Maus Trauma Essay

Trauma is a strange thing. It's not easy to explain. Sometimes it's physical, sometimes it's mental. It can be short or long-lasting. Trauma can even manifest as negative and toxic behaviors, and those toxic behaviors can harm others. In Maus, Art Spiegelman used the character Vladek to show how trauma can cause negative behaviors. Vladek goes through extreme trauma during the Holocaust and has to be manipulative to survive. Unfortunately, Vladek gets stuck in that survival mindset and ends up manipulating people even after the Holocaust, showing that trauma responses stick with people even after they are safe. Maus 1 shows how unhealthy behavior stems from trauma by first showing the behaviors used when they are necessary. This story takes place

The story begins with Art hearing that his father had a heart attack. Art rushes to the phone to make sure he's OK, but then learns Vladek's heart is fine. The reason he called is that his wife left him. Art's wife asks what happened and Art says “he didn't even have a heart attack.he just wanted to be sure I'd call him back”(13). In Maus 1, Vladek needed to lie to live, but here he lied for the sole purpose of making sure Art would answer the phone. Vladek is so used to lying because there used to be a threat of death for telling the truth, but now, even with the threat removed, he still lies. Later in the story, Vladek is in the car with Art and his wife. Vladek is returning groceries in exchange for new ones. He goes back to the car, and it is revealed how he got the free food when he says, “he helped me as soon as I explained to him my health, how mala left me, and how it was in the camps”(90). Vladek made the cashier feel bad for him by telling him about his trauma, which is very manipulative. Behaviors like this were easily excused during the Holocaust because they kept him safe, but now all they do is keep him