learntoquestion ltq discussions

Originally posted by Hibiscus on February 03, 2026 21:36

Generational trauma can be passed down for children of Holocaust survivors and not only affect the lives of those whose parents experienced the trauma, but even generations after that. However, this kind of trauma is different between the recipients. For those whose parents went through the Holocaust, like Spiegelman, they may feel a more personal connection or effect. For him, it was that he was sometimes felt in a way a replacement for his parents’ child who died in the Holocaust. This happened towards the end of the Maus when his father accidentally called him “Richieu” - their son who had passed. For those who weren’t the next generation of trauma survivors, like communities or young people today, they can still feel the effects of generational trauma by stereotypes or external factors. The still prevalent antisemitism within some groups still affects Jewish people today, even if they don’t know or have family members who were in the Holocaust. For generations who are the grandchildren of Holocaust survivors, their parents may have been affected in their upbringing, bringing down trauma onto them.

I think the only way to move forward from generational trauma is to acknowledge it. In Maus, writing this novel was a way for Spiegelman to connect with his father, hear about his stories and perhaps get some clarity on why he acts how he does. I think Vladek is able to move forward from his trauma a little more now that he has opened up and acknowledged it.

Intergenerational transmission of trauma in Spiegelman's Maus talks about how the novel is really a “postmemory” retelling, it “reflects the level of identification with the original recipients of trauma and is often characterized by the feeling of displacement, living in temporal and spatial exile, estrangement and the experience of a lack and absence which frequently leads to an identity crisis.” Spiegelman tells the story of Vladek, but it isn’t truly Vladek’s story, but it’s told through the lens of his son. It depicts the generational trauma that is exploring identity and the sometimes horrors of past events that come along with it.I think the most compelling idea was that Spiegelman’s recount of Vladek's story isn’t Vladek's story. I think that’s a unique perspective because when we think of retelling and experience most times we think of it as truth and being as close to what really happened as possible. However, when stories are told in a telephone style a lot of the emotion and the meaning get lost. That’s the main similarity between our understandings. We also agreed that acknowledgement is a huge step and breaking the cycle of generational trauma. The reason why so many families are condemned to repeating actions in customs that caused them harm is because they haven’t unlearned them. In order to unlearn something you need to first acknowledge that you’re doing it then and only then can you attempt to stop. In my account, I discussed the importance of reflection when it comes to confronting generational trauma. I think that this pairs very well with acknowledgement because if one takes time to analyze and question why something occurs then they can decide for themselves whether or not they want to continue it. I wish postmemory was used to analyse Spiegelman's relationship with his father because I think that it is such a unique factor to the novel and it explains a lot of the recounts we receive in the novel and the relationship between the father and son

I think the most compelling idea was that Spiegelman’s recount of Vladek's story isn’t Vladek's story. I think that’s a unique perspective because when we think of retelling and experience most times we think of it as truth and being as close to what really happened as possible. However, when stories are told in a telephone style a lot of the emotion and the meaning get lost. That’s the main similarity between our understandings. We also agreed that acknowledgement is a huge step and breaking the cycle of generational trauma. The reason why so many families are condemned to repeating actions in customs that caused them harm is because they haven’t unlearned them. In order to unlearn something you need to first acknowledge that you’re doing it then and only then can you attempt to stop. In my account, I discussed the importance of reflection when it comes to confronting generational trauma. I think that this pairs very well with acknowledgement because if one takes time to analyze and question why something occurs then they can decide for themselves whether or not they want to continue it. I wish postmemory was used to analyze Spiegelman's relationship with his father because I think that it is such a unique factor to the novel and it explains a lot of the recounts we receive in the novel and the relationship between the father and son.

Originally posted by LarryLegend33 on February 05, 2026 19:13

Generational trauma impacts the children of Holocaust survivors in many different ways. This is evident with Art Speigelman, his father was a Holocaust survivor and although Art did not directly experience the Holocaust he still feels the wieght of it in his life. He feels the effects of it through his relationship with his father, and Vladek’s struggles with identity take a psychological toll Art, as Vladek controlling behavior and anxiety are still defensive mechanisms impleted from his experience during the Holocaust. Art does not directly assume the truama but he starts to take on the weight more and more as he learns what occurred from his father, and from this Art starts to feel the effects of generational trauma such as survivors guilt for having a much easier life than his father, he finds himself often frustrated with Vladek, and that Art feels that his struggles and challenges in no way at all stack up against what his father had to go through. All of these examples of Art perfectly display the impact and effects that generational trauma has on the children of Holocaust survivors, and that the truama is not just passed through the stories told but the emotions towards the people we care about and the behaviors that are expressed. In Maus Speigelman demonstrates how the weight of the trauma experienced by direct ancestors as well as communities as a whole play into the lives of young people today through the fact the Holocaust was not just an individual experience pertaining to only one person, but rather it was shared with millions of people. The long lasting consequences still shape the lives of many of its survivors and their families long after it has ended. Many people still struggle with portraying the trauma experienced by people of their communities and direct ancestral relationships by not fully being able to represent the pressures of the time and or worrying that they may not be able to encapsulate the gravity of that time. I believe that it is still extremely difficult to be able to move beyond generational trauma, but it can be done, and I think it is achievable by acknowledging that it exists but by also coming to terms with what had happened to you and to the people around you that experienced and understanding that it is not your fault or their fault that these terrible actions happened to them.

I think this author does an incredible job at showing how Art Spiegleman is impacted by his family's, especially Vladek's, experience during the holocaust. They explain not only that he experiences generational trauma, but specifically, the different particular symptoms of it, and how those influence his relationships. The idea of survivors guilt is really interesting, especially when thinking about how that might impact his parent's persepectives, as well. Although the author did not mention this, I also think that idea relates greatly to both his and his parent's persepectives on the memory of Richieu, Art's older brother who passed away during the holocaust years before his birth. By exploring these ideas, the author expands into the greater context of holocaust survivors in general, explaining his ideas with Art's real experience. I particularly agree with their sentence at the end of their LTQ on the ideas of reconciliation, specifically the idea of understanding and acknowledging that the actions were done and learning to move on are important steps to learning from generational trauma. Additionally, although I agree with what they are saying, I think its important to mention that forgiving and forgetting are also, very prominent ideas when discussing the next generations response to the holocaust. Forgiving, is a very personal choice that no one can really make the end-all-be-all decision for, while forgetting an atrocity should, in my opinion, never be done by anyone.