Maus 1 essay

Beijing BISS International SchoolGrade 102012/2013

Though the author was born in Sweden after the end of the Holocaust, the events have nevertheless had a profound effect on his life. Discuss the nature of these effects and why the Holocaust remains

such a formative event.

http://www.paulgravett.com/index.php/articles/article/maus_vs_yossel/

Tan Cheng Yuan, Xavier

Mr. Geralis

MYP English A



Rationale

In my essay, I chose to go with the topic, ‘Though the author was born in Sweden after the end of

the Holocaust, the events have nevertheless had a profound effect on his life. Discuss the nature of

these effects and why the Holocaust remains such a formative event’. This topic was chosen because

it a general topic that covered the whole graphic novel which included almost every part of the

storyline. I used examples about Art’s present state of condition, Vladek’s state of mind, Vladek’s

past and how it had affected him while talking to Art. The book talks about how Vladek’s life was

before escaping to the US, and how the Holocaust had affected his current life and situation. It

describes events, specifically the Holocaust, how Jews lived in that tough time.

My thesis for this essay would be how Vladek’s experiences, memories and habits affected Art’s

current behavior and how his mindset is in the present. This thesis would generalize the whole

book’s storyline, while still addressing my topic. I would address Art’s personality briefly so that I

can compare the two, and show how different or similar they are. As there are only a few examples

within the first volume of the series, I would use as many examples and repeat them to bring across

my thesis and prove that I am right in my own way, I will compare and contrast them as it is the

easiest way to prove a point.

I chose to compare both Art and Vladek’s past and present, as well as their behaviors and

personalities because the basic idea of the topic would mean this. Comparing two or more objects,

in this case people, would make my point clearer than using a third person whom has nothing to do

with both of them. I would use the Holocaust as another one of my main points, as it was the main

cause of his change in personality and his character. I will explain how it had changed both

character’s lives and what effect it had done to them.

Tan Cheng Yuan, Xavier Grade 10/English A

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The graphic novel ‘Maus’, illustrated by Art Spiegelman, utilizes actual historical events from the

past. Focusing on World War II and the victims of the Holocaust, his family has also been through

the Holocaust as well as everyone around him. Art’s father, Vladek, has lived through the Holocaust

along with his own family. However, due to how serious and dangerous life was back then, Vladek

loses most, if not all his family has been lost. Although Art did not live through it, the lasting

memories from his father had been slowly translated into feelings back into Art. In the graphic

novel, Art interviews Vladek about his experiences, along the way, Art also experiences Vladek’s

feelings and thoughts.

At the start of the graphic novel, Art arrives at his father’s house ready to take notes on the life

while escaping the Holocaust. Little did he know that he would start experiencing it second-hand

while listening to Vladek. Inside the house, Art’s father starts ranting, complaining and

sympathizing the victims of the Holocaust. He explains how much it hurt to personally see his own

family taken away from him and gassed. Once in a while, he would start crying about his late wife

that had committed suicide. The Holocaust experience that Vladek lived through was tough, and

escaping it was barely possible for anyone. Vladek also talks about how life was like in the

concentration camps, outside of it, what Jews would have to do in order to survive, and many other

aspects of survival. As Art did not live through that period of time, he wouldn’t fully understand the

gravity of the situation. However through his father, he understood it better as it reflected through

Vladek’s facial expression, body language and his physique.

Although the expression is ‘Like Father Like Son’, Art is entirely different from his father. For

example Art wouldn’t mind spending his money on new items when it was about to break or when

he needed more. Instead, Vladek on his part would save his money for Art to use when Vladek dies.

Art, on the contrary, would spend his money on things he believes he needs. Vladek intends to save


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his money for Art. A good example of this would be when Vladek was short on matches and didn’t

want to buy anymore. This act of stubbornness from Vladek was developed when he was escaping

the authorities during the World War II period. His stubbornness, although it may be annoying, he

has a reason for it. As explained earlier, the period of running away from home had changed

Vladek. He would have to be stronger and smarter to avoid being captured, hence the change from

being a cheerful young man to a stubborn, child-like father and husband. Due to this stubbornness,

he also develops a sense of insecurity, which leads to him bringing Art to the bank so that he has a

key to the safe box. However in the second graphic novel, readers will realize that Mala had ran off

with the money. Vladek’s stubbornness is inherited by Art as he is also equally stubborn however

not in the same sense. Vladek’s stubbornness is more on the long term effect, while Art is based on

a short term effect. The difference between them affects their relationship dramatically as Art

believes, although saving up money is correct, spending it occasionally on necessities is important.

