Recurring Motifs of The Complete Maus
Maus; a graphic novel tells the story of Art Spiegelman’s father, Vladek, and his experiences as a Polish Jew during the Holocaust. Running side by side to the story of the past is Spiegelman’s present interactions with his father as he visits him on numerous occasions to record his memories. All of the characters are represented as animals: the Jews are mice, the Germans are cats, the Americans are dogs, and so on. Within this seemingly simplistic setup; there are multiple complex themes that reside within the book. The symbolism of cats, mice, and pigs;
When I was a child, I went through the phase where every new fact I learned I asked “Why?” in response. I never really grew out of that. Today, it is …show more content…
When it comes to signs and symbols, this quality gives me an advantage. I’m always asking “Why?” because I like to assign meaning to things. In Maus, symbols abound throughout the graphic novel in the pictures, which are an aspect of the novel that most others do not utilize. For example, the Jews are drawn as mice and the Nazis as cats because the Holocaust was indeed a predatory game of cat and mouse. This “Why?” question was easy to answer. However, the Poles in the book were also drawn as animals – pigs. For this “Why?” I did not have an immediate answer, but I was determined to find one. The facial expressions of the pigs are drawn neutrally, as opposed to the Nazi Cats, who have hard jaw lines and squinty, accusing eyes. Many of the Poles that appear in the novel appear because they are helping Vladek and his family, so it makes sense that they would have and open and possibly kind faces. However, many of the possible symbolic meanings given to pigs are not that they signify kindness, they often symbolize dirt, selfishness, and greed. Another fact of note is that Jewish people do not eat pigs, because they are considered unclean animals for not eating their own
Maus; a graphic novel tells the story of Art Spiegelman’s father, Vladek, and his experiences as a Polish Jew during the Holocaust. Running side by side to the story of the past is Spiegelman’s present interactions with his father as he visits him on numerous occasions to record his memories. All of the characters are represented as animals: the Jews are mice, the Germans are cats, the Americans are dogs, and so on. Within this seemingly simplistic setup; there are multiple complex themes that reside within the book. The symbolism of cats, mice, and pigs;
When I was a child, I went through the phase where every new fact I learned I asked “Why?” in response. I never really grew out of that. Today, it is …show more content…
When it comes to signs and symbols, this quality gives me an advantage. I’m always asking “Why?” because I like to assign meaning to things. In Maus, symbols abound throughout the graphic novel in the pictures, which are an aspect of the novel that most others do not utilize. For example, the Jews are drawn as mice and the Nazis as cats because the Holocaust was indeed a predatory game of cat and mouse. This “Why?” question was easy to answer. However, the Poles in the book were also drawn as animals – pigs. For this “Why?” I did not have an immediate answer, but I was determined to find one. The facial expressions of the pigs are drawn neutrally, as opposed to the Nazi Cats, who have hard jaw lines and squinty, accusing eyes. Many of the Poles that appear in the novel appear because they are helping Vladek and his family, so it makes sense that they would have and open and possibly kind faces. However, many of the possible symbolic meanings given to pigs are not that they signify kindness, they often symbolize dirt, selfishness, and greed. Another fact of note is that Jewish people do not eat pigs, because they are considered unclean animals for not eating their own