Analysis Of The Book ' Maus '

In chapter one of book II Art reveals that he feels extremely guilty about not having to go through the Holocaust like his father did and says "Somehow, I wish I had been in Auschwitz with my parents so I could really know what they lived through! …I guess it's some form of guilt about having had an easier life than they did"(Spiegelman, MausII,16).

Art and Vladek have not been able to connect as much as they would like because of their contentious relationship. When discussing their relationship to Pavel, Art’s avuncular therapist, Art says, “Mainly I remember arguing with him... and being told I couldn’t do anything as well as he could” (II: 44). When Art was young, he never had a chance to truly consociate with Vladek. Vladek was too affected by the Holocaust to become close with Art, and this engendered Art and Vladek’s distant relationship. Since Art has a distant paternal relationship, it forces him to be more independent when Art could have learned a great deal from Vladek. Since they are not close, they are both losing an important part of their life, and this will have a negative effect on both of them. It also is evident that neither worked towards becoming close, as they still misunderstand each other and argue often. During an argument, Vladek says, “Always you’re so lazy! Every job we should do as to do it the right way.” Then, Art replies, “Lazy?! Damn it, you’re driving me nuts!” (II: 21). They continuously have arguments that eradicate any attempt to create a better relationship. Their irreparable differences seem to drive these arguments. When Vladek and Art approach their differences with arguments, it creates a significant burden on their relationship. This burden has caused them to become distant. Since Art is distant with Vladek, he has and is neglecting a great deal of wisdom which can be crucial for him, especially since Vladek survived an enormous genocide of the Jews. Vladek can teach Art to become resourceful, adaptive, and most of all, grateful. These traits can help Art to become a better person in a time where there is no holocaust for Art or anyone else to

The terrors of the Holocaust are unimaginably destructive as described in the book Night by Elie Wiesel. The story of his experience about the Holocaust is one nightmare of a story to hear, about a trek from one’s hometown to an unknown camp of suffering is a journey of pain that none shall forget. Hope and optimism vanished while denial and disbelief changed focus during Wiesel’s journey through Europe. A passionate relationship gradually formed between the father and the son as the story continued. The book Night genuinely demonstrates how the Holocaust can alter one's spirits and relations.

The word Holocaust refers to the mass murder of 6 million European Jews by the German Nazi regime during World War II. It began in 1933 and ended in 1945. The ruler of Germany during this time was Adolf Hitler. He and the Nazis put the Jew in concentration camps, where thousands were killed everyday. This was one of the worst if not the worst genocides in history. Many books have been written to document survivors’ testimony of this horrific event. Elie Wiesel shares his story and Art Spiegelman shares his father’s story in the books Night and Maus. Comparisons can be drawn between Maus and Night through the author's purpose for writing , the survivor’s experiences, and the author's perspective.

In Art Spiegelman’s graphical novel Maus his demonstration of the Holocaust and its recollection in Maus was very emotional, affecting and the most expressing. The approach that the author has taken construes and magnifies the comical shape of telling history. It portrays Spiegelman dialog between himself and his father about his happenings as holocaust and polish jew survivor. Most of the narrative specifically focuses on Spiegelman 's difficult connection with his father, and the nonappearance of his mother who committed suicide when he was 20.In this essay I will be examining the experience of trauma and memory in Maus. Also I will be showing how the pain and trauma of the Holocaust affected Artie and Vladek 's diasporic memories. Trauma usually describes the association with chronological or combined traumatic proceedings to experiences that happen to others. These occasions are internalized circuitously through images, and stories and other recaps and reminders of their family’s occurrences. Spiegelman also investigates and addresses the load and legacy of distressing reminiscence on second-generation survivors. In the narrative Maus discovers and documents this behavior of dual memory. Throughout the story Art talks about the state of affairs in which his father’s reminiscences are expressed. The chronological and personal trauma produced by the Holocaust, and by simplifying the reintegration of the following generation to its past.

In the opening, Vladek was very reluctant about discussing his past with even his own son. This hesitation came from the fear of reliving the pain he suffered through during the holocaust. Although Vladek doesn’t bluntly state the struggles he overcame, it is seen through the personality alteration Vladek has undergone. Before the occurrence of the Holocaust, Vladek is a resourceful, successful and very intelligent. Vladek managed to find a woman like Anja to marry—rich and smart. His marriage with Anja if filled with love, compassion and intimacy; Anja soon became a significant aspect of Vladek’s life. Vladek loved Anja knowing she was suicidal; he always did his best to cheer her up. Although Vladek and his family spent years trying to hide from the

The manner by which Vladek changes throughout the book is reflective of several of the experiences of other Jewish Holocaust survivors. Even after the Holocaust, he, and countless other survivors were stuck in the same state of mind that they were on right before and during the Holocaust. They are unable to move past their experiences and they were trapped in the past. A main example of this is when Vladek called Art “Richieu” shortly before his death. This illustrates the fact that many

The Holocaust is an event that everyone prays will never happen again. Many people just tried to survive through the ordeal; many did not. If you survived it was either because of luck or some sort of economic advantage. We see this theme in Art Spiegelman 's book Maus. Many of the situations Vladek, the main character, finds himself in, he would have never mahde through without luck and/or his socioeconomic status.

