learntoquestion ltq discussions

Originally posted by ilovelexi23 on February 02, 2026 09:51

Generational trauma impacts the children of the Holocaust survivors, like Spiegelman by shaping their identity, emotions and relationships in life. Even though they did not directly deal with the Holocaust, the trauma their parents faced is a very hard thing to deal with and leaves them with trauma. In Maus, we see Art dealing with his dads trauma as it affects his everyday life. His father, Vladek treats people differently and shapes how he acts as a father due to the suffering of the Holocaust. Art struggles with the overwhelming amount of pressure he feels to impress and be there for his parents. He wants to honor his dad as he survived the Holocaust and doesn't want to do anything to let him down which is very difficult on him. The weight of the trauma experienced by direct ancestors as well as communities as a whole play into the lives of young people today even if they did not live through the events themselves is still huge. They inherit the anxiety and feel guilt that they can't help their parents. They struggle with identity due to this and find it hard to understand the full extent of the Holocaust and what their ancestors went through. It may not be possible to move beyond generational trauma I believe because it is something that is so impactful especially on a child, that type of guilt and feeling responsible for their struggles is difficult to move on from. Ignoring trauma can also make it worse and can affect even future generations. Recognizing the trauma and facing it is very important in order to deal with it better and to cause less emotional damage. I think education is also a huge part of this, learning about their past can help us to understand and acknowledge it. Even descendants for other wars and genocides show how history can weigh on a person's life. The Holocaust should be something that is taught to every generation and help them to understand their ancestors' history.

The most compelling idea in my peer’s post was the argument that generational trauma doesn’t end at the direct survivors of the Holocaust, yet continues to impact the children of the Holocaust survivors, like Art Spiegelman by shaping their identity, emotions and relationships. I agree with this idea and argued it in my post as well. It’s evident in Maus that Vladek’s experience of the Holocaust impacted Art’s life. Art feels a sense of guilt and responsibility for living a better life than his father. He is interested in hearing his story, but feels deeply for his father. Furthermore, I agree with you when you argue that ignoring trauma can affect future generations. For example, if a Holocaust survivor doesn’t acknowledge their trauma and talk about it, it can unintentionally affect their children worse than if they were to talk about it. If the child is blind to their parents emotions and can’t understand why they behave the way they do because of past trauma, they are left questioning. However, if they are able to understand what their parents went through and why they act the way they do, it can improve their relationship. Overall, it’s important for the youth to be educated about the Holocaust and should be something that is taught to every generation to help them to understand events of history.

Originally posted by ilovelexi23 on February 02, 2026 09:51

Generational trauma impacts the children of the Holocaust survivors, like Spiegelman by shaping their identity, emotions and relationships in life. Even though they did not directly deal with the Holocaust, the trauma their parents faced is a very hard thing to deal with and leaves them with trauma. In Maus, we see Art dealing with his dads trauma as it affects his everyday life. His father, Vladek treats people differently and shapes how he acts as a father due to the suffering of the Holocaust. Art struggles with the overwhelming amount of pressure he feels to impress and be there for his parents. He wants to honor his dad as he survived the Holocaust and doesn't want to do anything to let him down which is very difficult on him. The weight of the trauma experienced by direct ancestors as well as communities as a whole play into the lives of young people today even if they did not live through the events themselves is still huge. They inherit the anxiety and feel guilt that they can't help their parents. They struggle with identity due to this and find it hard to understand the full extent of the Holocaust and what their ancestors went through. It may not be possible to move beyond generational trauma I believe because it is something that is so impactful especially on a child, that type of guilt and feeling responsible for their struggles is difficult to move on from. Ignoring trauma can also make it worse and can affect even future generations. Recognizing the trauma and facing it is very important in order to deal with it better and to cause less emotional damage. I think education is also a huge part of this, learning about their past can help us to understand and acknowledge it. Even descendants for other wars and genocides show how history can weigh on a person's life. The Holocaust should be something that is taught to every generation and help them to understand their ancestors' history.

