Maus

This week I read Maus, which was the first graphic novel I have read about the Holocaust or any serious subject for that matter. The graphic novel tells the terrifying story of the journey of a Jewish survivor of the holocaust named Vladek Spiegelman and his son who is a cartoonist trying to reconnect with his father and his past through many deep conversations. Besides the fact that it’s a graphic novel one of the things that makes this particular Holocaust story unique is that its not written in the way of a history book it brings you closer than that and into the eyes of a man who witnessed the fear himself.

I think Art Speigelman made a wise decision when he decided to depict the characters as animals, the Jews are mice and the Nazis are cats also the Poles are pigs and the French are frogs. I think it takes the edge off a little bit, everyone knows the brutality that went on during the Holocaust and not very many people want to see images of people being treated in this manner. By making the characters mice and cats it makes it easier for use to accept the imagery it grabs our attention just enough to not let it go. I also find it interesting because I feel he choose the animals wisely Mice are a good metaphor for Jews because there are lots of them and they are hard to get rid of, Cats are a good metaphor for Germans obviously because they hunt and kill mice. It is a clear portrayal of the predator and prey relationship that the Jewish people faced.

While reading Maus not only did I find myself interested in the intense memories of Vladek but I became involved in the way they were reacting to each other in the present time. Vladek didn’t seem to speak very kindly to his son; he seemed to be nagging him a lot about smoking and needing to fix the roof. I felt tension and discomfort between them.

I have to say this isn’t my favorite graphic novel or comic I have every read but I’m also not the one to be drawn to this type of subject matter. I tend to look for things that are either humorous, easy to relate to, or have unique illustrations when choosing something to read, so that’s just me. The illustrations seemed quick and sketchy but they did fit the subject matter and I felt it was more about the story than the illustrations. This is a different kind of graphic novel and you have to expect this when picking it up of the shelf but be prepared to get wrapped up in the story, it is a very good read.