Maus :: essays research papers

Maus is one(a) of the most famous of recent graphic novels. Winner of the prestigious Pulitzer nose for literature, its the harrowing true story of a Jewish holocaust survivor, retold to his tidings decades later.The story has two main threads. The first is the true story of final solution survivor Vladek Spiegelmans experiences as a young Jewish man during the horrors starring(p) up to and including his confinement in Auschwitz. The second intertwining story is about Vladek as an old man, recounting his history to his son Art, the author of the book, and the complicated descent between the two of them. Its a difficult process for both fuss and son, as Vladek tries to make sense of his twighlight years, indelibly marked by his experiences and a slave to the processes he had to resort to in order to make it through. On this level, its also about Art, as he comes to terms with what his father went through, bandage still finding the more irritating aspects of his fathers persona lity difficult to make it with.Maus uses anthropomorphic characters, using different species of animal to represent the different characters quicken or nationality - Jews are mice, Germans are cats, Americans are dogs and the Polish are pigs. This doesnt eer quite work, though Spiegleman is acutely aware of this as he struggles with whether or not to make his French wife, converted to Judaism before they got married, into a sneak or some other species. Please dont instantly dismiss this as childish nonsense though - it owes more to Animal Farm than rice paddy Mouse.Its a sad tale, as although Vladek survives the Holocaust, the shadow of the great swathe of reality that was simplychered by the Nazi killing factories hangs over the entire book. It is also follow by the ghosts of Vladeks first wife Anja and their son Richieu the former surviving Auchwitz but eventually committing suicide, the latter not making it out of Poland.This book, originally a two volume work is now avail able in an superior complete edition in the UK, which binds both chilling volumes into one and is an excellent way for new readers to get hold of this classic work of literature.