One of the ideas that stood out to me reading this response was about the weight of the trauma experienced by direct ancestors as well as communities as a whole play into the lives of young people today when they said, “They inherit anxiety and feel guilt that they can’t help their parents,” which is true because not being able to help you parents when they need you or when you want to help them can be very stressful and cause some people guilt. There are similar ideas between this response and other people’s because they all have the same aspect of saying the impact on the younger generation for generational trauma. My views are very similar because I agree that the younger generation will have anxiety and trauma for not being able to help their parents in the way that they want, especially when Artie struggles to help Vladek because of all the trauma he has after surviving. I also like how their point about ignoring generational trauma can be worse and also affect the future generations. I agree with this point because people who ignore the issues with themselves will make it harder for them and for others as time goes on.

Originally posted by abrahamlincoln2.0 on February 01, 2026 22:49

The impacts that generational trauma has on the children of Holocaust survivors is hard to define, but based on Spiegelman’s portrayal of his relationship with his father, his entire childhood was affected by it. Throughout Maus, Art constantly writes about the guilt he feels for not being able to relate to the experiences and horrors his father faced. Stansilav writes that Art’s “identification with his parents’ affliction [became] so intense that he [started] imagining being in Auschwitz,” and how, “he recalls his perverse dreams from childhood about Nazi soldiers storming into his classroom and dragging away all the Jewish pupils” (Kolar 232). These imaginations and thoughts are rooted in Art’s desire to connect more with his parents, particularly his father, Vladek, who was especially distant from him. He believed that, if he experienced it himself, he would gain a better understanding of why his parents were so closed off. This kind of thinking illustrates that his parents’ trauma caused him mental distress.

Additionally, while reflecting on his late brother, Richieu, he mentions how, even though he is dead, the memory of Richieu always haunted him and made him feel inadequate. He felt pressured to be better because, unlike his brother, he had never experienced anything close to what his parents did. This feeling that he was never enough followed into his adult life where, despite his father’s praise towards his interest in writing a book about the Holocaust, he constantly felt stressed and worried that his depiction of it would fall short of all expectations.

Outside of his father though, Art was also pressured by his neighbors' wishes to keep him healthy and well. Since Vladek lived in a neighborhood full of other Holocaust survivors, they formed an immense sense of community. So, when Art initially refused to take care of his father, some of his father’s neighbors guilt tripped him by mentioning what he went through during the Holocaust. Art’s reasons for not wanting to take care of his father were valid, especially because his father’s trauma from his time in the camps caused him to become very closeminded and picky, but the idea that he would be “abandoning” his father forced him to find a compromise. Thus, even in smaller aspects like these, young people are endlessly affected by the suffering experienced by their ancestors.

Based on this, it is possible to move beyond generational trauma, such as Art tried to do, but it is better to acknowledge and live with it. If he had not spent so much of his adult life trying to forget and erase the effects his parents’ trauma had on him, he likely would have realized that accepting those experiences may have helped him connect with them more. Ultimately, embracing generational trauma can help children of Holocaust survivors gain deeper understandings of their past and connections with their parents.

Post your response here.

I think your post makes a very interesting point that generational trauma in Maus shapes Art Spiegelman’s own identity not just emotionally but also imaginatively, especially through his fantasies about Auschwitz. I agree with your point that these imagined identifications show how deep Vladek’s trauma has affected Art’s inner life. It is interesting as it shows trauma doesn't just pass down through stories but it can shape how children of survivors create their own belonging even when they didn’t directly experience the event themselves.

Your discussion about Richieu is also powerful as the sense of living in a shadow of an idealized, lost sibling for one’s whole life adds another layer to the generational trauma and shows how memory can create pressure and a sense of inadequacy. This connects with ideas about inherited guilt and the burden of representation. Like some of the other posts, you highlight Art’s adult anxiety about doing justice to his parents' suffering and how trauma can extend into questions of ethical responsibilities.

I think if I were to give one suggestion, it would be to explain more and broadly frame the neighbors pressure as another effect of generational trauma, though it may not be coming directly from Vladek. Overall, your analysis of Maus is very well written and is deeply engaging and thought provoking.

