Vladek And Maus
To conclude Maus II and the Maus series itself, readers are exposed to the rather emotional and long-awaited reunion of Vladek and Anja after the end of the Holocaust. After describing this, Vladek states, “More I don’t need to tell you” (Spiegelman 136), and the narrative abruptly ends on this positive note. Specifically, this occurs because Vladek’s struggles and experiences during the Holocaust ended in the moment he was reunited with the woman he loved. For Vladek, this moment marked the end of the pain and suffering he endured, for he could finally live life normally again now that he had his wife back. As a result, there was no more information for him to share surrounding the Holocaust because everything that took place after this point
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Overall, Anja was a huge part of his life, and all he ever wanted was to be with his wife and to make sure she was safe. Despite all of the horrors real life had to offer, as long as Vladek had Anja by his side, anything life threw at him was bearable. This is why he states that he and Anja, “Lived happy, happy ever after” (Spiegelman 136) and the narrative ends so abruptly after their reunion, for Vladek received all he could have asked for at the end of the Holocaust. Much like in fairy tales, the only thing Vladek wanted, which was to be reunited with his wife, was achieved, so it only made sense to end his narrative there. Furthermore, the final image of the text is an illustration of Vladek and Anja’s tombstones. Specifically, Art most likely chose this as the final image of the text to “drive home” the fact that Vladek’s “happy end” to the Holocaust was not escaping Auschwitz—it was reuniting with Anja. As a result, it is only logical to assume that his happy end in life would once again be his reuniting with Anja. Overall, the final image of the narrative serves as a reminder that, Valdek’s “happily ever after” would always involve Anja, for she was the only person who ever truly mattered to him in the long run. This is why Spiegelman chose to use is parents’ tombstone as the final image in Maus, for it mimics their happy
Overall, Anja was a huge part of his life, and all he ever wanted was to be with his wife and to make sure she was safe. Despite all of the horrors real life had to offer, as long as Vladek had Anja by his side, anything life threw at him was bearable. This is why he states that he and Anja, “Lived happy, happy ever after” (Spiegelman 136) and the narrative ends so abruptly after their reunion, for Vladek received all he could have asked for at the end of the Holocaust. Much like in fairy tales, the only thing Vladek wanted, which was to be reunited with his wife, was achieved, so it only made sense to end his narrative there. Furthermore, the final image of the text is an illustration of Vladek and Anja’s tombstones. Specifically, Art most likely chose this as the final image of the text to “drive home” the fact that Vladek’s “happy end” to the Holocaust was not escaping Auschwitz—it was reuniting with Anja. As a result, it is only logical to assume that his happy end in life would once again be his reuniting with Anja. Overall, the final image of the narrative serves as a reminder that, Valdek’s “happily ever after” would always involve Anja, for she was the only person who ever truly mattered to him in the long run. This is why Spiegelman chose to use is parents’ tombstone as the final image in Maus, for it mimics their happy