Holocaust Literature

Paper Summary:

In all the literature, art, and film that have been devoted to describing and memorializing the horrors of the Holocaust over the years, few could be as different in tone as Elie Wiesel's horrific autobiography of his Auschwitz experience, "Night" and Art Spiegelman's comic-strip portrayal of the Jews and the Holocaust, "Maus". The paper shows that the only thing these two works have in common is the fact that the authors are attempting to encapsulate for readers the experience of the Holocaust. The attitudes, however, are markedly different, but no less moving for the reader. The paper shows that these two works serve to give readers interested in learning more about the Holocaust a wider perspective from which to study this horrific chapter in the history of the world.

From the Paper:

"Whereas Spiegelman's father survived by relying on his wits, skills, and strength, Wiesel survives more on his luck. He is more passive while Vladek is more active. Wiesel can do nothing but watch as his family is first forced into the ghetto and then forced to flee that and go to the concentration camp at Auschwitz. He could do nothing but watch as his family suffered horribly and died. This is not pointed out as a judgment on Wiesel's passivity. Rather, the point to be made here is that both men managed to survive; their approaches, however, were different. This isn't all that surprising when one considers the differences between the two people to begin with. Vladek was a strong, adult man and able to deal a little better with the environment in which he found himself. Wiesel, on the other hand, was just a young boy and was coping with the situation in which he and his family found themselves as best he could."

More papers on Holocaust Literature:

• Analytical Essay # 64477 : "Polish Holocaust Literature"
• Analytical Essay # 55506 : "The Holocaust and Genres"
• Comparison Essay # 67338 : "Contrasting Two Works from the Holocaust Literature"

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