Originally posted by raybradbury12 on February 01, 2026 00:24

Art Spiegelman’s Maus shows how trauma doesn’t end with those who directly experienced it, but they continue to shape the lives of their children and families through generational trauma. As the son of Holocaust survivors, Spiegelman grows up in the shadow of events he didn’t directly witness, but still deeply feels in aspects of his life and his relationship with his father. The generational trauma inherited from his parents, and especially Vladek, shapes Art’s own identity, his relationship with his parents and his sense of guilt and emotional distance. This demonstrates how trauma can be passed down not just through stories but through families' behaviors and dynamics.

Throughout Maus 1 and Maus II, Vladek’s survival strategies, like his frugalness, mistrust of others and how guarded his emotions were, are obviously rooted in his Holocaust experiences. Though these traits (albeit combined with luck) helped him survive Nazi persecution, they strain his relationship with Art in the present. For instance, there are multiple scenes where Vladek is becoming frustrated and upset when another bag of an ingredient is opened when the other bag hasn’t been finished, this obsessive saving of food and money frustrates Art. However, these habits are a direct result of the deprivation and constant fear during the war. For instance, he had to save his tiny “meal” everyday just to be able to trade for other commodities in the camps so it is understandable to always place so much value on resources when you have them. From these actions, Art feels resentment but also guilt and he recognizes his own emotional struggles seem insignificant compared dto what his parents endured. This shows how children of survivors can feel trapped.

Spiegelman explores second generation survivor guilt in Maus II when Art feels uncomfortable profiting from his parents' trauma by turning their experiences into a comic. He feels undeserving of the attention his work received and burdened by the fact that he didn’t suffer as they did. In one scene, he is talking to Francoise in the car and he thinks about how he wishes he experienced Auschwitz. Stanislav explains that intergenerational trauma isn't just passed through stories but also emotional patterns like anxiety and hypervigilance and grief. This is reflected in Art’s depression and need to document his father’s story even if it strains their relationship.

Generational trauma isn’t limited to Holocaust survivors’ families as young people from communities shaped by war, genocide or displacement often inherit fear, mistrust or loss through family narratives. While trauma can’t be fully overcome, Maus shows that acknowledging and confronting it can create more understanding and intergenerational healing.

This is well written and does a good job of answering the questions while utilizing Maus and drawing connections within the graphic novel. The most compelling idea I see in this is in the second to last paragraph with the discussion of how intergenerational trauma isn’t solely passed through stories but can take different forms of emotional patterns. There is a great deal of importance in this since emotional patterns can be harder to recognize and can affect people in more unique or difficult ways. I agree with the writer of this post, as Maus does a significant job of representing generational trauma through both Vladek’s trauma and the effect of his trauma and life on Artie. The book uses a combination of Vladek’s history and Artie reality to bring out these ideas and this post brought up some significant moments in the book. Overall this post made significant points and connections but could improve by expanding further. This was very well written but would come across even stronger with a deeper analysis and more connections. For example, expanding on the strain between Artie and Vladek's relationship could add more detail to the post. One detail I specifically liked in this post was that you wrote how “children of survivors can feel trapped” as I see that was a good way of wording it.

Originally posted by EmmetOlive14 on February 03, 2026 09:22

I think that generational trauma impacts the children of the holocaust survivors because it affects how they live out there lives. I believe that the parents who survived this horrible time will Ultimately be affected by this for the rest of there lives, and this may affect how they live and how they raise their children. Some may suffer with PTSD, and may never be able to live there lives to fullest and this can affect how there children are raised as well. I also believe that having a parent who survived these horrible times can also help the children to truly be educated on the events that happened during the holocaust. Although they may not care as much when they are younger I am sure as they grow up these are some very important things to learn about. I think that the weight of the trauma that is held upon the ancestors and the communities in which went through the holocaust plays a huge part into how people live there lives today. At the time many communities worth of people were completely wiped out and there is no way to recover from that. While others lost many families during this time, because of this I think that it must be hard to just move on away from this although it has been a very long time since this all happened I think that there is still no way for this to just go away. I think that the weight will continue to stay there for a while and I don't think that there is anything that can just change that. I think that this generational trauma is not something that we can just move beyond. I think that the holocaust is something that the world will always have to live with and acknowledge. These horrible things will always be there for the world to go back and look at, and I think that it is important that we do look back at this so that we can see how much we have evolved as society, and grown as people.

