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Analysis Of Art Spiegelman's Maus

Decent Essays

Art Spiegelman’s Maus is based upon a true story. This novel is more than just a regular memoir. It is a riveting tale in the form of a comic book that is meant for readers that are not nonchalant to the events of the Holocaust, the genocide of the Jews during the second world war ordered by Adolf Hitler. While the novel is in the form of a comic book, it focuses on one of the most serious, tragic events in history. It focuses on the history of the Jewish people and how it has impacted adults and children in that time in history and of today. What Maus does is provide readers with a mix of non-fiction and biography on a serious event, while keeping it light-hearted with its beautiful artwork. Winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1992, it can be considered one of the most powerful books about the Holocaust. Maus includes incredible and forgettable words and pictures. Spiegelman utilizes anthropomorphism for every different nationality and race – Jews are mice, Germans are cats, Poles are pigs, and the Americans are dogs. The dynamic between mice and cats relates to the relationship between Jews and Germans during the second world war, which also provides symbolism. They can be compared to the cartoon series Tom and Jerry, where the cat is constantly trying to hunt and hurt the mouse. During Hitler’s ruling, his goal was to round up all Jews and other minorities and to exterminate them. Hitler’s soldiers – the stocky, sneered-faced cats – often tried to intimidate and hurt those

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