Time Flies

This homecoming made me realize how fast time passes. Three homecomings have already passed, all seemingly like it was yesterday. My friends and I have a picture that we recreate every year before the homecoming parade. To make a post on Instagram, I dug through all the pictures back to freshman year. The pictures made me smile, but also reminisce and reflect on the great times. I find myself even snuffling away a few tears now and then.

When flying through my memories, the question always pops into my mind, “Would I go back if I could?” And it is very difficult to answer. Some memories I remember are so perfect, that reliving that memory would take away the magic of the pure memory. However, at the same time, I long to experience the adrenaline and dopamine of the moment again.

This flood of emotions that memories bring especially affects Vladek Spiegelman in Maus by Art Spiegelman. But in his case, reliving the memories isn’t a choice; he is haunted and forced to put himself back in Auschwitz. The reason why Vladek needs to be on his exercise bike while telling his story or is interrupted by heart attacks is because the trauma returns with the memories.

Art uses flies (bug) in the chapter “Auschwitz (Time Flies)” of Maus II as a metaphor to how memories can haunt a person. Art depicts himself, not his father, being swarmed by flies in his cartoon. Just listening to his father’s stories changed his understanding of the Holocaust and is affected personally by the tragic events. The “bugs” of the stories are “eating him alive” even if Art never experienced the Holocaust himself (74). The flies on the page escape the frames which shows the stories literally creeping into his life as if they were bugs.

“Time Flies” is a beautiful and perfect expression. Time not only seemingly pass in a flash, the memories blur over time as if a plane whizzed by. The speed of the flight fluctuates like how time is relative in the universe. As the most important memories are made, time seemingly slows and glides gracefully and effortlessly. And as Art depicts, the most important times in life cling on to you the rest of your life just like flies.

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 8, 2017 at 2:53 PM

    What an accurate post Wonyoung. There are times when even I can't help but look back and question whether or not I would relive it. The analysis of the flies to the bugs eating away at Art was opened my eyes to a seemingly obvious metaphor. Awesome!

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