Overall, I generally agree with what my peer was saying. Specifically, the idea that PTSD can affect how parents raise their kids was very compelling, struck a chord with me, and this definitely seems possible for this to happen. This is interesting because we know how PTSD can affect people, and often that effect is transferred to children because of situations that they have gone through, and triggers can also flare up symptoms as well. We both discussed how parents having PTSD can affect how they interact with their children through the years, and can cause them to be bitter about retelling the story of their traumatic experiences. However, I specifically referred to Vladek and Artie in Maus. The suicide of Vladek’s wife and Artie’s mother really affected them in different ways, and specifically, it created emotional walls for Vladek that were not helpful for Artie when he is trying to get his father's past out of his mind, but it is hard because of the aforementioned emotional walls. I also agree with the fact that the weight of trauma takes time for it to heal, and it takes time to get over it. I was confused on the last few sentences, how have we grown as people, and why else should we look back on the past?

Originally posted by raybradbury12 on February 01, 2026 00:24

Art Spiegelman’s Maus shows how trauma doesn’t end with those who directly experienced it, but they continue to shape the lives of their children and families through generational trauma. As the son of Holocaust survivors, Spiegelman grows up in the shadow of events he didn’t directly witness, but still deeply feels in aspects of his life and his relationship with his father. The generational trauma inherited from his parents, and especially Vladek, shapes Art’s own identity, his relationship with his parents and his sense of guilt and emotional distance. This demonstrates how trauma can be passed down not just through stories but through families' behaviors and dynamics.

Throughout Maus 1 and Maus II, Vladek’s survival strategies, like his frugalness, mistrust of others and how guarded his emotions were, are obviously rooted in his Holocaust experiences. Though these traits (albeit combined with luck) helped him survive Nazi persecution, they strain his relationship with Art in the present. For instance, there are multiple scenes where Vladek is becoming frustrated and upset when another bag of an ingredient is opened when the other bag hasn’t been finished, this obsessive saving of food and money frustrates Art. However, these habits are a direct result of the deprivation and constant fear during the war. For instance, he had to save his tiny “meal” everyday just to be able to trade for other commodities in the camps so it is understandable to always place so much value on resources when you have them. From these actions, Art feels resentment but also guilt and he recognizes his own emotional struggles seem insignificant compared dto what his parents endured. This shows how children of survivors can feel trapped.

Spiegelman explores second generation survivor guilt in Maus II when Art feels uncomfortable profiting from his parents' trauma by turning their experiences into a comic. He feels undeserving of the attention his work received and burdened by the fact that he didn’t suffer as they did. In one scene, he is talking to Francoise in the car and he thinks about how he wishes he experienced Auschwitz. Stanislav explains that intergenerational trauma isn't just passed through stories but also emotional patterns like anxiety and hypervigilance and grief. This is reflected in Art’s depression and need to document his father’s story even if it strains their relationship.

Generational trauma isn’t limited to Holocaust survivors’ families as young people from communities shaped by war, genocide or displacement often inherit fear, mistrust or loss through family narratives. While trauma can’t be fully overcome, Maus shows that acknowledging and confronting it can create more understanding and intergenerational healing.

I agree with everything that was said in this post. Something that stood out to me within this post was the points made on how many of Vladek’s characteristics that now interfere with his relationship with Art were inherited from the Holocaust, and were in many cases what allowed him to survive. For example in this post they highlighted a specific scene where Vladek is angered by a container of food being opened without the other being finished first, which was inherited from the starvation that he had to endure during the Holocaust, and how this was a topic of anger for Art. Another aspect of generational trauma that this person brought up was the guilt that it entails. They mentioned the scene where Art tells Francois that he would have liked to experience Auschwitz just so he could understand what it was like, and I think that this particular scene does a really great job of summing up the experiences of the children of Holocaust survivors. They also brought up how Art now feels guilty about the success that he gained from Maus, and how he feels as if he is capitalizing off of his parent’s experiences, which I hadn’t thought to connect to this topic. Overall, I think this was a very good post and a lot of great points were made.

