In Maus II, Spiegelman discusses how his father's memories of the Holocaust have become so linked with his own that at times it appears as if Spiegelman is also a survivor. Since the traumas of the Holocaust have become so prevalent in Vladek's mind, it is impossible for those traumas not to be relived over everyday of his life. The author presents this to the reader through countless memories Spiegelman has of his childhood. He remembers his father frugality, how he had to beg his father for everything, how his father would save his leftovers and would not let him eat a new meal until the leftovers were finished, etc. These memories cause a great deal of anxiety in Spiegelman's life and he finds himself unable to distinguish his father experiences from his own.
The graphic novel is an effective way to tell this tale because it allows the reader to delve deeper into the primal emotions of all involved in the Holocaust and its aftermath. The graphic novel also eloquently shows not only how the Holocaust affected the survivors, but the survivors's children more deeply than most have ever imagined. The children of Holocaust survivors also become trapped in their parents's memories.
The graphic novel format gives a depth to the characters' racial groups and the significance thereof in every situation that would take hundreds of pages to explain with only words. The political situation in eastern Europe at the time was a huge mess of multiple conflicts, between Germans and Jews, Poles and Jews, even Jews and Jews. Sidenote: I highly recommend Andrej Wajda's film Korczak (on Netflix) - the film does an excellent job portraying these complex relationships.
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