Charlestown, Massachusetts, US
Posts: 13
Generational trauma plays a major role in Maus especially in how art spiegelman experiences the Holocaust despite not having lived through it himself. As a child of Holocaust Survivors art inherits that emotional trauma that his parents have had to go on through and it affects his identity, his relationships and sense of guilt. Throughout Maus I and Maus II Spiegel man shows that trauma doesn't end with just the survivors but really it is passed down shaping the lives of the next generation in painful complex ways
The most prominent example of generational teams is Art's relationship with his father Vladek. Vladek's obsessive behavior like hoarding food, being very frugal, and distrusting others are all because of his experience of living through the Holocaust. These habits once helped him survive at the time but now they lead to tension between him and Art. Art often feels frustrated but guilty for feeling that way because he knows what his father suffered. This guilt reflects what Stanislav describes as "integrational transmission of trauma" where children of survivors internalize their parents' pain and trauma even without suffering firsthand.
Artsguilt is connected to the shadow of his brother Richelieu who died during the Holocaust. In Maus II Art admits that he feels like he can never live up to the memory of the “perfect” son who did not survive. He includes a drawing of Richieus picture hanging in the house “watching over” which symbolizes how the past is constantly connecting to the present and isn't lost. This comparison shows how generational trauma can change how a child sees their self worth and identity.
Art also struggles with representing the Holocaust itself. In Maus II, he depicts himself overwhelmed by how successful Maus was by sitting on a pile of corpses while reporters surround him. This scene shows the burden of carrying this communal trauma that isn't just his family's but of an entire group of people. It suggests that young people today might inherit not only personal daily trauma but also historical trauma as a collective which shapes how they see the world.
While Maus suggests that it may be impossible to fully move beyond generational trauma it argues that acknowledging it is necessary. Art does not “heal” the trauma but by confronting it through storytelling and art he creates a place for understanding. Instead of ignoring the inherited pain, Maus shows that through recognizing and living with generational trauma and questioning it, is the most truthful way to move forward.
Boston, Massachusetts, US
Posts: 10
LTQ Post 7: Generational Trauma in Maus
Generational trauma impacts the children of Holocaust survivors like Art as it defines who Art eventually becomes. Although he did not dwell through the times of the Holocaust, he grew up inside of the emotional aftermath of it. Stanislav Kolář through his idea of “postmemory” such that children of survivors gain trauma from their stories, behaviors, and silence, even having no firsthand experience. Through this, Art essentially becomes what is described as a “secondary witness” to the suffering of his father Vladek.
In Maus, we are able to see this in Art’s relationship with his father as Vladek’s habits in being frugal, anxious all the time, and in survival mode were shaped by his experiences at Auschwitz, leading to Art having to live with this in his ordinary life. Kolář also notes that the survivors of trauma have to live in “two different worlds,” with those being the past and the present at once, which is how Vladek behaves. The past didn’t fully end for Vladek due to him giving advice to Art that suggests that they are in the camps like “If you want to live, it’s good to be friendly.”) However, Art feels frustrated on how frustrating his dad could be, but also guilty for feeling this way.
Additionally, Art’s trauma also has ties to his mother’s death, specifically in the comic that he adds called “Prisoner on the Hell Planet.” Kolář argues that this segment of Maus in which Spiegelman depicts humans as opposed to animals as this is where Art has his own trauma directly, instead of one that is inherited. Holocaust imagery still appears, however, with Art connecting his mother’s death to Hitler revealing that Holocaust trauma spreads throughout vast parts of his life.
Art’s brother Richieu, who died before he was born, serves as another example. Richieu gets described as a ghost brother, which Kolář
explains that children like Art are merely “replacement children,” that grow up in the shadow of the other sibling that passed. Art competes with a photograph, that’s in the room for all to see. He feels that he can’t live up to the memory that was idealized of a child. This further contributes to Art’s guilty feelings and confusion of identity.
