Throughout Maus I, we saw an ongoing interspersing of Vladek’s story and Art’s progress of his comic book. The beginning of Maus II gives a little more emphasis to Art’s own life and story. Maus certainly could have stood on its own with only Vladek’s story of his struggles throughout the Holocaust. However, the addition of Art’s story and his own personal struggles adds depth to Maus. It’s interesting to learn more about Art’s personal issues this way; at first we see him light-heartedly sketching animals to represent Francoise’s character, but as the novel continues, Art opens up a bit to reveal his own feelings toward his dad. Art mentions a strange wish that he could have been at Auschwitz, to experience what his parents experienced. He feels guilty of having an easy life. I can’t imagine how this must have felt to him. Art knew that his parents essentially survived Hell, and he was able to grow up in a comfortable home and had a comfortable childhood (as far as I can assume). In addition to feeling guilt about what his parents went through, Art also has to deal with his insecurities and guilt revolving around his “ghost brother.” Richieu died as a young boy during the turmoil of the war, and Vladek and Anja lived the rest of their life with only a picture of their lost son hanging on the wall. As hard as it must have been for the couple to lose their first-born son, Art had a difficult time with this as well. He always had to live in his brother’s shadow, looking up to the unfamiliar picture of Richieu on the wall. Art never knew his brother, yet he felt the pressure to live up to this “perfect son” and prove himself to his parents as an adequate and deserving child. All these struggles that Art went through in his own life really add to the depth of Maus as a whole. Through the novel is primarily an account of the Holocaust through Vladek’s memories, Art’s personal experiences give another dimension to the story; his parent’s experiene during the Holocaust molded how Art grew up, as well as his relationship with his parents and his “ghost brother.” I think Art sells himself short when he feels guilty for not having been at Auschwitz: he had his own personal struggles, and through not as dramatic or life-threatening as his father’s, Art’s story was important in itself and deserved to have its place in Maus.