Maus: A Survivor's Tale

Maus explains the past and present story of Holocaust survivor Vladek Spiegelman. Art, his son, wrote this graphic novel to learn about his father’s experiences in the Holocaust. He depicts Jews as mice, Germans as cats, and Poles as pigs. It goes through Vladek’s whole journey from marrying his wife, Anja, to ending up in Auschwitz. In “Maus: A Survivor’s Tale”, by Art Spiegelman, the author shows through family relationships, not only the struggles and hardships that Vladek, the main character, endures throughout the Holocaust, but also the difficulties he has appreciating his family after he survives.
During the Holocaust the Spiegelman family’s relationships are greatly tested, however even though they face numerous hardships they try …show more content…
That’s all!’…‘Well, we should be happy we are all together with enough to eat” (74-75). Vladek always has a positive attitude. He supports his family because he knows they need someone to help them so they can survive. For example, as soon as he loses his only source of income, his factory, he decides to search out people he knows in order to find a job in the black market. Illegally Vladek manages to make a few zlotys the first week, and his father in law praises him, saying he is the only smart guy in the family (77). In addition, when Vladek, Anja, and her parents are waiting to be taken by a van to Auschwitz, they see Vladek’s cousin Jakov. Vladek says he can pay him to save them from deportation, so Jakov offers his assistance only because there is money. Vladek did not realize he needed to pay for …show more content…
They are present in Vladek’s journey with his family in the Holocaust and help him through tough times. Secondly, after the Holocaust, these relationships are strained by the physical, emotional, and psychological traumas suffered by Vladek, whose feelings about the Holocaust cause conflicts with Art and