Maus analysis
Shannon Marker
Literature of the Holocaust
29 August 2013
Traumatic experiences can alter a person’s emotional state and outlook on life. Most of the time, these emotional changes are uncontrollable and are difficult to deal with. In Spiegelman’s Maus he shares with the reader about his father’s personal experiences during World War II in Germany and also how the Holocaust affected him. Some of his father’s most genuine character traits are lost after World War II, and are replaced by other feelings and emotions. Spiegelman’s father, Vladek, was one of the lucky ones throughout World War II and the Holocaust. Being a Jewish man and living in Germany Vladek’s odds of surviving were very slim. One of the reasons he was able to avoid most of the danger in Germany was because of his connections to others. Vladek’s close friends and family were not as lucky as he was. Vladek, without a doubt, felt a deep guilt about this. He believes he should not have been one of the only lucky ones in his group of friends and family. He showed this guilt as an older man by being a somewhat negative and spiteful old man. The reader can recognize this change by the contrast of emotions of being a very happy young man to a somewhat defensive older man.
People say leaving the past behind can be a solution to a person’s problem. This solution may work for some people, but most of the time the past most definitely shines through a person’s personality. Whether it be a happy past or a negative past, it will shine through in a person’s behavior and way of life. A German Jew in the 1940’s during World War II probably did not trust too many people. Honestly, how could they? Nazi Germans could camoflauge themselves in just about every aspect of life in that day and age. To survive the Holocaust as a Jew you had to be very keen and trust people you have known your whole life or nobody at all in some cases.
Vladek had to make the best choices during the Holocaust to survive. This
Literature of the Holocaust
29 August 2013
Traumatic experiences can alter a person’s emotional state and outlook on life. Most of the time, these emotional changes are uncontrollable and are difficult to deal with. In Spiegelman’s Maus he shares with the reader about his father’s personal experiences during World War II in Germany and also how the Holocaust affected him. Some of his father’s most genuine character traits are lost after World War II, and are replaced by other feelings and emotions. Spiegelman’s father, Vladek, was one of the lucky ones throughout World War II and the Holocaust. Being a Jewish man and living in Germany Vladek’s odds of surviving were very slim. One of the reasons he was able to avoid most of the danger in Germany was because of his connections to others. Vladek’s close friends and family were not as lucky as he was. Vladek, without a doubt, felt a deep guilt about this. He believes he should not have been one of the only lucky ones in his group of friends and family. He showed this guilt as an older man by being a somewhat negative and spiteful old man. The reader can recognize this change by the contrast of emotions of being a very happy young man to a somewhat defensive older man.
People say leaving the past behind can be a solution to a person’s problem. This solution may work for some people, but most of the time the past most definitely shines through a person’s personality. Whether it be a happy past or a negative past, it will shine through in a person’s behavior and way of life. A German Jew in the 1940’s during World War II probably did not trust too many people. Honestly, how could they? Nazi Germans could camoflauge themselves in just about every aspect of life in that day and age. To survive the Holocaust as a Jew you had to be very keen and trust people you have known your whole life or nobody at all in some cases.
Vladek had to make the best choices during the Holocaust to survive. This