invisible prisons: identity and trauma
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| please excuse the bad photo quality |
Auschwitz.
Vladek is so intensely trapped in his experience of Auschwitz that it is less of a traumatic memory, and now, more of a lens that frames his life. For Vladek, Auschwitz is a reminder of who he is - the all too familiar reference point he calls upon to make out the rest of his life. It's sick, twisted but real: to himself, Auschwitz is the most prominent representation of Vladek's identity. Especially in a world where the lines of memory are blurred and buried, Vladek's only option is to bring to mind that which is most vivid to him in a desperate attempt to settle the confusion. It is in this tragedy that Vladek lives - to be able to distinguish and merely survive his present life, he is forced to recall back his greatest trauma, thereby reliving it. Maus suggests that the real tragedy of the Holocaust is something not often talked about. What is the real cruelty of the Holocaust? Is it the brutality and decay of morality that occurred at Auscwhitz? Or is it the fact that the survivors live perpetually trapped in their own memory? Is it the fact that survivors cannot distinguish their core identity between their trauma?
For Vladek, there is no true end or escape from what happened during the Holocaust. Instead, the horror has just shifted - morphing into something that although less visible in physical reality, is still extremely present. Just because a prison is invisible doesn't diminish its realness.
Footnote: Because this blog is so serious and deals with such serious subject matter I decided not to put gifs in it (I mean that just doesn't seem right). But I promise in my other posts I will make up for this gif shortage.
Allison I loved your idea that just because prisons are invisible, that doesn't diminish their power over us or their realness. I definitely think this is why Spiegelman using the motif of stripes so often - to show that just because you don't see Vladek locked in a prison doesn't mean he's not a prisoner or trapped. I also love the idea that in order to live Vladek has to relive the Holocaust. When he has nothing left, it is those memories that never leave him and give him something - even if horrific and painful - to live for.
ReplyDeletemmmm I love how you brought in the stripes motif. Isn't it ironic that the very thing he has to live for is what almost brought him to death?
DeleteI really enjoyed reading this blog. It is truly appalling for Vladeck to remember the trauma that he had to endure, yet he does it to keep Artie around because that's what Artie wants to hear about. I think this shows a softer side of Vladeck, the one that is willing to go through the pain of recalling the most terrific part of his life so his son would stay around him and talk to him. I think this sacrifice shows Vladeck's desperate need to not be lonely and stay connected with his only son.
ReplyDeleteaww yeaa. It's so tragic that Vladek has to suffer for this, I feel like when you read Maus you can feel Art's regret from making his father do this come out of the pages. I feel like in a way, Vladek feels obligated to tell Artie his experience since he's held it over Artie's head for so long (even when he was a child).
DeleteWow the serious, depressing mood hit me immediately from the start even before I read the footnote, especially in contrast with your previous posts. I like how you are able to analyze and argue so concisely and hit the point that even survivors are casualties of the Holocaust, stuck in this "invisible prison" even after being freed from a real one. Looking forward to more great content and the gifs especially! :P
ReplyDeleteIt’s kind of twistedly ironic how for many sufferers of traumatic events and other horrible life experiences that in many ways, despite what you end up as it’s extremely difficult to find a way out. While I was reading Maus, it reminded me of the saying “you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain”. I know that for many survivors the way it goes is that you either get sucked in one way or another and literally or figuratively meet your demise, or you’re forced to survive with the aftermath of your tragedy and simply get a gold star for doing so.
ReplyDeletehey allison, I absolutely love this analysis. In class, we talked about the idea that Vladek is not only a survivor of Auschwitz but he was also a survivor of all the guilt he faced. Your blog introduced the idea that oftentimes people are held back more by themselves and their past rather than actual obstacles. In retelling his story, Vladek had to expose the past that he has tried so hard to hide. In the beginning of the novel, Vladek hesistantly begins to tell his story as he is weighing the pros and cons of delving into his traumatic past. In my opinion, the main reason why he decided to tell his story was to attempt to get closure from this never-ending traumatic experience. Overall, your post really got me thinking about the effect one's past has on their overall choices and well-being. great job, as usual. Also, I can't wait to see some more gifs next week :)
ReplyDeletei love this post! this is a very insightful way of looking at maus, and i'm not sure i'd be able to dig this deep by myself. your analysis is very detailed and i love that you didn't really shy away from the heavy stuff. i also love how you compared post-holocaust vladek to pre-holocaust vladek in the beginning to make very clear how much he has changed.
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