Art Spiegelman's "Maus"

Paper Summary:

The paper states that the comic book style format used in "Maus" by Art Spiegelman gives a fresh approach to a much-told story of the Holocaust. The paper reveals that the characters being portrayed as mice are seen in sharper relief as human concerns transferred to the world of the mice. The author believes that "Maus" concludes that the failure of so much of the rest of the world to do anything allows the evil of the Nazis to flourish.

From the Paper:

"In Vladek's world in the 1930s, being "human" meant living in fear and uncertainty. Each day, more people would disappear. If you walked through the wrong door at the wrong time, you could be one of those rounded up that day and taken away. At one point, Vladek sees the S.S. checking papers and slips away, and the S.S. took away half the people on the street that day. He escapes for a time through the intercession of friends who provide him with proof of a job manufacturing goods for Germany, which affords some protection (I 78). This also points to the central motif of the book and the central way in which human beings retain their humanity in the face of great opposition--they do so by helping one another. This happens again when Vladek sees Ilzecki, and Ilzecki takes him into his home to protect him (I 80). In such times, sacrifice comes in many forms--Ilzecki gives up his son to others to raise, and the son lives; Vladek's wife refuses to do the same with her son, and he does not survive (I 81)."

More papers on Art Spiegelman's "Maus":

• Essay # 66299 : "Art Spiegelman's Holocaust"
• Book Review # 95000 : "The Motivation and Intent Behind "Maus"
• Analytical Essay # 9167 : "Maus II"

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