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Art Spiegelman wrote Maus to tell his father’s story of surviving the Holocaust. But in the process of writing his father’s story, Artie also tells the story of how he wrote the book itself and becomes another character in that story. Artie pursues his father’s story with a single-mindedness that verges on selfishness. He is often frustrated when Vladek asks him for help, pivoting always to ask Vladek to get back to the story. Vladek treats Artie like a child, scolding him for not finishing his dinner or for wearing a cheap coat. Artie, in turn, behaves like a child, always complaining and dodging his responsibilities.
In Book Two, Artie writes directly about the difficulties he has in writing Maus. He complains that he does not understand the relationship he has with Vladek, let alone the Holocaust. He grows ever more uneasy about creating the book. When Book One of Maus is published to great acclaim, Artie sinks into a depression. He draws himself not as a mouse but as a human wearing a mouse mask. The mask suggests that Artie is not really a “mouse,” i.e., a Jew, like his parents. Rather he feels like he has appropriated that identity to write a book, make money, and gain fame.
Artie never fully resolves his conflicted feelings about his father. When Vladek is hospitalized in Florida, Artie dutifully flies down to help him move back to New York. He stops short, however, of having Vladek live with him and his wife, Françoise. He continues to visit his father to get the last of the story and turns that story into the successful Maus.
