I completely agree with everyone’s perspective on pages 41-46. Art Spigelman does a fantastic job of creating an intangible world that almost makes such a traumatic experience as the holocaust seem near legendary. It also provides a whole other perspective on how we read MAUS. I know for we, it absolutely made me think of the book in a whole other light, as if I was reading a dark comedy for a few pages. Then afterward, we’re thrown back into the narrative we were accustomed to through reading the first book. Pure brilliance.
Respondent: The Impact of Metafiction
One of the things that I enjoy most about Maus is the fact that it is so aware of itself, or rather, that Art Spiegelman is so aware of himself as character and author. The accuracy in story telling is something that all memoirists struggle with, and I read the metafiction, as Alex’s first reader post points out, as something that makes it a bit more authentic. The fact that Art points out, “In real life, you never would have let me talk this long without interrupting” (16), putting his anxieties to the forefront, actually sort of builds trustworthiness of the narrator. Specifically in the “Time Flies…” section, he is upfront about his struggles as an author again for an extended period of time; this is incredibly powerful. This snapshot of Art, because the novel is so non-linear, is something that keeps it all bound together. Not only is Art aware of his own anxieties as the author, he is aware of the reader’s anxieties on trying to find meaning in his book. He starts to shut down on page 42, as interviewers are hounding him for a message he didn’t mean to convey and things he hasn’t even thought about. Art as the character and the author doesn’t have all the answers and hasn’t considered everything, and that frankness is something the reader is now aware of. The more honest Art is with himself in Maus, the more honest he is with the reader, and strengthens that relationship as well as the book’s impact.
Searchers: Children of Holocaust Survivors
When I went to look for something to share regarding Maus, the first thing I typed into the search box on Yahoo was “children of Holocaust survivors” because, to me, one of the most interesting things about Maus is how much the events he is writing about have shaped Art’s life. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was something that had been studied and quantified, or if it was just a general idea.
The link I came up with is research on that exact thing.
http://www.aaets.org/arts/art96.htm
It seems that many of the problems Holocaust survivors face–PTSD, depression, etc–are also found in their children. I thought this was particularly interesting in regards to the mental breakdown we know that Spiegelman had in his early adulthood. It tries to explain why this may be as well, exploring the relationship between Holocaust survivors and their children and how they tend to differ from the control group.
All in all, it adds a pretty interesting dimension to the reading of Maus from a psychological standpoint.
Group 3 Searchers Art Spiegelman’s “Getting in Touch with My Inner Racist”
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/1997/09/getting-touch-my-inner-racist
In this article Art Spiegelman recalls a shameful incident from his past when he’s forced to discuss racism with his children. It’s interesting to compare this story to Vladek’s reaction to the hitchhiker. Spiegelman admits that he used a racial slur to intentionally offend the orderly who denied him a much needed bathroom trip. It’s difficult to say which is worse; Vladek, a survivor of the most terrible result of prejudice and intolerance, who is repelled buy the idea of picking up a black hitchhiker or Art who admits to having a black friend in his youth and who grew up in a more progressive time calling someone a name he knows will wound them. Spiegelman doesn’t try to romanticize his father’s identity in Maus and in this article he doesn’t try to sugar-coat his own bad behavior.
Respondent-Variations in Perspective in Maus
To answer the question about whether or not we think Vladek’s recollection is framed by his own bias or if he is the way he is because of traumatic experiences, I would agree that yes, both situations apply. Everyone always has a bias and a subjective perspective when recollecting something from memory. If you put 99 people in a room to observe the same thing, you’re going to get 99 different perspectives about what was observed. This isn’t to say that someone’s perspective and recollection is more or less true than the other, its just fragments of the truth, but nevertheless, contains truth. I actually found myself asking the same question as I was reading Maus. I was very moved and compelled by the story as I was reading it, but I couldn’t help but ask myself at times, “Is this really the way it happened? Could it be possible that this is just one man’s subjective perspective on the way things were? Wouldn’t someone else who was there say different, even opposing things?” This is, of course, is my attempt to approach this from an “objective, literary” angle. Well, I think the obvious answer would be yes, things really happened this way, and yes, if you ask someone else who was there with Vladek, they might say something completely different. We know the Holocaust was real, and we know, or trust rather, that Vladek was really there as well. There might be some things missing or inaccurate about his story because of his bias in perspective, but we know the general construct of his story to be true. I think this is the interesting about making Vladek’s story into a comic book. Comics only show fragments of what is going on, not the whole “truth” if you will. But we know the general, overall story to be true. In the case of Vladek’s story, despite missing pieces, we are given much reason to believe, based off what we already know in history, that his overall story is true. The interesting thing about Maus is that Vladek is our only source of knowing, everyone else, such as Art’s mother, has passed. Much remains in ambiguity because there are stories and perspectives we will never hear.
