Maus II: A Literary Analysis

Superior Essays
The books Maus I and Maus II are graphic biographical memoir of the life of Artie Spiegelman father Vladek Spiegelman, and his mother Anja Spiegelman. Artie, who authored the oral history memoir, is a child of the two Polish Jews who survived the mouse and cat game of historical genocide Holocaust, which was a systemic persecution and coordinated murder of millions of Jews and other targeted groups by Nazis regime (Maus II, 45). The father experience of Auschwitz is the other focus of the story (45). Spiegelman’ mother, Anja committed suicide in 1968, whereupon his father, Vladek Spiegelman burned Anja’ diaries. The author uses the work to uncover the view of the Holocaust and how such event changed individuals’ experiences and societal effects …show more content…
Maus II is more emotional and intense and gives a detailed account of events. In my opinion, Maus I is used to make Maus II look more detailed and maybe discredits Maus I. For example, the author uses the main characters that eventually draw in Maus I. Maus I also begins the stories and it seem to be boring with much more simplistic details, while Maus II gives more details about how the concentration camps worked and functioned. There is also a change in the social status, when we see that those who were skilled were treated justly than unskilled. Maus II is slow moving and more detailed to give a detail account and real feeling of pain. The two books are similar in a way that they both draws an important historical relevance that the anti Semitism perpetrated by the …show more content…
I will look at three aspects of the books which makes the interesting. First, is how the author uses visual-verbal blend to make it a unique piece of work (59). In Maus II, Vladek describes a Belgian boy who had a bunk above him in Auschwitz. Vladek mentions, “He had maybe a rash, and they wrote his number… Any time they could take him (59). Vladek tells of how the boy screamed “AAWOOWWAH” all night because he could never tell what the future holds and engulfed in fear (II,59). Vladek also has moan from his heart in his sleep due to the inability to get his thoughts away from the memories of the Holocaust and unsure of his future life (II, 74). Mala left him and his son has no intention to stay in Catskill and his health has not been good. It sounds like a moan from inside

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