Kolář also makes an important point that trauma doesn’t get transferred through mechanics as Art doesn’t experience the Holocaust like Vladek did. Instead, the trauma gets transformed via imagination and his dads storytelling explaining why Maus switches between the past and the present. However, this pattern isn’t limited to Holocaust families as children of refugees like me had to inherit the emotional weight behind my parent’s stories. This trauma essentially becomes part of family culture, despite me not experiencing my parents experiences firsthand. Maus suggests that we should acknowledge and understand aspects beyond generational trauma, instead of ignoring them. Art can’t escape the scale of the Holocaust, but if he turns it into a story, he can process it.
Boston, Massachusetts, US
Posts: 10
Spiegelman is affected by the Holocaust as a continuation of his parents’ trauma. For Art and many others, he is confined to the “shadow” because unlike his older brother and his parents, he didn’t face it first hand and any of his problems seem less than theirs. When he compares his own faults at the beginning of the book, he really cannot see any of it compared to the atrocities of what had happened to his parents. Even if his parents had remained silent about what had happened to him, it is very obvious to see how the Holocaust impacts the behavior of Vladek and therefore his abilities to raise a child. Vladek is seen as controlling at times and to many a very sharp character that is emotionally unavailable, a result of his suffering changing the way he manages himself, his emotions, and his perception of the world post-Holocaust.
Ancestors of Holocaust survivors are still impacted by what had happened to their parents and ancestors because anti-semitism is still real and a large problem globally. Reaching beyond the Holocaust, my grandfather fought on the American side in the Vietnam War and was imprisoned and put into a reeducation camp for seven years. First hand, I can tell you that he is one of the hardest working but also the least emotionally available people I know. From what I know, my dad and his siblings act in a similar manner, where they feel their manliness could never equate to the sacrifices their father made for them, and they hold major distrust in the government and the systems established by the top 1%. There is that uniquely traumatic feeling of feeling a heavy guilt without knowing about what.
People can move beyond trauma by confronting it. I believe that when myself and my cousins have assignments about how our history has impacted us, interviewing our own grandparents and asking them helps them open up and speak about their experiences and makes them feel like their stories have value. If we try to ignore it, it will disrupt our lives indefinitely. If we acknowledge it, we can understand the stories, and we can realize that our past is a huge part of how our future is constructed. Maus is Art’s way of healing and telling the stories of his father, rather than shunning them to a shoebox.
Boston, Massachusetts, US
Posts: 10
LTQ 7 Peer Reponse
Originally posted by
pink on January 30, 2026 10:10
Generational trauma plays a major role in Maus especially in how art spiegelman experiences the Holocaust despite not having lived through it himself. As a child of Holocaust Survivors art inherits that emotional trauma that his parents have had to go on through and it affects his identity, his relationships and sense of guilt. Throughout Maus I and Maus II Spiegel man shows that trauma doesn't end with just the survivors but really it is passed down shaping the lives of the next generation in painful complex ways
The most prominent example of generational teams is Art's relationship with his father Vladek. Vladek's obsessive behavior like hoarding food, being very frugal, and distrusting others are all because of his experience of living through the Holocaust. These habits once helped him survive at the time but now they lead to tension between him and Art. Art often feels frustrated but guilty for feeling that way because he knows what his father suffered. This guilt reflects what Stanislav describes as "integrational transmission of trauma" where children of survivors internalize their parents' pain and trauma even without suffering firsthand.
Artsguilt is connected to the shadow of his brother Richelieu who died during the Holocaust. In Maus II Art admits that he feels like he can never live up to the memory of the “perfect” son who did not survive. He includes a drawing of Richieus picture hanging in the house “watching over” which symbolizes how the past is constantly connecting to the present and isn't lost. This comparison shows how generational trauma can change how a child sees their self worth and identity.
