Question

Throughout Maus, Art is consumed with guilt. Discuss these different forms of guilt. How do they relate to one another? How do they differ?

Answer 1

Familial guilt:

In Maus, familial guilt plays a major part. This guilt can be divided into three parts,

1. Art's guilt over not being a good son. Art feels tremendous guilt that he has not been a good son to his father and that he doesn't visit him evern if he lives close by his father's place.

2. Art's guilt over his mother's death. Art feels guilty that his mother's suicide is because of him and due to his neglect.

3. Art's feeling of guilt regarding the publication of Maus. His father died in 1982 and Maus was published in 1986. The publication of Maus made the guilt worse wherein he says "my father's ghost still hangs over me.

Also there is Survivor guilt : this is the product of both Vladek and Art's relationship with the holocaust. Art's parents survived Holocaust. Art feels guilty about not being able to feel what they had gone through.

The similarity between thse guilts is that they are somewhat related to Art's parents. Art feels guilty about not doing the best for his parents.

The difference is that these guilts have manifested in different ways and because of different caused and life events.