During the era of the Holocaust, it was no secret that Jewish people had to surpass many trials and tribulations in order to stay alive. Those who survived had the odds in their favor because as many as six million Jews were wrongfully murdered. Nonetheless, there were many survivors, who have come to tell their compelling and educating stories of what they experienced during these unfathomable times; with it come two stories, Maus, written by Art Spiegelman and Night, written by Elie Wiesel. In both stories, we get a sense of the horrors the Jewish people had to bare during these hard times and we get to envision a clear focus on both Spiegelman and Wiesel’s relationships with their fathers. While Spiegelman did not have first hand experience with the horrific scenes, he was very interested in learning about his father’s experience, even though he and his father had a difficult relationship. Elie, on the other hand, did experience the holocaust first-hand and he seemed to have a good relationship with his father.

The artistic representation of the Holocaust has created a controversial dialog that revolves around ethical, moral, and historical questions. Is art an accurate representation of the trauma and events that had occurred during the Holocaust? If it is, which mediums are the best in which to represent with? The purpose of art is to evoke strong feelings in the viewer, to create questions about society, and to depict the argument of the artist. Since art - be it a painting, a sculpture, a poem or a novel - is subjective, using it to represent the Holocaust has benefits but also restrictions. Portraying the lived experiences of survivors from an objective point of view is difficult as the horrors faced cannot be accurately captured; however, using art to express a traumatic experience for many people is a safe, therapeutic way of coping. This expression is highly individualized and therefore cannot represent the Holocaust as one cohesive experience. If the Holocaust is to be represented through artistic mediums such as a creative piece of writing, it must be supplemented with historical knowledge and be subjected to criticism.

A powerful and provocative graphic novel, Maus, generates a Jewish individual’s life of grotesque and horror. With its ability of perception and interpretation, it tackles the main points of the ominous Holocaust and delivers a spooky aura to the absorbed audience. In comparison to Schindler’s List, the graphic novel shines brightly than the pale movie due to its realism and humor that is constantly present throughout the storyline. The novel has the ability to connect to the audience; thus, it gives an in-depth look and overall comprehension of the massacre that Spiegelman is trying to communicate. The graphic novel, Maus by Art Spiegelman, brings an honest account of the Holocaust to a wide audience because of its historical truth and intriguing viewpoints and characters that shows the effect and process of the genocide.

The average person’s understanding of the Holocaust is the persecution and mass murder of Jews by the Nazi’s, most are unaware that the people behind the atrocities of the Holocaust came from all over Europe and a wide variety of backgrounds. Art Spiegelman’s Maus: a Survivor’s Tale, Christopher Browning’s Ordinary Men: Reserve Battalion 101 and the Final Solution, and Jan Gross’s Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedbwabne, Poland, all provides a different perspective on how ordinary people felt about their experiences in the Holocaust both perpetrators and victims.

The books Maus I and Maus II, written by Art Spiegelman over a thirteen-year period from 1978-1991, are books that on the surface are written about the Holocaust. The books specifically relate to the author’s father’s experiences pre and post-war as well as his experiences in Auschwitz. The book also explores the author’s very complex relationship between himself and his father, and how the Holocaust further complicates this relationship. On a deeper level the book also dances around the idea of victims, perpetrators, and bystanders. The two books are presented in a very interesting way; they are shown in comic form, which provides the ability for Spiegelman to incorporate numerous ideas and complexities to his work.

Anja’s life, much like Vladek’s and most holocaust survivors is one of horror and misery. Anja committed suicide in 1968 when Art was age 20, this would leave Art feeling empty, shallow, numb, and angry, and then later guilty, as Art remembered the last time that he spoke to his mother, she asked him if he still loved him as Art would turn away and say “Sure ma”, while he felt “resentful of the way she tightened the umbilical cord” (Spiegelman, 104). Many of Art’s and Anja’s issues stem from the death of Richieu. Anja clearly has unresolved issues about motherhood and likely feels as if she got her son killed, and otherwise Art feeling like he can never live up to his brother, as he is just an artist, which his father will never let him forget. Furthermore Art feels guilty that his mother’s story will never be heard as Vladek burnt her diaries, an act in which Art felt was murder, much like he believed the suicide of his mother killed Art

When most people refer to literature that concentrates specifically on the Holocaust as the subjects, the first thought usually isn’t in the form of a graphic novel. Most people would believe a graphic novel is something only a child would read or someone to the same educational equivalent. Due to their engaging stories and appealing visuals though, graphic novels are idea for visual learners, inexperienced or unenthused readers, and just about anyone else who may not find traditional print books enticing. Graphic novels tend to show a relationship between the images and the text that makes for an experience in itself (1.). Sometimes even taking on a difficult subject, an example being the Holocaust can make for a different kind of experience. In Maus I & II, the author chose graphic novels as his medium. For that, “Maus shines due to its impressive ability to ‘speak the unspeakable’ by using the popular maxim, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words,’ to perfection” (3).