Essay 2 - Grade: 97 PDF

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Patel1 The Theme of PTSD from Maus' Character Vladek Asnaani et al. (p. 311) have revealed that survivors of the Holocaust and their subsequent generations experienced high levels of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms. The symptoms are explained by the age of losses, such as the death of close friends and relatives, which reactivate traumatic events. One of the main losses that the victims faced was the loss of the children and spouses who were killed during the Holocaust. The feelings of loss are reignited when the remaining children are old enough to leave home and start their families. Prot (p.29) reveals that personal and collective trauma can have long-term effects on victims of genocides. Therefore, the Holocaust affected the generation that was directly involved and affected the subsequent generation. In Maus, Spiegelman tells the story of Vladek, a Jewish survivor of the Holocast, and his Son Art, a cartoonist trying to understand his father. The stories of Art and Vladek spiral around each other and are more intertwined as the narrative progresses. This paper will look at the themes of PTSD and trauma as seen from Vladek's experiences and the personality changes that occurred between when he was a young man to the time of the narrative. PTSD and the Holocaust During the Holocaust, Nazi Germany attempted to exterminate the Jewish population from Europe. Nazis effectively gathered and murdered more than six million Jews. It is identified as the worst genocide in history (Prot, p.30). Vladek and Anja were taken to Auschwitz, a concentration camp where one-third of the total deaths occurred. When Art goes to see his psychiatrist, who is also a survivor asks what Auschwitz felt like. The psychiatrist says, "How can I explain? Boo! It felt like that. But always! From the moment you got to the gate until the very end" (Spiegel II, p. 46). Under severe mental strain, the victims were humiliated, starved, displaced, and had lost all their freedom. These hardships can lead to the development of PTSD,

Patel2 which will affect them for the rest of their lives. Empirically, PTSD has lasting consequences for individuals and their families. Asnaani et al. (p. 314) posit that "most people who are exposed to a traumatic, stressful event experience some of the symptoms of PTSD in the days and weeks following exposure. However, roughly 30% of these individuals develop a chronic form that persists throughout their lifetime." The symptoms include conduct disorders, depression, anxiety, dependency, certain phobias, and drug abuse. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Maus is a narrative of the impact of the Holocaust on the survivors and the generations that follow. Yehuda et al. (n.p) suggest that "What happened to the parent's generation must affect the next generation even if the children were born years after the holocaust." Survivors experienced PTSD that impaired their ability to live normal lives and raise their children. Asnaani et al. (p.315) suggest that people with PTSD have frequent flashbacks and relive past experiences. The survivor's dreams are often related to a specific traumatic event that the individual continues to haunt them for years. The first sign of PTSD seen from Vladek has an obsessive-compulsive disorder. He counts all the money, pills, and even the nails in his shed (Spiegel I, p. 80. Vladek is physically weak and runs out of breath as he tells his stories. His weak heart is straining under the effort. It takes a large among of energy to survive the Holocaust, and it seems he channeled his energy into hype-perfectionism in all things regardless of how minor. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental illness that leads to repeated unwanted thoughts and sensations and sometimes the urge to do something over and over (Prot, p.32). Vladek counts the pills he takes for his heart, diabetes, and vitamins each day. He also insists that he has to do whatever is necessary to save himself because "Doctors, they only give me junk food. That's how I call prescription drugs now" (Spiegel I, p.53).

