Artie And Vladek Relationship

In the graphic novel Maus II, the protagonist, Artie stays at his father’s house and asks him to recall his time at the Holocaust for his book. Vladek is a caring father who is sometimes a bit too much to handle. As he recalls his life during World War II and the Holocaust, Artie must decide whether it is more important to get his story, or if he can actually survive staying with his father. Vladek wants what is best for his son, but it always seems like the whole family is lost. Vladek lost his wife and firstborn, while Art lost his mother and a brother he had never met. Vladek was able to survive Auschwitz, but it costs him his old life. Vladek and Artie have a strained relationship with each other since all Artie wants to do is know, while Vladek just wants to forget. This causes Vladek to sometimes

Whatever it was, Vladek is smart enough to understand who was in charge and acts accordingly. Vladek is also quite personable. He makes friends quickly and sometimes it helps him survive, much like when he is friendly with the Kapo. If Vladek was rude or disinterested in teaching the Kapo English, his story could have played out very differently. If there would even be a story to tell that is. He also befriends a frenchman, Vladek being apparently the only person the “frog” can talk to since he is the only one he has seen who speaks English, and no one else speaks any french. Vladek also makes conversation with a guard. His thought process was “and if he liked me, maybe someday he won’t shoot me” (54) Despite the conditions Vladek was in, he was still hopeful. The author makes note of that by using the words shoot instead of kill and saying someday. If Vladek wasn’t hopeful in his survival at all then he would not be bothered to say this since he believed he would die anyway. But when he says this,