Art also struggles with representing the Holocaust itself. In Maus II, he depicts himself overwhelmed by how successful Maus was by sitting on a pile of corpses while reporters surround him. This scene shows the burden of carrying this communal trauma that isn't just his family's but of an entire group of people. It suggests that young people today might inherit not only personal daily trauma but also historical trauma as a collective which shapes how they see the world.
While Maus suggests that it may be impossible to fully move beyond generational trauma it argues that acknowledging it is necessary. Art does not “heal” the trauma but by confronting it through storytelling and art he creates a place for understanding. Instead of ignoring the inherited pain, Maus shows that through recognizing and living with generational trauma and questioning it, is the most truthful way to move forward.
Pink had a powerful idea about the generational trauma exemplified in Art’s feelings towards Richieu, analyzing the guilt and almost frustration he felt in considering his brother. I agree that generational trauma is very real for people and impacts their personal relationships even when people do not realize it. Other people also touched on the topic and mentioned guilt in particular. The last paragraph about how addressing trauma doesn’t heal but creates place for understanding was impactful and a great takeaway from Maus. I thought it was a meaningful comment since it touches on mutual understanding and how we think about the descendants of victims in the modern day. It’s easy to jump to conclusions or make quick judgments, but this understanding of generational trauma discourages that kind of behavior.
I think this writer did very well at presenting specific evidence from both Maus and the secondary source, but could have shared more about their personal view on the topic. Again I did think the last paragraph was strong and would have wanted to see more like it throughout, though it was a short LTQ post. I also think Pink could have done more to address the middle part of the question that asks about how generational trauma affects young people today.
Boston, Massachusetts, US
Posts: 10
Originally posted by
IrishPirate21 on February 02, 2026 17:16
Generational trauma impacts the children of Holocaust survivors like Art as it defines who Art eventually becomes. Although he did not dwell through the times of the Holocaust, he grew up inside of the emotional aftermath of it. Stanislav Kolář through his idea of “postmemory” such that children of survivors gain trauma from their stories, behaviors, and silence, even having no firsthand experience. Through this, Art essentially becomes what is described as a “secondary witness” to the suffering of his father Vladek.
In Maus, we are able to see this in Art’s relationship with his father as Vladek’s habits in being frugal, anxious all the time, and in survival mode were shaped by his experiences at Auschwitz, leading to Art having to live with this in his ordinary life. Kolář also notes that the survivors of trauma have to live in “two different worlds,” with those being the past and the present at once, which is how Vladek behaves. The past didn’t fully end for Vladek due to him giving advice to Art that suggests that they are in the camps like “If you want to live, it’s good to be friendly.”) However, Art feels frustrated on how frustrating his dad could be, but also guilty for feeling this way.
Additionally, Art’s trauma also has ties to his mother’s death, specifically in the comic that he adds called “Prisoner on the Hell Planet.” Kolář argues that this segment of Maus in which Spiegelman depicts humans as opposed to animals as this is where Art has his own trauma directly, instead of one that is inherited. Holocaust imagery still appears, however, with Art connecting his mother’s death to Hitler revealing that Holocaust trauma spreads throughout vast parts of his life.
Art’s brother Richieu, who died before he was born, serves as another example. Richieu gets described as a ghost brother, which Kolář
explains that children like Art are merely “replacement children,” that grow up in the shadow of the other sibling that passed. Art competes with a photograph, that’s in the room for all to see. He feels that he can’t live up to the memory that was idealized of a child. This further contributes to Art’s guilty feelings and confusion of identity.
Kolář also makes an important point that trauma doesn’t get transferred through mechanics as Art doesn’t experience the Holocaust like Vladek did. Instead, the trauma gets transformed via imagination and his dads storytelling explaining why Maus switches between the past and the present. However, this pattern isn’t limited to Holocaust families as children of refugees like me had to inherit the emotional weight behind my parent’s stories. This trauma essentially becomes part of family culture, despite me not experiencing my parents experiences firsthand. Maus suggests that we should acknowledge and understand aspects beyond generational trauma, instead of ignoring them. Art can’t escape the scale of the Holocaust, but if he turns it into a story, he can process it.