I would definitely say though that Vladek’s behavior is a result of traumatic experiences of his past. I mean, he has had to endure some of the worst experiences known to man, the holocaust and his wife committing suicide. If you observe Vladek’s behavior, it is pretty clear that he acts this way as a result of his past. In volume 1, Art notes that Vladek always got mad at him for a kid for not eating all the food on his plate. Also, the fact that Vladek has saved so much stuff, and refuses to spend money on what he sees as unnecessary things. I would assume these are symptoms of being a holocaust survivor, as at that point, even the most basic resources were hard to come by. It does not surprise me that Vladek acts in such a way. So in conclusion, yes, I agree that both apply to Vladek and his perspective.
…Time Flies – First Reader
Pages 41-47 of Book 2, Chapter 2 have undeniably been my favorite pages of this story thus far. As noted in my Response blurb last week, and echoed in some of my classmate’s writings, as well as in Maus, the Holocaust is nearly intangible to us, almost like a legend or old wives’ tale to conjure bad dreams and keep us on the straight and narrow. The simplistic art and the fact that Maus is a memoir, I think, helps to ground the events in a more modern, or maybe relevant, to us, setting, and allow me to relate better to the story, not through Vladek, but through Art (ironic wordplay unintentional and inevitable, but nonetheless salient).
The frames containing Art being bombarded by reporters and businessmen, etc., capture the ‘surviving’ from Art’s point of view and how different and insignificant that survival may be in comparison. Here, Art is tackling the realization that whatever he accomplishes immediately means less in comparison to the legacy of those who came before him. The frame at the bottom of page 41 is extremely potent, and I would use the word ‘favorite’, but that would be far too extremely morbid. My ‘favorite’ panels aside from that one, however, occur on the next page, where we witness Art’s transformation in to a child, and his subsequent meeting with the shrink.
Okay, a few more ‘favorites’: page 45, the last three panels. Great quote, even greater counterpoint.
First Reader: Variation of Perspective in Maus
Alongside Vladek’s recollections of the horrors of the Holocaust, one of the focal plot points of Maus is the oft-strained relationship Art, and virtually every character in the contemporary scenes, has with Vladek.
There is an important effect that takes place when changing between the two environments of Maus: The scenes in the present day take place from the vantage point of a removed, un-involved observer. However, when the reader is transported into the era of the Holocaust, there is a transition in narrative perspective, as Vladek becomes the sole communicator of the past.
From the removed, more objective perspective (in a literary sense) of the present day scenes, Vladek is characterized as an individual that is difficult to tolerate by those around him, owing to the possession of what is displayed to the reader as an overbearing and occasionally insensitive demeanor, and at times hypocritical nature. However, when the tenses shift and Vladek himself becomes the sole narrator, speaking in the first person, which (again in a literary sense) is a more subjective perspective, none of these aspects of his character show through. He instead appears quite resourceful and compassionate.
Something I wonder about, and the question I post to the Respondents, is this:
Do you think there is any (or strong enough) evidence to suggest that any of Vladek’s recollections may be colored by his own bias and subjective judgment? Or, being that Maus is largely concerned with how people come to cope with devastation and loss of control over their own lives, is it more likely that he has become the way he is at least in part as a result of the traumatic experiences he endured?
For what it’s worth, I think it’s possible that both situations apply.
First Reader- Guilt and the photos
I agree with Jessica about this second book to Maus. Art really does open up about his father and his relationship, and the guilt he feels about not having to be part of a tragedy such as the Holocaust, and that he almost regrets it in a way. I have felt the same way sometimes, that a simple re-telling of events and stories is not anywhere near doing justice to that part of history, or any other; the only real way to experience it all is to be there yourself. But at the same time, maybe something like this shouldn’t have to have justice done to it. I don’t really know if thats the wording i’m looking for; an abysmal streak in human history should be honored, looked at for and example of what not to do and then moved on from. Moved on from, not forgotten. This book was just his way of trying to come to terms with it all.
And as far as the real life photos, i think that their placement in the course of the story is well chosen. Art waited until the end to finally show Vladek, so we went through the story as if it were fiction, picturing whatever face we choose in our minds, and then at the end, we all get to see the real Vladek. Anna, on the other hand, is shown much sooner, i think to show a face that Art knew and that we could see Vladek missing during his time in Auschwitz.
