Maus 1 essay
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Transcript of 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
Tan Cheng Yuan, Xavier Grade 10/English A
3
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
Tan Cheng Yuan, Xavier Grade 10/English A
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
Tan Cheng Yuan, Xavier Grade 10/English A
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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.
Tan Cheng Yuan, Xavier Grade 10/English A
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Sources and References
Class Notes
Tan Cheng Yuan, Xavier Grade 10/English A
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