I like how IrishPirate mentioned the trauma and past of their own parents at the end because I felt the same way in regards to my parents and the way that their own upbringing affected mine, either by storytelling or by seeing how their behavior changes. My dad is a lot happier when he is in his district in Hue with his friends he grew up with. It is completely different from the father I know having borne the weight of his own father’s trauma. Like they said, confronting, acknowledging the trauma is the only way that we can live beyond it. It is hard for the older generation to open up, so Art’s ability to capture his father’s story to the best extent he could is already a great feat. Just being able to understand how such a significant event impacted him is something that I agree with as well.
I really liked how they worded their response to the questions, tackling the many themes I did likewise. Art, as he saw himself, was a replacement child for the child his parents had lost before the Holocaust, and even though we do not know what Richieu would be like grown up, his parents hold an idealized image of their past child undisturbed by disappointment. Having never met my older brother, I sometimes wonder if my parents would’ve liked him more than the angsty teenager they have now.
Because trauma changes us, Art’s upbringing has 100% affected the way he thinks and behaves. There is without a doubt that his father’s frugality and stinginess is a result of the Holocaust and his perseverance in those concentration and labor camps. We always hope to leave our past behind us, but like IrishPirate also said, a trauma survivor’s life is split between two worlds: the past and the present. You can never truly escape it and ignore it. You have to confront it.
Charlestown, Massachusetts, US
Posts: 13
Originally posted by
Olympic on February 02, 2026 09:18
Holocaust survivors like Spiegelman may feel a sort of guilt towards their parents because they can not completely relate to their experiences or they could feel a guilt because they don’t want to remain detached from their parent’s stories of survival. Although it seems counterintuitive, later generations may feel a certain guilt past the fact that they were given a better life than their parents, because some of them may want to have experienced the trauma just to feel more connected with their parents. Spiegelman even talks about his resentment to Riecheu not only because he idealized in his parent’s eyes but also because Riecheu is connected to Vladek and Anja in a way that Art will never get to be.
Therefore, the weight of the trauma experienced can range in many different forms of guilt. There are reactions that communities have together after experiencing trauma like moving away from where the trauma occurred, finding new homes, or not talking about it, which was a common reaction in Jewish communities after the Holocaust. These decisions can impact the young people, the way they grow up and the ideals they develop, but there are so many things that are passed to children outside of the community, simply from experiencing time with a parent that experienced trauma.
These children with generational trauma can not avoid it and there is no way to actually move beyond the trauma, so they must acknowledge it. Everyone does this in a different way and as Stanislav tells in “Intergenerational transmission of trauma in Spiegelman's Maus” Art works through this trauma by trying “the distancing technique of using animal figures enables him to avoid a total identification with the Holocaust, and hence to forestall the ethically unacceptable appropriation of an event he has not lived through” (Stanislaw, 2013). The distancing only works to a certain extent and by creating a story like this Spiegelman is forced to face his trauma in some way. There is a comfort in finding a way to live with trauma and pushing it down doesn’t solve any problems that they hope it will. Spiegeleman centered his life and work around acknowledging and confronting his trauma and although not everyone is able to do that there are advantages that come to acknowledging trauma and hopefully moving past it.
The most compelling idea in your post is how you talk about intergenerational guilt and how children of Holocaust survivors experience trauma even though they did not live through it themselves. I agree with this idea, especially your point that later generations may feel guilty for having easier lives while still wanting to feel closer to their parents' suffering. This idea is interesting because it shows that trauma does not stop with one generation but continues through emotions like guilt, jealousy and confusion. Your example of Art’s resentment towards Richieu is especially effective since it clearly shows how Art feels disconnected from his parents in a way he cannot control. Your post also connects well with other people's ideas that discuss silence after the Holocaust. Like those posts you explain how many Jewish communities avoided talking about trauma and how that silence shaped the way children grew up. What adds to your post is how you focus on how trauma is passed down not only through stories but also through daily interaction between parents and children. My own views are similar because I agree that trauma cannot be ignored. I also agree with how you used Stanislav's idea about Spiegelman using animals to create emotional distance. That explanation helps show how Maus allows Art to explore trauma without saying that he fully understands the Holocaust.
