Using comic illustrations and parodies, Art Spiegelman has written a graphic novel about the lives of his parents, Vladek and Anja, before and during the Holocaust . Volumes I and II of Spiegelman's Maus look at the emotional struggle he faced due to his father's inability to recover from the trauma he suffered during the Holocaust. In the novel, Vladek's inability to cope with the horrors he faced during his imprisonment, as well as the tragic death of his wife, leads him to become emotionally detached from his son, Art. Therefore, Vladek hinders Art's emotional growth. However, Art overcomes the emotional trauma his father instilled in him through his writings. Vladek's inability to move on from his past experiences causes him to repress his pain. He is unable to express his emotions; as a result, he uses control as a coping mechanism. Vladek's control is shown when he destroys Anja's memories. Vladek explains: “After Anja died, I had to place an order with everything… These papers contained too many memories. So I burned them” (1:159). By destroying any evidence that reminds him of Anja, he harms his own emotional stability. Furthermore, burning the papers illustrates his attempt to hide the reality that he cannot always have control over life. Vladek's repression causes him to use control in an unhealthy way. Vladek's methods of control lead him to invent a life he never had. Vladek manipulates his reality by reinventing his past life. When Vladek tells Art about his marriage to Anja, he describes his marriage as a fairy tale. Vladek says: “We were both very happy and lived happily ever after” (Spiegelman 2:136). He reimagines his past life after the end of the Holocaust as free from all unhappiness. As a result, he gets lost...... middle of paper ......es Art is an inner power struggle. Afterwards, Art becomes resentful. Art's resentment towards Vladek does not allow him to mature emotionally. However, through writing, art forgives its father and becomes a man. Works Cited Gangi, Sarah, Alessandra Talamo and Stefano Ferracuti. “The Long-Term Effects of Extreme Warfare Trauma on the Second Generation of Holocaust Survivors.” Violence and Victims 24.5 (2009): 687-700. ProQuest. Internet. October 8, 2013. Hogman, Flora. “Trauma and identity across two generations of the Holocaust.” » Psychoanalytic Review 85.4 (1998): 551-578. ProQuest. Internet. October 8, 2013. Spiegelman, Art. Maus I: The Survivor's Story: My Father Bleeds History. New York: KnopfDoubleday Publishing Group, 1986. Print.Spiegelman, Art. Maus II: A Survivor's Story: And here my troubles began. New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1992. Print.