Maus artie character development:

Artie is the narrator of Maus and the son of two Polish Jews, Vladek and Anja Spiegelman,
both of whom survived the Holocaust. Despite the fact that Artie was born after the
holocaust, it was an event that lingered over his youth. Artie would think of things like which
parent he would save from being gassed in the gas chambers (he usually chose his mother)
and fantasize that Zyklon B was coming out of his shower instead of water. ‘I guess its some
kind of guilt about having an easier life than they did (Spiegelman, 176). Arties fixation on
the holocaust came from the guilt that he did not struggle the way his parents struggled and
therefore it made him feel inadequate to construct the reality of the holocaust for his comic.

As a child, Artie was closer to his mother than his father, who he never really got along with.
Similarly to his mother, Artie suffers from mental health issues. Anja died not long after Artie
came back from the state mental hospital. Artie felt somewhat guilty for his mothers death
but also resentment towards her. ‘I felt nauseas....the guilt was overwhelming! (104,
Spiegelman), ‘You murdered me mommy and you left me here to take the rap! (105,
Spiegelman). By Anja killing herself, Artie feels as though she has also killed him. This
shows the audience the close relationship the two had.

The story starts with 11 year old Artie tripping and falling, then his friends abandon him. He
goes to his father for comfort, however his father responds with ‘If you lock them together in
a room for a week, then you could see what it is..friends’. From a young age Artie is not
lovingly treated by his father, which could be why Artie turns into an unkind and self-centred
man towards the end of the story. Artie and his father's interaction are at the centre of the
story, through those interactions a lot of Artie's character is revealed.

At the beginning of the story, Artie seems like a patient young man towards his father, doing
exactly what his father asks without protest. As the story progresses, Artie seems
increasingly annoyed with his aging father. ‘it's amazing how hard it is to spend the whole
day with him. He just radiates so much tension' (Spiegelman, 234). 'I can't even make any
sense out of my relationship with my father' (Spiegelman, 174). Artie also comes across to
the audience as self centred and unkind towards the end of the story. This can be seen
when Francoise says that she feels sorry for Vladek, and Artie replies ‘yeah, me too…’til i
have to spend any time with him then he drives me crazy!‘ . He refuses on multiple
occasions to take care of his sick father and the main purpose of his visits to Vladek is to ask
questions for his graphic novel. As Artie interviews Vladek about his experiences during the
war and the Holocaust, he gains a better understanding of how his father's past affects his
present. Artie may not always like Vladek, and the men often are exasperated with each
other, but with the help of his wife, Artie learns to accept his father for who he is.

Artie’s brother Richieu died whilst he was a young child and Artie feels as if he is living in
Richieu’s shadow. When Vladek is laying on a hospital bed he says to Artie ‘ I’m tired from
talking, Richieu’. This shows the audience that Vladek wants Artie to be like Richieu. ‘The
photo never threw tantrums or got in any kind of trouble….it was an ideal kid and i was a
pain in the ass, i couldn’t compete’ (Spiegelman, 175. This shows the audience that Artie
feels as though he must live up to his parents expectations of what Richieu was was going to
be, however this was not possible as Richieu was deceased. The sibling rivalry against
Richieu likely made Artie feel inferior.