Boston, Massachusetts, US
Posts: 10
LTQ Post 7: Peer Response
Originally posted by
pink on January 30, 2026 10:10
Generational trauma plays a major role in Maus especially in how art spiegelman experiences the Holocaust despite not having lived through it himself. As a child of Holocaust Survivors art inherits that emotional trauma that his parents have had to go on through and it affects his identity, his relationships and sense of guilt. Throughout Maus I and Maus II Spiegel man shows that trauma doesn't end with just the survivors but really it is passed down shaping the lives of the next generation in painful complex ways
The most prominent example of generational teams is Art's relationship with his father Vladek. Vladek's obsessive behavior like hoarding food, being very frugal, and distrusting others are all because of his experience of living through the Holocaust. These habits once helped him survive at the time but now they lead to tension between him and Art. Art often feels frustrated but guilty for feeling that way because he knows what his father suffered. This guilt reflects what Stanislav describes as "integrational transmission of trauma" where children of survivors internalize their parents' pain and trauma even without suffering firsthand.
Artsguilt is connected to the shadow of his brother Richelieu who died during the Holocaust. In Maus II Art admits that he feels like he can never live up to the memory of the “perfect” son who did not survive. He includes a drawing of Richieus picture hanging in the house “watching over” which symbolizes how the past is constantly connecting to the present and isn't lost. This comparison shows how generational trauma can change how a child sees their self worth and identity.
Art also struggles with representing the Holocaust itself. In Maus II, he depicts himself overwhelmed by how successful Maus was by sitting on a pile of corpses while reporters surround him. This scene shows the burden of carrying this communal trauma that isn't just his family's but of an entire group of people. It suggests that young people today might inherit not only personal daily trauma but also historical trauma as a collective which shapes how they see the world.
While Maus suggests that it may be impossible to fully move beyond generational trauma it argues that acknowledging it is necessary. Art does not “heal” the trauma but by confronting it through storytelling and art he creates a place for understanding. Instead of ignoring the inherited pain, Maus shows that through recognizing and living with generational trauma and questioning it, is the most truthful way to move forward.
I think the most interesting idea in your post is how Art's experiences are explained, despite him not even living through that time. The discussion of Vladek's behaviors, in particular the hoarding, his frugality, and lack of trust, reveals how survival skills from the past can stir problems in the present day. I agree with the idea that Maus makes it loud and clear that trauma doesn't end with a survivor and the end of an event, but rather it works to reshape family dynamics in later generations. but rather it works to reshape the family dynamics in later generations. The point about Art feeling guilty for his frustration with his father. I find it very interesting as it highlights how hard trauma that is inherited can become.
Additionally, I liked how you connected the picture of Richieu to Art's sense of self-worth. The image of him "watching over" the family is powerful, and was utilized efficiently to showcase how the past still lingers. This connects with the other ideas regarding postmemory and how the children of survivors themselves feel haunted by the events that they didn't experience firsthand.
I hold a similar view, especially about the idea that bearing generational trauma is more honest than trying to part ways with it. I think the explanation of the scene where Art sits on corpses representing the scale of the trauma is great too.