Time Flies
Pages 41-47 of Book 2, Chapter 2 have undeniably been my favorite pages of this story thus far. As noted in my Response blurb last week, and echoed in some of my classmate’s writings, as well as in Maus, the Holocaust is nearly intangible to us, almost like a legend or old wives’ tale to conjure bad dreams and keep us on the straight and narrow. The simplistic art and the fact that Maus is a memoir, I think, helps to ground the events in a more modern, or maybe relevant, to us, setting, and allow me to relate better to the story, not through Vladek, but through Art (ironic wordplay unintentional and inevitable, but nonetheless salient).
The frames containing Art being bombarded by reporters and businessmen, etc., capture the ‘surviving’ from Art’s point of view and how different and insignificant that survival may be in comparison. Here, Art is tackling the realization that whatever he accomplishes immediately means less in comparison to the legacy of those who came before him. The frame at the bottom of page 41 is extremely potent, and I would use the word ‘favorite’, but that would be far too extremely morbid. My ‘favorite’ panels aside from that one, however, occur on the next page, where we witness Art’s transformation in to a child, and his subsequent meeting with the shrink.
Okay, a few more ‘favorites’: page 45, the last three panels. Great quote, even greater counterpoint.
Searchers: Nazi Concentration Camps
After reading Maus II, I thought thought about when I visited the Holocaust Museum. The first link is from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum gives a brief overview of what the Nazis tried to do before the camps were used. there are also many links to various parts of the site and also interviews with the survivors.
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005144
This second link I found searching google and it has a picture like of the entrance to the camps like in the last pages of Maus I. at the bottom of this link there is another link that shows an article about Auschwitz name change.
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/31
On a lighter note, I found that the clash between Spiegelman and Spielberg was interesting and I found in google books a the part where Spiegelman commented about this part in his life.
http://books.google.com/books?id=uhlOpk8bGoEC&pg=PA72&lpg=PA72&dq=art+spiegelman+steven+spielberg+maus+tails&source=bl&ots=n1fIzC-g5p&sig=7rcoASRM8JZuU8hPIV3ptror4YQ&hl=en&ei=wbDKSo3UDpXdlAfO09SSAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4#v=onepage&q=&f=false
First Readers: A Sibling Rivalry with a Snapshot
One of the more illuminating sections of Maus II is the extended conversation that Art has with Francoise on their way to see Vladek. Art discusses what life was like growing up in the shadow of Richieu, his older brother that did not live through the holocaust.
“They didn’t need photos of me in their room…I was alive!…the photo never threw tantrums or got in any kind of trouble…it was an ideal kid, and I was a pain in the ass. I couldn’t compete…It’s spooky, having a sibling rivalry with a snapshot!” (pg 15)
Respondents: Is it possible Art is discussing his fears about having published Maus? Is the book the new picture that he won’t be able to compete with?
The opening conversation exposes deeper themes about Art’s anxiety towards an accurate depiction of life (a snapshot) versus a stylized version of life (the graphic novel)? Does his comment on page 16 (“…In real life, you never would have let me talk this long without interrupting” accurately sum up the anxieties he’s discussing? By consciously acknowledging the manipulated nature of narrative versus objective fact, does Maus sometimes negate this distinction?
Respondents: Do Maus’s dives into metafiction (which is, according to the internet Wikipedia science, is “fiction that self-consciously addresses the devices of fiction”) strengthen or weaken the book’s impact?
First Reader – Maus II: Art’s Relationship with his Parents
In the second book of Maus, we as readers get to explore more of Art’s strained relationship with his father. As miraculous and interesting Vladek’s story in Auschwitz is, so many of my questions about the reading revolve around Art’s relationship with his parents. Early in chapter one on page 14, Art says he’d choose to save his mom from the ovens if he had to choose between his parents. I think this speaks volumes about his relationship with both of his parents.
Respondents: Do you think Art’s decision stems from regret over not having a stronger relationship with his mother before she committed suicide or out of disdain for his father?
I found it interesting that Vladek chose to lie about having a heart attack in order to get Art to come see him rather than flat out telling him that Mala left. Art’s behavior towards his father has made little secret of his feelings towards him (as evidenced in the first book) and Vladek’s acknowledgement of those feelings is really evident in this act of lying. In Vladek, I see the same desire for affection and companionship in his behavior that I saw in my grandparents and sometimes see in my parents. Knowing his time on earth is shorter as his health deteriorates and the years go on, Vladek desire to spend the last of it with Art, the person that matters the most to him, grows immensely. Throughout Art and Francoise’s visit, Vladek drops hints about them staying longer or him moving in with them, but Art is insistent that neither will happen.
Respondents: Do you think Art doesn’t want the responsibility of caring for his father because he feels guilty about the way he treats him?
