Maus

Maus

    

        Maus by Art Spiegelman is a graphic novel that illustrates the story of Vladek Spiegelman, polish Jew and a Holocaust Survivor who tells the story of his life during the war to his son Art. The first thing you’ll notice when you open up up this novel is that the characters are represented as animals. Jews were depicted as mice, Nazis were represented as cats and the pigs were the polish people. By illustrating the characters in Maus as animals Spiegelman is able to use the idea of cats being the enemy of mice and emulate that relationship to the Jewish people and the Nazis. Representing Nazis and Jews as mice and cats, it allows any reader to understand why Jews were so afraid of Nazis.
        What’s truly interesting about Maus is that it tells two stories, the story of Vladek during the Holocaust, and the story of his life now with his son and his new wife. Vladek likes talking to his son but his son is distant, only interested in his story of the holocaust for this novel. Even towards the end after Vladek finishes his story Art got upset with him because he destroyed Anja’s diary. Art calls him a murderer and walks away, unconcerned about how his father felt in the past and even now in the present. Vladek went through a lot in life. From losing his wife and first born, to surviving the holocaust. And now he’s suffered two heart attacks and married to a loveless relationship. While the central story has a clear ending, the more subtle one is left on an empty note. 

          I guess that's what makes the story even more realistic. The story continues past the pages.