Analysis Of Maus By Art Spiegelman

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Writers often tell two stories when writing one. It’s natural habit. Often there is an ulterior motive when writers use such a technique but, sometimes, there is not. This “two-story telling,” without any ulterior motive takes place in “Maus” by Art Spiegelman where Vladek, Art’s father, recounts the story of the ghastly holocaust and how this relationship effects both of them. Even though Spiegelman doesn’t outright say that the story is also about his relationship with his father, it is clearly presented in the graphic novel. By using both the stories in his novel, Spiegelman provides an insight about his father and how the holocaust shaped him.

Both stories are intertwined, that is, neither could have been told without the other. Jumping right into the book, we see Art, the protagonist, returning home after having his skate broken. His father, rather than consoling him, compares his friends to the holocaust as he says, “then you could see what it is, friends!” (Spiegelman 6). Looking at the panel itself, it is clearly bigger than others. Spiegelman also uses special letters for words such as “then” and “friends” to put more emphasis on them. Moreover, both the characters are in the background (farthest from the readers) while the caption is in the foreground (nearest to the readers). Placing the captions so close to the reader, Spiegelman advocates that surviving the holocaust was more important for his father, than his (his son’s) relationship with his friends. As the first instinct of any parent would be to console their son about wins and losses with friends, Vladek’s conclusion of jumping right to the holocaust brings about an issue of survivor’s guilt. Even though Vladek “survives” the holocaust, his (and hence Art’s life) would never be the same. It goes to show the ghastly nature of the genocide. Furthermore, when Vladek pressures Art to finish everything on his plate, again, the idea of “surviving” comes to mind (Spiegelman 45). Being a “survivor” in the holocaust, Vladek learned to finish everything on his plate to survive. That means that no food or anything would ever go to waste. By forcing his son to finish his meal, he again compares their regular life to the holocaust. Spiegelman, again, uses special letters to put emphasis on words like “save,” “starve,” and “eat” to reveal how important they were to do while in the holocaust. Looking at Art’s relationship with his father,
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Art on the other hand “survives” the holocaust, but feels guilty about not being there with his father and using his stories as a means to make himself popular. Even though both characters survive in the sense of living (Art’s father lives after the holocaust as seen), neither is a true “survivor.” Both feel abhorrent towards each other, but, neither says it. Vladek only cares about “surviving” from the holocaust and Art only about his stories. However, Spiegelman’s “Maus” is both Vladek and Art’s story. Vladek’s relationship with his son plays a precise role in the story. Without it, it would have been similar to other accounts of the holocaust. By providing an insight to the present and the past through his father’s eyes, Spiegelman’s is neither his own nor his father’s. Rather, it’s the combination of

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