One of the most compelling ideas in your post is the way you explain Art’s feeling of distance from the Holocaust while still being deeply shaped by it. I especially found your discussion of Art wishing he had experienced the Holocaust to be powerful, because it highlights how generational trauma can create guilt and confusion in those who come after. I agree with this idea, and I think it is interesting because it shows that trauma does not end with the people who directly experienced it; instead, it continues to shape identity and self-worth across generations and relationships. Your point about the image of Art sitting on a pile of dead bodies is also strong. That moment in Maus visually represents the pressure Art feels to tell his father’s story “correctly,” and you explain that burden clearly. This idea connects to other discussions we’ve seen in class about memory and responsibility, especially how children of survivors often feel obligated to preserve their parents’ experiences.
My own view is very similar to yours, especially when it comes to the strained relationship between Art and Vladek. I also interpret Vladek’s behavior as a result of his trauma rather than intentional cruelty, even though it understandably frustrates Art and creates tension between them. One suggestion I have is to maybe tighten some of your sentences just to make them a little clearer, since a few ideas run together and could be separated, just to make your analysis even stronger. You might also want to expand a little further on how telling the story helps Art cope with his own inherited trauma, since that feels like an important takeaway from Maus.
You could strengthen your post by connecting Spiegelman’s narrative choices more directly to the reader’s experience. For instance, explaining how the comic format and visual symbolism force readers to confront generational trauma might deepen your argument and further show why Maus is such an effective way of communicating these emotional complexities across generations.