Art Spiegelman’s Maus
What characteristics does the reader see in Vladek that may explain how he and Anja survived the Holocaust?
Vladek appears to us, and as a victim of the Holocaust, and as an old man, whose moving story, picked and washed him up in the suburbs of New York. Young Vladek, surviving by all available means, becomes a brilliant schemer and saves his life because of his intelligence and shred of luck - and we admire him, no matter what. But in his old age, he turns into a cartoon character with a disgusting miser who thinks that all blacks are thieves and causes more squeamish pity, though, of course, we cannot condemn him for it. “In some ways he’s just like the racist caricature of the miserly old Jew” (Book I, Chapter 6, p.133).
Among other things, this book tells the story of love. In our cynical time, it is ridiculous to write this, but it was love, which saved Vladek and Anya and helped them to survive in a man-made hell of Reich. Losing a normal life, families hope for the future in times, when it was easier to give up and die, each of them continued to cling to life, and hold on to each other. And if the young Vladek Spiegelman could be suspected that he married Anya Silberberg for the state of her family, that the motives of the prisoner number 175113, committing fraud risk, in order to facilitate the existence of his wife in a nearby camp, cannot be doubted. “No, darling! To die, it’s easy, but you have to struggle for life! Until the last moment, we must struggle together! I need you! And you’ll see that together we’ll survive” (Book I, Chapter 5, p.124).
In Maus, Art interviews Vladek about the Holocaust. Does Vladek’s narrative appear to be reliable? Why?
And if the Holocaust it is just a black failure, pure, distilled fear, then a pile of memories it is a great inescapable sorrow and emptiness; akin to the one that covers the last page of naive drawn book. And it is need no pathos, fortunately only wrong, nervous, very personal story. The structure of he Maus has long been familiar to the reader: a story in the story, the father’s biography, written by his son. A more recent story is the eternal conflict between parents and children, complicated historical events in post-war Germany: Art repeatedly mentions about guilt, which is experiencing because of his father’s life which was much difficult. This complex, multiplied by the mother’s suicide, pursues Art for the rest of his life. “At that time it was not anymore families. It was everybody to take care for himself!” (Book I, Chapter 5, p. 114).
The main character was a survivor of Auschwitz, the book presents anyone but a hero. He is a killjoy, redneck, a miser and a racist. The Jews in the concentration camps and recover from a guilt complex, explains that survived the war were not the best or heroes, far from the high moral ideals: they buy and sell everything, it was just an accident. Vladek has repeatedly said that while one was for himself. The so-called survivors were not heroes, they were victims. “They’re evacuating zawiercie. We’re all supposed to go to the square with our baggage right away. They’re sending all of us out – to Ausschwitz!” (Book I, Chapter 6, p 109).
In what ways is “Prisoner on the Hell Planet: A Case History”, a departure from the rest of Maus?
Maus is also a comic in the comic it is included one of the earliest works of Spiegelman “Prisoner of Hell Planet” personal and tragic story. At the junction with the history of “Prisoner of Hell Planet” there is a story of the difficult relationship with son, with second wife, the memory of the past and attempt to live in the present. Art’s comic about his father becomes a kind of machine of experiences which identifies and ends meaning, which cannot be completed empirically neither by father nor by son. The problem of parents and children here is presented in the complex of guilt, which is experiencing the past for their lightness of being, and the first - for the fact that managed to survive, “It appeared in an obscure underground comic book. I never thought Vladek would see it” (Book II, Chapter 2, p. 35).
The original plot complication of Maus made in the typical style of an underground comics of the late 60’s, is as follows. Art Spiegelman himself in the framework of the comic comes to visit his father Vladek a Polish Jew, repressed during the Nazi occupation. Art reports that he was going to do a comic book about the war and asked his father to help him with specific memories. His father begins to tell the real story of Spiegelman’s family: from Vladek’s the New York house, where he lives with his second wife Mala, then action is transferred to Poland the mid 30’s where Vladek worked before the war as a salesman in textile firm in a small town on the border with Germany. In 1938 he married the future Art’smother Anya, and they have the first son. Vladek and Anja go to the resort to celebrate their honeymoon, when started the German-Polish war and, therefore, the Jews were deported. Gradually the noose is tightening (the title of the fourth chapter). Vladek and Anya were arrested and determined to the ghetto. Here begins the action of the chapter“Mouse holes”. Anya later (after the war) committed suicide. The book Maus, Art Spiegelman dedicates to the memory of his mother. In the final, Vladek in the heat of passion burns her diary, which Art does not seem to be able to forgive him forever. “God damn you! You - you murderer! How the hell could you do such a thing?” (Book I, Chapter 6, p. 161).
