shows Vladek reprimanding Mala for hanging Art's coat with a wire hanger. In the beginning of the following chapter, Mala's chicken was too dry. When she finally left him, however, he was helpless.
Ingrid gives another indication of Vladek's feelings:
I am also concerned about my sons. I have never told them anything about my life. How will they respond? They have never asked, and that was fine with me, for I never felt worthy to have children that loved me, because I am not able to forgive myself for having survived. Survivor's guilt is so insurmountable, that it becomes a factor in coping with life; from that moment on. <P>
© 1995 Ingrid A. Griffin
Vladek's reflections show evidence of survivor's guilt. His guilt about surviving reflects his monetary obsessions. His survival was inextricably linked to his manipulation of wealth. In the beginning of the war, the wealth came from his marriage. Spiegelman subtly accents this point in the frame when Anja and Vladek are married. The caption states, "$o I moved to Sosnowiec at the end of 1936; and February 14, 1937, we were married." (Book I, 22) The 'S' in the word 'So' is a dollar sign. This marriage only took place after Vladek convinced Anja he was not marrying her for her money. Her wealth, however, continued to haunt him. By marrying into her family he survived the Holocaust, when her parent's did not. He even outlived Anja. Although her death was not directly a result of the Holocaust (see Holocaust reflected), Vladek still felt responsible for her survival as she had indirectly saved him. He had made her happy the first time she was in the sanitarium, saving her life by bringing back her will to live. Her suicide reflected on his ability to make her happy. Vladek's survivor's guilt was specific to Anja. Spiegelman discovered that while he was trying to write a book about the Holocaust, Vladek's story was Anja. He began MAUS with their courtship and ended it with their reunion after the war. Vladek provided Art with the details of his experiences in Auschwitz and Dachau but the story for him was Anja.