Maus Essays

Maus is a graphic novel written by Art Spiegelman and published in 1986. It tells the story of Vladek Spiegelman, an elderly Jewish survivor of the Holocaust, and his son, a cartoonist named Art Spiegelman. The book uses comic strips to tell Vladek’s story of survival during World War II and how his experiences have affected him throughout his life. In Maus, the characters are portrayed as anthropomorphic animals; Jews like Vladek are depicted as mice while Nazis are represented as cats. This method of representation serves to illustrate the power imbalance between oppressed people and their oppressors during this time period.The narrative follows both Art and Vladek’s lives from before WWII until after its conclusion. Through these stories we learn about Vladek’s struggles in Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp under Nazi rule, as well as his attempts at coping with life afterward through interviews conducted by Art for research purposes. Additionally, we see how these events have impacted not only Vladek but also those around him such as his wife Mala (who died in Auschwitz) and their children Richard (Art’s brother) and Anja (Vladkeck’s daughter). Maus was one of the first graphic novels to be critically acclaimed by academics due to its honest depiction of real-life tragedy combined with creative characterization through animal stereotypes. Its success has paved way for other works that tackle difficult topics like race relations or genocide in a more accessible format than traditional books may allow for. By doing so it has allowed readers to gain insight into history without relying solely on textbooks or personal accounts which may be biased due lack of outside context or deeply rooted emotions involved with traumatic events such as war or oppression.