What struck me about Maus is the structure of the narrative, which is very self-aware (or dare I say reflexive?). Rather than it just being Spiegelman’s father’s story, it’s a memoir about the whole writing process. At first I found the parts in the present tense distracting—they’re taking away from the meat of the story! However, key facts about the present make you want to keep reading: Anja’s suicide (Why? How? ) and Vladek and Mala’s marriage (Why? How?). Additionally, it’s really easy to get lost and depressed when reading Holocaust fiction or nonfiction. The switch in time literally gives you a break (the presence of relatively short chapters does this too).

Respondents: What do you think of the present tense action? Is it necessary? What are some other reasons he might have structured the story with flashbacks intermingled with the present? How does this compare to Watchmen’s use of the flashback?

Another thing I noticed was the usage of dialect/vernacular/whatever you want to call it. In the present and when he narrates his flashbacks, Vladek speaks in accented English. Yet when the reader is fully submerged in the past, all of the dialogue is in standard/informal English. Compare page 39 with page 37. I think this is just another way Spiegelman tries to suck you into the story.

Respondents: What do you think of the usage of dialect? Is Vladek the only one to speak in accented English? Is it effective? Confusing? Offensive?

Finally, there’s Vladek’s pedaling. What could that possibly symbolize? He does it for medical reasons, but does it contribute to his obsession to survival? Is he somehow “biking through” his past?