Generational Trauma in Maus
Through the comic, Maus, Art Spiegelman demonstrates how an atrocity like the Holocaust is not simply a historical event that’s confined to the past, it is a continuous presence that lives on through generations and largely shapes households like Artie’s. Artie’s strained relationship with his father, Vladek, highlights the intensity of generational trauma as the children of Holocaust survivors often feel the weight their parents, or grandparents have passed down to them. In Stanislav’s “Intergenerational transmission of trauma in Spiegelman’s Maus,” he discusses the psychological burdens and behavioral patterns passed down from parent to child, often without the child ever actually experiencing the original trauma themselves. Stanislav describes how “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.” (Stainslav, 2013). Throughout Maus, we see Vladek’s trauma manifest in various behaviors that Artie finds to be suffocating: his obsessive frugality, his inability to get rid of items even when they’re completely useless, and his constant anxiety. Growing up in this environment has led to Artie navigating a “ghostly” competition. In Maus II Artie struggles with the feeling that no matter what he achieves, it will never be enough. He constantly compares his accomplishments to the suffering his parents endured in Auschwitz, ultimately feeling a deep sense of inadequacy as nothing he does will ever compare to their survival. Artie confesses, “I know this is insane, but I somehow wish I’d been in Auschwitz with my parents so I could really know what they lived through” (Spiegelman, 1991). Children of survivors often feel a sense of internalized guilt for being happy, safe, or for not being able to fix their parents' broken spirits. The concept of generational trauma is not unique to the Holocaust as many young people today from communities impacted by systemic oppression, war, or forced displacement often carry similar burdens. For instance, descendants of the Armenian Genocide or those affected by the legacy of slavery often feel the weight of their ancestors survival. Many people inherit anxiety or a hyper-vigilance that may appear to be instinctive. When an entire community is traumatized, that collective memory employs a rigid identity that is based on suffering. Maus suggests that moving beyond trauma is not the correct goal as we should strive for integration and acknowledgement. In Maus II, Artie struggles with the success of his first book and attends therapy to process and understand his feelings better. Instead of “getting over” the Holocaust, he learns to contextualize it. It is important to acknowledge trauma instead of suppressing it to prevent it from overtaking and dictating one’s life. Through the creation of the comic, Artie makes the trauma visible, living with and acknowledging it. Generational trauma is not an erasable aspect of one’s lineage; however, by facing history directly, future generations are able shift away from being victims of a cycle to being the conscious narrators of their own lives.
Boston, Massachusetts, US
Posts: 11
Generational Trauma in Maus
As survivors of the Holocaust are weighed down by their grievances, trauma, and past, their children, too, are burdened by the same ordeals. The atrocities that occurred while persecuting the Jewish community, as well as other targeted groups, plagues those who survived with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), ultimately affecting the way that they raise their children. Art Spiegelman, author and illustrator of Maus I and II, is a second generation survivor of the Holocaust, with both his parents as well as his stepmother having lived during the Nazi regime as Jews. Through the Maus series, Spiegelman hints at what it was like to grow up and the relationship he had with his parents in the midst of telling the story of his father: one time, Art is upset about a situation with his friends, and his father responds, “If you lock them together in a room with no food for a week…” (Spiegelman 5). This panel demonstrates how his father's traumatic past affects his ability to relate and therefore help his son with his friendships. In “The Shadow of a Past Time”, the author states that “[e]laborating tropes like ‘the presence of the past’ through the formal complexities of what Spiegelman called the ‘stylistic surface’ of a page” is demonstrative of Spiegelman’s manipulation of time allows him to depict the ways in which his childhood differed from others as a second generation Holocaust survivor, and then using a flashback to dive deeper into what prompted that difference.
In one specific scene in Maus, Spiegelman is having dinner with his father, Vladek, and his stepmother, Mala. He recalls how his father used to pressure him into eating all of his food, even if he were full or disliked the meal. Later in the novel, he explains how his father, growing up, was forced to starve as a means to avoid being drafted into war. Vladek’s experience regarding his own past and history reflects on the way he treats Art.
Spiegelman’s novel raises the question of whether or not it’s beneficial to move past generational trauma, or if living with it and remembering is better. Although the question has no right answer, Maus is demonstrative of how acknowledging the existence of generational trauma can be a means to peace. Art’s relationship with Vladek is strained and imperfect, but it’s clear that writing Maus and recognizing his father’s traumatic experiences has been a bridge between the two, connecting them in ways that they weren’t connected before.
