I think Spiegalman’s experience with his parents is more universal than we know. You have these extraordinary people (Holocaust survivors), but who are shitty parents and assholes in general. But if you try and resolve these issues, they bring up their experience. How do you respond to “I survived the literal Holocaust” when you’re trying to talk to your dad about groceries?
My dad had similar problems with his parents that’s resulted in generational trauma. My grandfather was in the Filipino Resistance during WWII and became a really bad alcoholic after the war due to undiagnosed PTSD. I can just imagine my dad being 6 years old and asking for a bike, then my grandad exploding on him with “What the fuck do you need a bike for, you little shit? Your uncle didn’t have a bike when he died in the goddamn Bataan Death March! If he managed to walk 65 miles while starving, you can walk your ass to school!”
(Yes, one of our in-laws died in the Bataan Death March. I cannot imagine the survivor’s guilt my grandfather experienced, not to mention all the war crimes)
Great grandpa from my mom’s side was a Holocaust survivor. Great grandpa from my dad’s side was a Yugoslav partisan. Both were misogynists and pretty patriarchal.
Dad as a civilian escaped the Bosnian war to Serbia very late and saw his second and youngest brother die. He can be kind of a dick too, plus that Serbian right wing politicians are
planning to get back the mandatory military service he’s somehow fully supportive of It. Even though he served the Serbian army back in 2003.
He’s also pretty patriarchal and kinda racist.
Told my sister like my mom told me to “not marry or start a familly with people outside of our race”.
The ending of the second book was so so so good.
Tap for spoiler
his holocaust surviving father still showed racist attitudes to other minorities.
I think Spiegalman’s experience with his parents is more universal than we know. You have these extraordinary people (Holocaust survivors), but who are shitty parents and assholes in general. But if you try and resolve these issues, they bring up their experience. How do you respond to “I survived the literal Holocaust” when you’re trying to talk to your dad about groceries?
My dad had similar problems with his parents that’s resulted in generational trauma. My grandfather was in the Filipino Resistance during WWII and became a really bad alcoholic after the war due to undiagnosed PTSD. I can just imagine my dad being 6 years old and asking for a bike, then my grandad exploding on him with “What the fuck do you need a bike for, you little shit? Your uncle didn’t have a bike when he died in the goddamn Bataan Death March! If he managed to walk 65 miles while starving, you can walk your ass to school!”
(Yes, one of our in-laws died in the Bataan Death March. I cannot imagine the survivor’s guilt my grandfather experienced, not to mention all the war crimes)
Sorry this is late but I relate to you too.
Great grandpa from my mom’s side was a Holocaust survivor. Great grandpa from my dad’s side was a Yugoslav partisan. Both were misogynists and pretty patriarchal.
Dad as a civilian escaped the Bosnian war to Serbia very late and saw his second and youngest brother die. He can be kind of a dick too, plus that Serbian right wing politicians are planning to get back the mandatory military service he’s somehow fully supportive of It. Even though he served the Serbian army back in 2003. He’s also pretty patriarchal and kinda racist. Told my sister like my mom told me to “not marry or start a familly with people outside of our race”.
It’s a complicated situation all around.