Originally posted by abrahamlincoln2.0 on February 01, 2026 22:49

The impacts that generational trauma has on the children of Holocaust survivors is hard to define, but based on Spiegelman’s portrayal of his relationship with his father, his entire childhood was affected by it. Throughout Maus, Art constantly writes about the guilt he feels for not being able to relate to the experiences and horrors his father faced. Stansilav writes that Art’s “identification with his parents’ affliction [became] so intense that he [started] imagining being in Auschwitz,” and how, “he recalls his perverse dreams from childhood about Nazi soldiers storming into his classroom and dragging away all the Jewish pupils” (Kolar 232). These imaginations and thoughts are rooted in Art’s desire to connect more with his parents, particularly his father, Vladek, who was especially distant from him. He believed that, if he experienced it himself, he would gain a better understanding of why his parents were so closed off. This kind of thinking illustrates that his parents’ trauma caused him mental distress.

Additionally, while reflecting on his late brother, Richieu, he mentions how, even though he is dead, the memory of Richieu always haunted him and made him feel inadequate. He felt pressured to be better because, unlike his brother, he had never experienced anything close to what his parents did. This feeling that he was never enough followed into his adult life where, despite his father’s praise towards his interest in writing a book about the Holocaust, he constantly felt stressed and worried that his depiction of it would fall short of all expectations.

Outside of his father though, Art was also pressured by his neighbors' wishes to keep him healthy and well. Since Vladek lived in a neighborhood full of other Holocaust survivors, they formed an immense sense of community. So, when Art initially refused to take care of his father, some of his father’s neighbors guilt tripped him by mentioning what he went through during the Holocaust. Art’s reasons for not wanting to take care of his father were valid, especially because his father’s trauma from his time in the camps caused him to become very closeminded and picky, but the idea that he would be “abandoning” his father forced him to find a compromise. Thus, even in smaller aspects like these, young people are endlessly affected by the suffering experienced by their ancestors.

Based on this, it is possible to move beyond generational trauma, such as Art tried to do, but it is better to acknowledge and live with it. If he had not spent so much of his adult life trying to forget and erase the effects his parents’ trauma had on him, he likely would have realized that accepting those experiences may have helped him connect with them more. Ultimately, embracing generational trauma can help children of Holocaust survivors gain deeper understandings of their past and connections with their parents.

Post your response here.

The most compelling part of my peer’s post is the claim that Art’s biggest struggle, and thus the bigges struggle of the children of holocaust victims, is the struggle to relate to their parents’ pain and trauma. I think that this is the most important note - any disconnect in identity between parent and child that is predetermined is inevitably going to lead to a rift between the two. Often, victims of such trauma are unable to even speak about it, only making that rift even wider. I think that here, my peer perfectly nailed the largest issue of this topic.

However, I would say that there is another side to the aftereffects of this trauma, and that is that not only does it cause a disconnect between parent and child but it also passes some of that pain down to the child. In this way, the relationship between parent and child can not only be disconnected, but at the same time, quite literally harmful for the child to grow up with. And this is no more the fault of the child than it is the parent - that is to say, it is neither of their fault. It is simply the reality of the relationship as a result of the pain inflicted upon the parent by a larger evil.

Originally posted by abrahamlincoln2.0 on February 01, 2026 22:49

The impacts that generational trauma has on the children of Holocaust survivors is hard to define, but based on Spiegelman’s portrayal of his relationship with his father, his entire childhood was affected by it. Throughout Maus, Art constantly writes about the guilt he feels for not being able to relate to the experiences and horrors his father faced. Stansilav writes that Art’s “identification with his parents’ affliction [became] so intense that he [started] imagining being in Auschwitz,” and how, “he recalls his perverse dreams from childhood about Nazi soldiers storming into his classroom and dragging away all the Jewish pupils” (Kolar 232). These imaginations and thoughts are rooted in Art’s desire to connect more with his parents, particularly his father, Vladek, who was especially distant from him. He believed that, if he experienced it himself, he would gain a better understanding of why his parents were so closed off. This kind of thinking illustrates that his parents’ trauma caused him mental distress.

