Analysis Of Maus By Art Spiegelman
Unforgettable History: The Story of the Execution of Millions
The Holocaust was the successful persecution of Jews, Slavs, homosexuals, communists, and disabled people by the Nazi Regime. This 20th century Holocaust took place in several European countries, and by the end of 1945, nearly twelve million people were killed. Anti-Semitism was the central motive for the execution of European Jews and was led by Adolf Hitler. Because of this massive genocide there have been many books written to explain the gruesome conditions that Jews and others were subjected to as well as interpret personal stories of survivors, but not many have achieved the level of effectiveness that Maus has. Maus is a graphic novel written by Art Spiegelman and has been …show more content…
Spiegelman effectively depicts forced labor, trauma, and death with the outstanding symbolism held in Maus. This graphic novel has a unique way to show the horrific conditions that Jews were suppressed to in a way a traditional narrative could not. At one point in the book Vladek is shown getting beat with a stick by a German, where the Nazi's response to this torture consists of only 10 words, "Count the blows, if you lose count-I'll start again!". This shows that the conditions the Jews were treated with only left them with scars and unforgettable memories. At another point in the book mice are shown being thrown into massive fire graves, where some would be burned alive. Vladek tells Spiegelman on page 73 of Maus II, "And the fat from the burning bodies they scooped and poured again so everyone could burn better" these massive graves caused an immeasurable amount of deaths and at the same time showed no respect for Jewish lives. Another example shown in Maus of the miserable conditions that Jews suffered was starvation; Vladek tells Spiegelman that in Dachau, a concentration camp, Jews got no soup (the only meal of the day) if they had lice; lice was in the barracks prisoners slept in, it became impossible not to get it, most prisoners suffered a slow death due to this. Not only does Spiegelman tell the horrific story of his father in a concentration camp but he also helps the reader see the disagreements that father and son face, now that the war is
The Holocaust was the successful persecution of Jews, Slavs, homosexuals, communists, and disabled people by the Nazi Regime. This 20th century Holocaust took place in several European countries, and by the end of 1945, nearly twelve million people were killed. Anti-Semitism was the central motive for the execution of European Jews and was led by Adolf Hitler. Because of this massive genocide there have been many books written to explain the gruesome conditions that Jews and others were subjected to as well as interpret personal stories of survivors, but not many have achieved the level of effectiveness that Maus has. Maus is a graphic novel written by Art Spiegelman and has been …show more content…
Spiegelman effectively depicts forced labor, trauma, and death with the outstanding symbolism held in Maus. This graphic novel has a unique way to show the horrific conditions that Jews were suppressed to in a way a traditional narrative could not. At one point in the book Vladek is shown getting beat with a stick by a German, where the Nazi's response to this torture consists of only 10 words, "Count the blows, if you lose count-I'll start again!". This shows that the conditions the Jews were treated with only left them with scars and unforgettable memories. At another point in the book mice are shown being thrown into massive fire graves, where some would be burned alive. Vladek tells Spiegelman on page 73 of Maus II, "And the fat from the burning bodies they scooped and poured again so everyone could burn better" these massive graves caused an immeasurable amount of deaths and at the same time showed no respect for Jewish lives. Another example shown in Maus of the miserable conditions that Jews suffered was starvation; Vladek tells Spiegelman that in Dachau, a concentration camp, Jews got no soup (the only meal of the day) if they had lice; lice was in the barracks prisoners slept in, it became impossible not to get it, most prisoners suffered a slow death due to this. Not only does Spiegelman tell the horrific story of his father in a concentration camp but he also helps the reader see the disagreements that father and son face, now that the war is