"Maus II"

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes "Maus II" a comic book story by Art Spiegelman, telling of the story of the Holocaust in a new approach. The paper describes Spiegelman's use of the mouse characters to humanize and personalize the tragedy. It illustrates how Spiegelman manages to address difficult subject matter in a reader-friendly manner by utilizing the methods of the comic book to tell a very un-comic story.

From the Paper:

"Art Spiegelman's Maus II, a continuation of the story in Maus I, is part of a new approach to the telling of the story of the Holocaust. The form selected is the comic book format, and it has a number of powerful advantages. First, it is a fresh approach to a much-told story. Second, the use of the mouse characters interestingly humanizes and personalizes the tragedy much more than might a dry narrative. Third, the choice of a comic format serves the particular understanding of a visual society and a generation more attuned to the image than to the word. Fifth, the format may actually be a more palatable means of addressing such difficult subject matter for some people. Sixth, Spiegelman accomplishes all of this in an ironic fashion, utilizing the methods of the comic book to tell a very un-comic story."

More papers on "Maus II":

• Analytical Essay # 126773 : "Maus II and History"
• Analytical Essay # 24354 : "Maus I and II"
• Term Paper # 100724 : "Katz und Maus"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: