In Maus, it’s likely that Vladek suffered from PTSD as a result of his traumatic experiences during the Holocaust. For example, Vladek is a particularly obstinate person when it comes down to how he to spends and use things, and he still retains many of the traits that helped him survive the Holocaust, much of which drives his son and second wife crazy. One can argue that although Art did not experience or witness any of the tragic events during Holocaust, the traumatic events that his father experienced during the Holocaust had been passed down to Art in a form of guilt. In the beginning of the book, it seems that Art felt indifferent towards his dad and only wanted to talk to his father about his father’s Holocaust journey to obtain material for his book. However, as the story progressed, we see that Art begins to expressed some form of remorse for not helping his father and later survivor’s guilt after hearing his father’s traumatizing experiences during the Holocaust because on one occasion he states, “I know this is insane, but I somehow wish I had been in Auschwitz with my parents so I could really know what they lived through!”
By conveying his father’s story with a graphic novel rather than an ordinary novel, I believe that Art is able to effectively keep the readers more keenly aware of story and with the use of pictures and comics, Art is able to add another level of details that one could have not possibly have done using an ordinary novel alone. For example, with comics, Art is able to depict characters as different animals, which is done to help the readers quickly characterize different groups of people in his book. In another perspective, by using a graphic novel we the readers are able to seen things directly from an author’s standpoint.
Vladek suffering from PTSD definitely affected the way he interacted with people considering his actions were typically based on if he could save something useful, which was crucial during WWII. Vladek's PTSD could have affected the way he raised Art. Children can be selfish, unappreciative, and can sometimes only think from a limited point of view. Imagine how Vladek might react to a five year old Art that refuses to eat his vegetables. Vladek having been through WWII would probably react harshly, leading Art to feel ashamed. Also, he is probably feels the most guilt for not helping his father when he was alive and asking him to tell him what happened. I think his survivor's guilt stems from this; not only did he survive, but he forces his father to re-live the traumatic experiences he had been through.
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