Additionally, while reflecting on his late brother, Richieu, he mentions how, even though he is dead, the memory of Richieu always haunted him and made him feel inadequate. He felt pressured to be better because, unlike his brother, he had never experienced anything close to what his parents did. This feeling that he was never enough followed into his adult life where, despite his father’s praise towards his interest in writing a book about the Holocaust, he constantly felt stressed and worried that his depiction of it would fall short of all expectations.

Outside of his father though, Art was also pressured by his neighbors' wishes to keep him healthy and well. Since Vladek lived in a neighborhood full of other Holocaust survivors, they formed an immense sense of community. So, when Art initially refused to take care of his father, some of his father’s neighbors guilt tripped him by mentioning what he went through during the Holocaust. Art’s reasons for not wanting to take care of his father were valid, especially because his father’s trauma from his time in the camps caused him to become very closeminded and picky, but the idea that he would be “abandoning” his father forced him to find a compromise. Thus, even in smaller aspects like these, young people are endlessly affected by the suffering experienced by their ancestors.

Based on this, it is possible to move beyond generational trauma, such as Art tried to do, but it is better to acknowledge and live with it. If he had not spent so much of his adult life trying to forget and erase the effects his parents’ trauma had on him, he likely would have realized that accepting those experiences may have helped him connect with them more. Ultimately, embracing generational trauma can help children of Holocaust survivors gain deeper understandings of their past and connections with their parents.

Your post lays out a clear picture of how deeply generational trauma shapes Art’s life, and one of the strongest parts is the way you connect his childhood fears and imagined scenarios to his need to understand what his parents lived through. The use of Stanislav’s point about him imagining himself in Auschwitz adds real weight and shows how strongly his father’s experiences shaped his thinking. The section about Richieu also stands out, especially the idea that the memory of a brother he never met still created pressure and a sense of not measuring up. That connection between family memory and identity comes through well. The part about the survivor community around Vladek adds another meaningful layer, since it shows how expectations shaped by trauma can come from outside the immediate family too. One place that could be developed a bit more is the conclusion. The idea that acknowledging trauma is more helpful than trying to escape it is interesting, and expanding slightly on how that acknowledgment might have changed Art’s relationship with his parents would make the ending feel more complete.

Originally posted by wazzah123 on February 03, 2026 13:59

Generational trauma impacts and shapes the lives of Holocaust survivors in all different forms. It can impact some more harshly than others and last for different amounts of time. Art Spiegelman experiences the weight of the Holocaust through stories from his father, Vladek. As stated in Kolář Stanislav’s Intergenerational transmission of trauma in Spiegelman's Maus, “Art’s story confirms the assertion that generations which have never been exposed to a traumatic event can ‘inherit’ the trauma of their ancestors and that the most common channel of this intergenerational and transgenerational transmission is through the family” (Stanislav 228). This is evident in Art’s life as he wasn’t actually there to witness and experience the reality of the Holocaust, but nevertheless he can understand the weight and emotional toll it took on his father. Due to his fathers storytelling, Artie lives in a sense of guilt as he feels some sort of responsibility. He wants to be there for his father and listen to his story, but at the same time he feels guilty for living a better life. He may hear these stories, but he’ll never be able to fully understand the pain and suffering from the direct experience of the Holocaust, therefore making him feel distant from his father.

The weight of the trauma experienced by direct ancestors as well as communities as a whole play into the lives of young people today. Although young people, like Artie, didn’t directly experience the Holocaust they may feel a sense of guilt and responsibility. They might feel like it’s their responsibility to keep the story of their ancestors alive, but they also might feel pressured that they aren’t conveying the full story because it happened so many generations ago.

