Vladek Character Analysis

Experiences shape a person “Man learns through experience, and the spiritual path is full of different kinds of experiences. He will encounter many difficulties and obstacles, and they are the very experiences he needs to encourage and complete the cleansing process” (Sai Baba). Just as Baba, who was an Indian guru, spiritual figure, mystic, philanthropist and educator, said; a person is shaped by different experiences. Some of these experiences are learned from school, some are learned from others, and some are learned by people’s past. People learned others experiences, gender rule; knowledge; and morality, during their growing. Later on, people kept learning experiences and teaching other people their experiences until they die; their
Some people said that Vladek was so miserly that he did not want to spend one-penny. I think that Vladek is not miserable. Vladek knew that money is important, because his and Anja’s lives were saved by money. If Vladek did not have gold, Jakov would not help them to leave (114). He knew how hard to make money; it will not drop from the sky. Sometimes earning money would cost a lot, even life. In his history, he had used industry, intelligence, skill, and his life to try to earn money in that dark age. He knew how important money is and how hard it is to earn money. In his mind, spending money and using money on the way did not have to use are all wasting money. That was the reason Vladek always said to Artie: “You and Mala don’t know how to make money, only to make it disappear” (102). Vladek learned both of conserving food and saving money during the war. Both of these behaviors of him were shaped by his horrible Holocaust experiences. Without these horrible experiences, he might notice not to wasting food and money, but he would never be treasuring food and money like what he
Artie was process at this course. At the time, Vladek telling Artie his story, Artie was learning Vladek’s experiences and changing himself. Unconsciously Artie became more and more understanding and caring his father. Because Vladek was rude, cold and cheap after he went through the war. Artie was not close to Vladek, whom he disliked. And even he did not visit long time before he start to listen to Vladek’s history. It was true that after Artie visit Vladek couple of times, Artie would still be driven crazy by Vladek’s ideas and behaviors. But this could not obstruct Artie to understand Vladek. After Artie knew his father’s blood history, he started to understand Vladek. Artie understood that why Vladek would out of control at Anja’s obsequies. Vladek loved Anja. He was so sad that he could not believe Anja would leave him away. Artie understood that why Vladek pushed him to finish all the food in his plate. Vladek was afraid to be hungry. Food, in his mind, was very valuable that it was the support of lives. Vladek could not let his family have bad habit to waste food. Artie understood that why Vladek was so care about his money. Vladek was successful when he was young. However, in his early, he had a hard history. After German robbed all his industry, he did do some small business by risking his life. He knew how difficult to earn money. So that he