The present-tense action is just as significant as the scenes from Vladek’s experiences in the Holocaust, though the latter may be more immediately emotionally gripping. The flashback structure is an integral part of making Maus what it is, which is more than a narrative strictly about the Holocaust. It’s also largely about how we reflect on and relate to our pasts and places in history, about self-reflection and discovery, and how we cope with devastation and times when we suffer the inability to maintain control over our lives. Maus is concerned, ultimately, with the way these things can shape who we are and what we become.

The flashback technique has other immediate effects upon the narrative, as well. For example, the contrast between the present-day scenes of everyday life as we are more likely to understand it and scenes from life as it was during the Holocaust make the atmosphere of both time periods and environments all the more striking.

The strained relationship between Art and Vladek also mirrors the relationship between the reader and Maus itself (and the content it depicts). Being fundamentally rooted in Vladek’s recollections of the past, the injection of the present into the narrative allows for the existence of the character Art, and others, and provides the reader with some context of familiarity to use as a hub for witnessing the horrors of Vladek’s personal accounts, and later reflecting.