Patel3 Vladek is also bothered by dirt and feels the need to keep his spaces neat and clean constantly. When Art accidentally spills cigarette ash on the living room floor, Vladek is upset and berates him for making a mess. He suggests that the mess is stable, related to how he felt dehumanized in the prisons. Therefore, keeping his house clean is a way of keeping his mind off of the overcrowded camps where he was trapped. He never wants to feel like that again. "Mala could let it sit like this for a week and never touch it" (Spiegel I, p.65). He continues to state that his ill-health kept him from cleaning the mess which bothered him. The mess made him feel like he was back at the stable, back to being a prisoner. One time while walking with Art, Vladek picks some phone wires from a trashcan. Art asks him why he cannot just buy the phone wires to which Vladek says, "Pssh. Why always you want to buy when you can find!?" (Spiegel I, p.118). It is an example of his thriftiness which is noted throughout the story. According to the trauma recovery program, "trauma itself triggers the anxiety disorder of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder." These characteristics are not unique to Vladek. They can be seen throughout the narrative in other survivors. Selective Memory Asnaani et al. (p. 316) suggest that post-traumatic stress disorder causes individuals to have trouble concentrating and have issues with memory. Memory and concentration are seen as major issues for people with PTSD. Some memory loss may be a temporary way of helping them cope with trauma, although permanent memory loss can result from brain injury and disturbing psychological trauma (Prot, p.32). Vladek tells the story of how he met his wife, Anja. He suggests that he chose Anja over Lucia because he could have intellectual conversations with Anja. He chose her even though she was more homely than Lucia because he could connect emotionally and mentally. While Anja survived the Holocaust, she killed herself in May 1968.

Patel4 She is not physically present when the story is written, but her presence impacts Art and his father Vladek. Anja was the image of the perfect wife. Unlike Lucia, she was wealthy, neat, and fluent in various languages. Vladek is known for linguistic fluency, which has saved him on several occasions. Unlike the other women, she was the only one able to bring out the heroic and generous aspects of Vladek. She can support him financially and emotionally. Due to his love for her, he puts himself in danger countless times to save her. Her suicide felt like a betrayal to Vladek because he wanted to grow old with her and tell their story of survival. He burns her diaries because he cannot tolerate another image of Anja other than that which was closest to his heart (Spiegel I, p. 100). Vladek, in a way, through burning the diaries, attempt to erase the painful memories of Anja, but he cannot. He wishes that she was there with him. He says that Mala is driving him crazy because she keeps asking about his will. "If Anja were here, everything would be different with me" (Spielgel I, p. 75). Depression Depression is present in 51.9% of men and 49% of women with PTSD (Asnaani et al., p. 316). Vladek demonstrates various symptoms of depression. First, he does not like to speak about his experiences of the Holocaust. While Art's commentary suggests that he heard some stories about his father during the Holocaust, it is clear he did not get the entire story. Secondly, Vladek does not like to be reminded of Anja. When speaking of how he destroyed his wife's possessions, he says, "These notebooks, and other nice things of mother... one time I had a very bad day... and all of these things I destroyed. After Anja died, I had to make an order with everything... these papers had too many memories. So I burned them" (Spiegel I, p. 158-159). People with PTSD avoid speaking of their experiences and memories of the tough situations they experiences. While he is successful in Poland even after the Holocaust, he opts to migrate to

Patel5 American with Anja and Art. As Yehuda et al. (n.p) suggest, after the Holocaust, most survivors moved to new environments where they did not have constant reminders of the trauma. By leaving Poland, he hoped to forget the events that occurred in his life. The suicide rates among the survivors of the Holocaust were high, and people were constantly anxious. Most had survivor's guilt where they believed they did not do all they could to help their families survive (Yehuda et al., n.p). Conclusion PTSD impacted the lives of holocaust survivors because they experienced such torture it was difficult to recover. Vladek is an example of how trauma, both physical and psychological, can affect individuals and their families. The narrative shows the symptoms of PTSD and how it imposes issues on the survivor's family. Finally, Art visits a psychiatrist suggesting that the second generation of survivors is finding ways to treat the condition and improve their lives. While the step may not be a cure, acknowledging the disorder allows people to live normal lives and develop healthy relationships.

Works Cited Asnaani, Anu, Madhavi K. Reddy, and M. Tracie Shea. "The impact of PTSD symptoms on physical and mental health functioning in returning veterans." Journal of anxiety disorders 28.3 (2014): 310-317.

Patel6 Prot, Katarzyna. "Late effects of trauma: PTSD in Holocaust survivors." Journal of Loss and Trauma 15.1 (2009): 28-42. Spiegelman, Art. Maus: A survivor's tale. Vol. 1. Pantheon, 1997. Yehuda, Rachel, et al. "Impact of cumulative lifetime trauma and recent stress on current posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in holocaust survivors." The American Journal of Psychiatry (1995)....