Literary Devices In Maus

Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel, Maus is a story about the survival of Spiegelman's father, Vladek, during The Holocaust and World War II. The novel both demonstrates the thrifty ways Vladek survived but also the problematic relationship between father and son. Spiegelman uses an abundance of literary devices to convey the story in an interesting and unique manner. He uses devices such as animalisation of people and bold visual imagery to emphasise the story in a distinctive and clear way. One of the main features through out the novel is the transitioning from past to present to represent Vladek as a young man, and as an old man to see the unmistakable personality traits he has developed. Finally, the written text, particularly dialogue, gives us more insight into the relationships and interactions between people. All features intertwine to tell us about how Vladek survived The Holocaust, and what his relationship with his son is like.

Firstly, the …show more content…
The graphics of the novel are very bold, geometric and powerful. Spiegelman uses the different shades of black and white to create the different moods and feelings through out the novel. The scene in which Vladek and Anja first see the swastika is a good representation of how dominating the visual imagery can be. The solid black that Spiegelman uses in the swastika backdrops of several panels is a subtle yet a powerful conveyer of what Vladek is suffering during the holocaust and how he survived. Another bold image is in the time flies scene, here we see Spiegelman sitting at desk on top of a pile of dead mice, this is a representation of how he is making money, at the misfortune of all those who died. Visual imagery is a powerful subdued way of boosting the story line in an engaging and creative way allowing the reader to seamlessly follow