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Maus: A Survivor's Tale
I've just finished reading Volume I and Volume II of a classic graphic novel called Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman.
For those of you who don't know what it is, it's basically about a son asking his father to tell him how he escaped capture from the Nazis. The most significant thing about this book is that the Jews are portrayed as anthropomorphised mice while the Nazis are portrayed as anthromorphised cats (other animals portray other nations' citizens but there are too many to list). Despite the cat and mouse concept, the entire story is true (including the parts with Art and his father Vladek and the events that unfold around them). It's a very interesting story, and I highly suggest this to anyone who is interested with War History or just wants to find a new graphic novel to read.
If there is anyone in the forums who has read Maus, I'd be very interested to hear their opinions and what they think about this literary work.
For those of you who don't know what it is, it's basically about a son asking his father to tell him how he escaped capture from the Nazis. The most significant thing about this book is that the Jews are portrayed as anthropomorphised mice while the Nazis are portrayed as anthromorphised cats (other animals portray other nations' citizens but there are too many to list). Despite the cat and mouse concept, the entire story is true (including the parts with Art and his father Vladek and the events that unfold around them). It's a very interesting story, and I highly suggest this to anyone who is interested with War History or just wants to find a new graphic novel to read.
If there is anyone in the forums who has read Maus, I'd be very interested to hear their opinions and what they think about this literary work.
Comments
Note that I read this freshman year of high school at the latest (most likely middle school sometime), and I only ever read the first volume. The lack of impact doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the quality. In fact I enjoyed reading it as much as anything, though I think I found it a bit odd at the time.
The relationship between the father and the son. The desire to please his father out of a sense of paternal obligation versus the need to be himself is done really well. Dealing with parents can be tricky at the best of times, but I'd imagine more so when your father survived such a devastating event. I think he discusses it in the book, this desire to almost have gone through the same thing as his father so that he could have his respect. The constant inadequacy one would feel, it was a great bit on insight into the life of a survivors child.
The scene where he is discussing with his partner how she should be represent, and we can all clearly see she is a mouse, but we are watching as that decision is made. I loved that scene. I am not sure if it was the same bit but there is also the conversation with his partner where he does a lot of talking and then acknowledges that this must be a story because there is no way she would have let him rattle on so long in real life. Great little moments that break the fourth wall.
I remember that there were plenty more but these were the two I remembered best.
I think I got an unusual perspective on the book because I go to a jewish school where the vast majority of students have at least a grandparent or two who survived the Holocaust. I know that the book was really about the relationship between Art and Vladek, but I want to mention, to the credit of the author, that the portrayal of survivors was spot on. Not only Vladek, but all of the Holocaust-survivor characters were absolutely perfect.
Also, this thread made me notice how Geo hasn't been around lately.