Furthermore, I don’t think one should move past generational trauma, better yet they should acknowledge it. Completely disregarding such a profound event in history isn’t very realistic and the events of the Holocaust are tied to certain communities. Being able to acknowledge it and tell your story and the stories of your ancestors shows strength and resilience. It shows that you’re not trapped by what happened and are able to work through the pain and trauma to create an identity for yourself rather than being put under a label.

The overall theme about empathy being prevalent in generational trauma is a good one I believe. Trauma such as the kind experienced by Art and other children of survivor's of the Holocaust can only be experienced if the person has the ability to feel beyond themselves. This is what makes young people today affected by the actions of people who they never met.

I agree with the point about how it is better to acknowledge generational trauma rather than try and move past it without reconciling with it at all. It is a different kind of strength to be able to do something like that but it is very beneficial, much more than simply trying to push past the pain without really coming to terms with it. It is better for your mental health and for the people who care about you.

Originally posted by raybradbury12 on February 01, 2026 00:24

Art Spiegelman’s Maus shows how trauma doesn’t end with those who directly experienced it, but they continue to shape the lives of their children and families through generational trauma. As the son of Holocaust survivors, Spiegelman grows up in the shadow of events he didn’t directly witness, but still deeply feels in aspects of his life and his relationship with his father. The generational trauma inherited from his parents, and especially Vladek, shapes Art’s own identity, his relationship with his parents and his sense of guilt and emotional distance. This demonstrates how trauma can be passed down not just through stories but through families' behaviors and dynamics.

Throughout Maus 1 and Maus II, Vladek’s survival strategies, like his frugalness, mistrust of others and how guarded his emotions were, are obviously rooted in his Holocaust experiences. Though these traits (albeit combined with luck) helped him survive Nazi persecution, they strain his relationship with Art in the present. For instance, there are multiple scenes where Vladek is becoming frustrated and upset when another bag of an ingredient is opened when the other bag hasn’t been finished, this obsessive saving of food and money frustrates Art. However, these habits are a direct result of the deprivation and constant fear during the war. For instance, he had to save his tiny “meal” everyday just to be able to trade for other commodities in the camps so it is understandable to always place so much value on resources when you have them. From these actions, Art feels resentment but also guilt and he recognizes his own emotional struggles seem insignificant compared dto what his parents endured. This shows how children of survivors can feel trapped.

Spiegelman explores second generation survivor guilt in Maus II when Art feels uncomfortable profiting from his parents' trauma by turning their experiences into a comic. He feels undeserving of the attention his work received and burdened by the fact that he didn’t suffer as they did. In one scene, he is talking to Francoise in the car and he thinks about how he wishes he experienced Auschwitz. Stanislav explains that intergenerational trauma isn't just passed through stories but also emotional patterns like anxiety and hypervigilance and grief. This is reflected in Art’s depression and need to document his father’s story even if it strains their relationship.

Generational trauma isn’t limited to Holocaust survivors’ families as young people from communities shaped by war, genocide or displacement often inherit fear, mistrust or loss through family narratives. While trauma can’t be fully overcome, Maus shows that acknowledging and confronting it can create more understanding and intergenerational healing.

One of the most compelling statements in my peer’s post was that they clearly outlined the causes and reasoning for why trauma can affect generations to come and by providing specific examples it gives us a direct understanding of Artie’s frustrations and difficulties that he faces with his dad. I agree with many of their points especially when they mention that generational trauma is not limited to holocaust survivors. I also wrote in my post about how Vladek’s habit of being frugal comes off as a burden and even annoying but he developed this habit because he wants to value what he did not have. This habit of making small things more valuable than they really are for others highlights how scare resources were and how it influenced generational trauma. I also liked the way they structured their response because they discussed many aspects of generational trauma from the causes of it, lifestyle, and how it affects others around them while also mentioning that it’s a very fluid idea that we can pinpoint to one individual or groups. The fluidity of generational trauma and the concept of it being ingrained into us largely shapes us as people and also the communities we interact with, this was one of the points I also mentioned in my post and I think it’s highlighted in my peers response.