Prisoner on the Hell Planet: The Pain of the Past Taking Lives in the Present

 On pages 100-103, Art Spiegelman transitions from an anthropomorphic art style to a completely abstract style, highlighting the ideas of generational trauma and grief, to emphasize how Artie’s parents' past affects his life in the present.

“Prisoner on the Hell Planet: A Case History” starts with Artie presented as a prisoner in human form (100). However, in this case, he’s a prisoner of his generational trauma. The holocaust stripped the livelihood of both his parents, especially his mother, who eventually took her life. Artie carries the guilt he didn’t do enough for her as people around him tell him that and how it’s too late for him to grieve (102). He’s shackled to the holocaust and is unable to escape it no matter how long ago it happened.


Spiegelman utilizes abstract elements like the focus on human expression and language. In 102, Spiegelman makes the words bright white to contrast the black background, and in the 2nd panel of 103 black with a white outline. The words float everywhere he is and circles his head to be a reminder of how he supposedly inflicted pain on the ones he cares most for, his parents. The words drag him down, showcased through the extra detail in the eye region. The eye bags carry the weight of those hurtful words, with every dig seeping into the crevices of him. The pain of his mother’s death was too much for him, his world wasn’t the same. Spiegelman showcases through a distorted panel. The stress in his life is starting to impact his mental health, making him unable to see and live the same again.



Spiegelman ties it all in through the last 3 panels with Artie being in prison “talking” to his mom. Spiegelman moves further away from Artie as he speaks more. He starts speaking more angrily trying to shift the blame placed on him to his mom. Throughout the dialogue, it can be inferred Artie is descending into possible mental health issues as he places emphasis on personal pronouns like “you” and verbs like “murdered”. Artie is so consumed by grief that anger is taking over, thus seeing less and less of him while he speaks as it’s no longer his true form speaking.

The utilization of abstract art depicted the trauma from the holocaust in a way anthropomorphic art can’t as it humanizes victims and shows the complexities that are present from generation to generation. The past haunts those in the present, consuming them of their livelihood.

Comments

  1. AnonymousDecember 3, 2023 at 4:36 PM

    I like how you went into detail about the words that were emphasized. I also agree with you that it was a good idea to use abstract art instead of anthropomorphic art, as animals cannot show pain the same way humans do.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Adeline AlexDecember 3, 2023 at 8:23 PM

    I love how in depth you went into every detail, such as the importance of the baggy eyes and the art style, such as the style of the text- following him around/dragging him down. I also like how you talk about the depersonalization and grief that Artie suffers with.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

This I Have Learned

  AP Lit isn't what I expected it to be. I had gotten used to strictly reading for school and not doing any pleasure reading outside of class, so this class threw me back into it all of a sudden. This class challenged my identity for a while, whether it was finding people to talk to or finding my place, but I eventually found it. The pieces we read taught me so much about my own life that I won't ever forget them. These past 4 years have been transformative, but senior year was the most impactful. It emphasized how valuable I am and how I need to treat myself as such. The pieces that really stuck with me are Siddhartha and English.  Siddhartha took the risk I had taken before of leaving people to find understanding and meaning. Like me, it wasn't a linear path, and he had setbacks multiple times and relapsed. I relate to this as I didn't always stick to my goals this year, but it didn't mean I was a bad person or I didn't make any progress, but that I finally d...
Read more

10 Books in 10 Years

Image
1 Animal Farm by George Orwell With the rise of book bannings, this selection always appears. Satire has always taken me more time to understand, and I fear that the opportunity to be exposed to political satire is dwindling by the day. With the message of not questioning authority being forced upon me every day, I want to see how ideas from 70+ years ago still hold relevance in this day and age. 2. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury This is another dystopian novel that criticizes the government. Knowledge and speech are tools of power and change, which this novel reminds the audience of. I feel like it'll help provide guidance for me as I advance in my future endeavors that'll require being outspoken and going outside of my comfort zone. 3. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Three of my friends have been raving over this book series and its movie adaptation. It's sort of nostalgic, as I had that adoration for Harry Potter and the movies in elementary school. This will...
Read more