As the story begins to wrap up, the amount of symbolism and emotions within the book reaches its climax. When Vladek tries to end the story with a “happily ever after,” Art refuses to give Vladek the last say in the book. Art goes on to give us more sadness and misfortune. On the final page, Vladek says “I’m tired of talking Richieu and it’s enough stories for now…” Art shows us how much Vladek truly wished for his “perfect” dead son to come back and replace Art. Art could never live up to his father’s perfect image of his dead younger brother Richieu. Below this, and Vladek’s gravestone are two years—1978-1991. These two years symbolize the years Art felt alive when writing Maus. He was able to understand his own generational trauma and work on something he truly loved; he was representing the unrepresented and giving a voice to the voiceless. However Art and Vladek’s relationship never feels resolved and seems to end with some tension as more of Vladek is revealed through the end of the story. This tension is first created at the end of Maus i when Vladek reveals he destroyed Anja’s diary. Although all the tensions set up by the book aren’t resolved in the ending, the story leaves us with many thought-provoking questions. Did Art live up to Richieu in his father’s eyes? Has Vladek finally accepted Art? The story’s riveting ending leaves us all thinking about it hours, days, or even weeks after reading.
The life of a schadenfreudist
Schadenfreude - (noun) pleasure derived by another's misfortune. Often seen in comedies such as those YouTube compilations in which people get hurt in unfortunate accidents or even in Home Alone in which the bad guys fail at every turn, Schadenfreude often plays a pivotal role in how humor is perceived. As one of the few means of humor that impacts all generations equally, it can provide a bridge to connect the gen Alphas with their skibidi toilets with older generations who grew up watching Tom and Jerry. Not all humor can bridge gaps and transcend generational boundaries but the hilarity of experiencing others' pain and suffering is one of the few shared experiences. For example, Hajra's horrific screw-up at the Orchestra's Spooktacular will be a tale for generations. It could even be the collective screw-up of everyone in Physics C this year on the latest test. Maybe (just maybe) it might be enough for Mr. Glynn to consider adding additional curves to all future test...
I think the relationship between Vladek and Art is the most impactful and interesting part of the book. He was never perfect, and never thanked him in the beginning of the book, but you could also tell he was grateful. Not a love-hate relationship, but a simple acknowledgements of his faults and kindness.
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