R2D2

1. Discuss how the trauma that Art Speigelman's father experienced in the Holocaust trickled down into Art's life as the son of a Holocaust survivor.

Considering that Art's father beautifully fit the Jewish sterotype, it was no wonder that Art seemed to encompass the exact opposite of the stereotype. Art seems to have analyzed his father's ways and decided to never possess those traits for himself. As a result, he is nothing like his father and yet, somewhat similar. Both of them possess that same stubbornness and passion, but they direct towards different things. They both complain a lot, but about different things. Perhaps this could be said of most humans, but I am not sure. Both Art and his father maintain simple lives. Art lives a simple life, and he seems to value that because of his father's experiences. He is grateful for having food, a bed to sleep in, and a person to share his life with but not to the extreme his father does. I think that part of why Art chose to pursue a career in art was not just because of his father but because he saw how trivial material things are and how short life is so he decided to pursue what made him happy even if it didn't bring him that great of a paycheck.