One of the main characteristics that has affected Art’s personality from his father’s experiences

living in the World War II period was persistence and patience. Throughout the story, Vladek’s

persistence was admirable. One example would be when Vladek was caught along with his family

from the first hiding spot from their house. When they were sent to the ghettos he was persistent

about getting his family out, asking for favors from friends who was able to change things. 1 Even

after he left the ghetto, his grandparents could not leave. His persistence to rescue them was

admirable, however there was no choice but to leave them. An example of his patience would be

when he was in the war camps and fighting the shivering winter. Vladek was sent to the war camps

when he was caught firing a German soldier by the Germans. In there, he was sent to work outside

in the cold, with just a thin blanket for warmth. Although it was painfully cold for him to work

outside, he kept with it knowing that he was able to leave. With that patience and persistence, he


41 Spiegelman, Art. Maus: A Survivorʼs Tale. pg. 114

finally got an opportunity to go into a wooden house with his fellow comrades. This opportunity

was hard to come by, which he took only because he was patient with everything happening around

him. Soon after he got a prophecy by God, informing him that he would be leaving the camps. It

said that in the prophecy, ‘You will come out of this place - FREE! ...On the day of Parshas Truma.’

Despite the fact that it was from a dream, he was hopeful and after knowing that Parshas Truma was

in 3 months, he patiently waited. As Vladek had stated, ‘THREE Months - and every day was for us

a year!’ Whilst complaining, he waited and continued working. On the day of Parshas Truma, he

was let go of the war camps. This example of his patience and persistence working together had

freed him from a place that could have well been his death from starving and working.

The final effect that influenced Art’s personality as Vladek’s son and how the Holocaust affected

Art as a person was his mother’s suicide.Despite being around when Art was born, the family of

three had not been close since their first son had passed away. The details of their first son, Richu, is

unclear in the first Maus, however readers can visually see the distance between Vladek and Art. In

the graphic novel, Vladek finds a comic named ‘Prisoner on the Hell Planet’ that Art had written

several years ago which depicts how Art had felt when his mother was still alive. Although it was

fairly short, the visual context within the comic can be seen as a form of anger and inconsideration

by Art. In short, Art didn’t feel guilty about his mother’s death, even though he was somewhat

responsible for her death. At the end of the short comic, Art illustrates himself in a prison cell,

exclaiming ‘Well mom, if you’re listening... 2Art’s tone describes his mother as a murderer, as she

had ‘accused’ Art of killing her. However, as readers would know, Art was never put into prison, but

in fact he felt as if he was because of the relatives blaming him for her death. Moreover, Prisoner

on the Hell Planet was not officially published, as Art said, 3This sentence describes not how Art


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2 Spiegelman, Art. Maus: A survivorʼs tale. pg 103

3 ebi, pg.99

didn’t want him to see, but how Vladek would have found it. It also shows that, Art was not keeping

any secrets from his father, however the love that is missing between the mother and son also kept

the father and son relationship apart. This distance between the two was simply caused by a

miscommunication that started all the way from when Art’s mother passed away.

Since referring to the topic of how Art had been affected by the events that happened after his birth,

and how the Holocaust is still that important several years after it had happened. Art’s personality

was inherited solely by the fact that his father had been the both the role model and the person he

took after. Although Vladek was an entirely different man before the Holocaust, the experiences had

changed his life and how he views people and the world. His stubbornness was inherited by Art as

Art focuses only on the short term, while Vladek focuses on the long term. Art’s patience with his

father and persistence to listen and illustrate Vladek’s experiences also come from Vladek’s

memories of his time during the war camps. His father would patiently wait for an opportunity to

arrive, so does Art when he has to. Moreover the distance between the father and son was caused by

a miscommunication between Art and his mother. Art even took the liberty of illustrating the events

and how he felt about it, and it appeared in an underground comic book. Art’s drawing created a

hole that couldn’t be filled again since his mother died. How the Holocaust had affected Art was

simply through a person’s story telling, in this case Vladek. He had transferred all his memories,

pain, guilt and suffering to his son. From then on, the Holocaust was part of Art, even though he

was never in it in the first place.


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Sources and References

Class Notes


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Education

Maus 1 essay