Maus

This was my first time reading Maus, and I worked my way through both sections of it. Spiegelman switches between present day and flashback throughout the entirety of the story as his father re-tells the story of his life during WWII. This style of storytelling lends well to something that Spiegelman didn't personally experience, while it still further examines the main characters in present day. Vladek's penny-pinching tendencies are well explained as he goes through his stories of when he was rationing bread as currency to keep himself alive. What spoke to me the most was how clever and resourceful Vladek was throughout the entire story. Even when he managed to pull himself into danger (I.E. falling for the scam of being smuggled into Hungary only to be shipped off to Auschwitz), he still keeps himself and Anja alive through his connections, his learned crafts, and ability to properly bribe. What I found even more interesting was the contrast of how this tendency instead caused a rift with his 2nd wife Mala, who saw this more as him being a hoarder and a control freak. Spiegelman manages to paint a picture of his father that is not necessarily idolizing him, but stays respectful of his past and his life stories.

One thing that Spiegelman likes to do in this story is call back on past references within the story. Vladek runs into countless friends and former associates from his time in Poland before he was sent to Auschwitz both during his hiding period and when he ends up in Auschwitz. By using his connections he shows how his unchanging character and integrity have paid off. However, Vladek also tends to keep many of these characters to just a few panels, introducing them then briefly explaining what happened to them afterward (usually ending up dead). Spiegelman uses repeated themes throughout the story, further exemplifying the number of people affected by the Holocaust. One that I noticed in particular was the repeated imagery of smoke stacks to signify a dead friend. Because these people were killed at the camp, most likely in the gas chambers, Spiegelman's choice of imagery gives the impression that although these were Vladek's friends they really became nothing more than numbers, and all saw the same fate. On pages 50 and 54 in Maus II, Spiegelman uses the same image twice with a significant difference in the latter as a transition to explain how monotonous the procession had become. Although his character designs clearly distinguish the different groupings, he gives the impression that they were all mice regardless once they were in the work camp.

Before this class I also read another graphic novel where animals were used to depict a particular nationality. This book was titled "Elmer" by Gerry Alanguilan, where chickens live in a world where they are slowly but surely trying to work their way into normal society. The largest difference I can see between these two is the fact that Maus chooses to represent all of its characters as animals, where in Elmer chickens become a new race at the same intelligence level as humans, although they still have to work towards gaining full acceptance. Although very obvious, the "cat and mouse" game that gets played throughout Maus is very successful, furthering the fact that it's the actions that are important, not necessarily the fact that it's humans doing so. Although Elmer is fictional, it does tell a story where the standout characters are the ones who want to help and push the equality between the two races, even though their direct orders are to kill and cook the chickens. Using animals as another race alongside humans encourages the idea that regardless of differences we all deserve to be equal.