On page 22, Francoise suggests to Art that Vladek’s experience in Auschwitz is the reason for his anxious behavior. Art’s answer of “maybe” and explaining his father’s not like any of the other survivors makes me wonder why Art is so unsympathetic to his father’s past and how it’s affected him. Later on page 46, Art expresses his hesitance to draw Aushwitz to his shrink and I wondered if it was because he was afraid of it bringing him closer to his parents and their experience, specifically his father.
Respondents: Why do you think Art feels so hesistant to draw Aushwitz? I think it’s possible that he would not be able to blame his father for his feelings of inadequacy compared to Vladek and his brother Richieu if he understood his father’s perspective.
First Readers – Maus II
Throughout Maus I, we saw an ongoing interspersing of Vladek’s story and Art’s progress of his comic book. The beginning of Maus II gives a little more emphasis to Art’s own life and story. Maus certainly could have stood on its own with only Vladek’s story of his struggles throughout the Holocaust. However, the addition of Art’s story and his own personal struggles adds depth to Maus. It’s interesting to learn more about Art’s personal issues this way; at first we see him light-heartedly sketching animals to represent Francoise’s character, but as the novel continues, Art opens up a bit to reveal his own feelings toward his dad. Art mentions a strange wish that he could have been at Auschwitz, to experience what his parents experienced. He feels guilty of having an easy life. I can’t imagine how this must have felt to him. Art knew that his parents essentially survived Hell, and he was able to grow up in a comfortable home and had a comfortable childhood (as far as I can assume). In addition to feeling guilt about what his parents went through, Art also has to deal with his insecurities and guilt revolving around his “ghost brother.” Richieu died as a young boy during the turmoil of the war, and Vladek and Anja lived the rest of their life with only a picture of their lost son hanging on the wall. As hard as it must have been for the couple to lose their first-born son, Art had a difficult time with this as well. He always had to live in his brother’s shadow, looking up to the unfamiliar picture of Richieu on the wall. Art never knew his brother, yet he felt the pressure to live up to this “perfect son” and prove himself to his parents as an adequate and deserving child. All these struggles that Art went through in his own life really add to the depth of Maus as a whole. Through the novel is primarily an account of the Holocaust through Vladek’s memories, Art’s personal experiences give another dimension to the story; his parent’s experiene during the Holocaust molded how Art grew up, as well as his relationship with his parents and his “ghost brother.” I think Art sells himself short when he feels guilty for not having been at Auschwitz: he had his own personal struggles, and through not as dramatic or life-threatening as his father’s, Art’s story was important in itself and deserved to have its place in Maus.
maus part 2
some initial insights:
As this is a true story, I appreciate the numerology on page 28 that the Priest observes in Vladek’s tattooed ID number. The intelligent religious man re instills hop e to Vladek. Also, Vladek’s outstanding resourcefulness helps him make friends (pg 34 spoon, shoe and belt for Mandelbaum). Even in the concentration camp, Vladek manages to barter and trade to help him survive. (Giving the shoe to a real shoesman in return for food to save his life and win a sausage) (also pg 93-94 his froggy French men share their food. ) I also noticed this second book is more gruesome in images (mice burning, mice dying of disease, being beaten, etc.)
some initial questions:
Vladek’s tale is straightforward and requires little additional questions. As Art is doing the interviewing, most questions are asked by him. However, Art confuses me. In the beginning of chapter 2, he is wearing a tied on mouse mask, that has exasperated eyes. Drawing this tastefully and keeping the seriousness of Vladek’s history is well represented on page 41, with the mound of dead, emaciated mice on the floor of his drawing table, like rolled up drafts discarded. Art for the next few pages illustrates his difficulty with his father’s tail (haha sorry) by drawing himself as a little mouse when feeling pressured and confused. When he talks with his shrink, he grows back up into man mouse. I want to know why Art includes his own thoughts and mental confusion randomally in the middle of his fathers’ tale. To me, its an interuption and I feel his confusion and stress loses credibility because he’s not nice to his father. See page 47, when Vladek is trying to vent about his problems with Mala, and Art (selfishly) yells, “ENOUGH! TELL ME ABOUT AUSCHWITZ!” Perhaps he realizes his own detachment from his father, and his lack of willingness to be a friend to his father, instead of a selfish interview, because he shrinks back into baby mouse form. I want to know if anyone else thinks like this about Art and Vladek? And if so, what motives drive Art to illustrate his disdain for his father’s personality so freely in such a widely publicized book? I view Art’s regard for Vladek as an embarrasment.
Searchers: Crematoria and Gas Chambers
After reading the first 100 pages of Book II in Maus,
It interested me to look for more information on the crematoria explained on page 70-72
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/augas.html
This page has a real pictures and the blue prints of the crematoria during the holocaust.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3EeTFtYr5E
is the virtual reconstruction of the Crematoria II described by Vladek.