How does “Prisoner on the Hell Planet” inform the reader about Art’s relationship with his mother?
In 1968 Spiegelman have had a nervous breakdown, he even went to the mental hospital. In the same year, his mother committed suicide. In Maus there is an insert named “Prisoner on Hell Planet,” in the comic book, telling this story. The author’s father found his wife’s body, crying, son comes home, everyone thinks that she killed herself because of him. Author is tormented by guilt, he is angry at the dead mother, and only when he sees her in a dream, he finds peace of mind.“Congratulations! You’ve committed the perfect crime! You put me here, shorted all my circuits, cut my nerve endings and crossed my wires! You murdered me, Mommy, and you left me here to take the rap!!!” (Book I, Chapter 5, p. 105).
In “Prisoner on Hell Planet,” Art depicts himself as a prisoner jailed for murdering his mother or contributing to her suicide. But in the last lines, he accuses his mother of murdering him and leaving him in prison to take the blame for murdering himself. Besides, he is saying that feeling guilty over his mother’s suicide is unrealistic, like feeling guilty over murdering himself. He is lashing out at his mother, unable to forgive her for murdering herself. Also, he takes the blame for everything for his mother’s suicide, for his inability to help her. He cannot forget his mom, he always reminds himself things, that she said him. He cannot get rid of his memories about her. “Y’know Mala, when I was little if I didn’t eat EVERYTHING Mom served, Pop and I argue ‘Til I ran my room crying(Book II, Chapter 2, p. 32).
How does Spiegelman portray the theme of guilt in Maus?
Special attention should be given to those pages of the novel, which shows the relationship of the protagonist Vadek and his son, who was born after all these horrors, and simply do not understand what it is. No, in some scenes, we see that he feels a sense of guilt, and even seemed to dream, “Ach. When I think of them, it still makes me cry (Book II.1, Chapter 6, p. 133)”.
Art realizes that his father went through hell in the full sense of the word, understands that this was reflected in his behavior. And yet he is absolutely selfish angry and crazy, when father saves every penny, picks up on the streets some “useful junk” and drags it into the house, and even tries to return to the supermarket products. “I don’t know how I can stand it! (Book II, Chapter 6, p. 132)”. None of the principals can be empathized, sympathized, none can be admired or condemned. Because you just watch, the fear and division, the destruction, attempts to escape, the chaotic and bitter life after death, burdened load of untold losses and endless guilt. Guilt of those who are alive because they are alive.
Vladek has many personality quirks that annoy Art and Mala. What aggravating personality traits of Vladek’s can be linked to his experience in the Holocaust?
This is a story about the Jews, the Holocaust, concentration camps and suffering. But also it is a story of one man. Not very pleasant, especially after all that he has experienced in his life. The most interesting thing in this book is that the author does not show the Jews as those who suffer from humanity. The protagonist speaks openly on this subject: “Pragmatic? Cheap? It causes him physical pain to party with even a nickel! (Book II, Chapter 6, p. 131)”. I think that this is one of the strengths of the book. He tells the story of his father, who went through the hell of the concentration camps, of all his misfortunes, trying to survive, to meet with the family. How happy, wealthy and confident in his own future, a young man, he became a prisoner, fearing that he would be the next one he sent to the wrong place.
He did not always do noble deeds, or share his bread with others in need, do not get up with head held high in front of the Germans, or hide others, steal, and refuse to help overseers. Either survival or pride. There are no morals from the author. Yes, the main character is not perfect and all that he has experienced spoiled even more his character. “Your father! He treats me as if I were just a maid or his nurse, worse!” (Book II, Chapter 6, p. 130)”. His eternal suspicions of surrounding, stinginess, insults on relatives for the slightest infraction, grumbling. His own son does not understand him and honestly admit it, he tries to express this attitude, trying somehow to explain it, to justify himself, to understand his father.
Works cited
Spiegelman, Art, Art Spiegelman, and Art Spiegelman. Maus. London: Penguin, 2003. Print.
