Maus by Art Spiegelman - Essay Example

 Maus by Art SpiegelmanMaus is a creative literature written by Art Spiegelman. The book has a graphic content that depicts the tales of a survivor through comic form. Spiegelman outlines the story of his father, Vladek and his personal experience during the Holocaust. Also, the book outlines the experiences of Spiegelman as he visits and interacts with his father to record memories. This paper outlines a response to Maus that is written by Art Spiegelman.Art Spiegelman gives an explanation of his father’s experiences in Poland before the start of the World War 2.

In the novel, Art is outlined as the main character alongside his father and mother, Vladek and Anja Spiegelman respectively. Other minor characters involve Richieu, Mala, Francoise, Orbach, Uncle Herman among others. The plot of the novel revolves around the story of Spiegelman’s father and the Holocaust that turned Nazis into a cat while Jews turned into mice. Additionally, the poles turned into pigs. Maus is a second generation Holocaust survivor’s story as Spiegelman uses the story of the Jewish Americans’ struggle to outline the ruthless execution of individuals by the Nazi regime in the World War Two.

In my opinion, the author meets his objective in outlining the Holocaust as a comic form. The comic form is evident through the use of popular culture in addressing the serious historical issues that existed in the society. Also, the animal motif meets the expectations of the reader and upholds the comic nature that emerged in the 1960s. In addition, Spiegelman upholds honesty and truthfulness in his story of Maus. The author outlines the difficulties that he underwent while capturing the Holocaust through the story of his father.

Spiegelman states in the book that he found himself drawing every panel and figure as he wrote the story about his father. The context is an expression of the challenges that the author went through since he had a distressed association with his father and his mother had died.1 In conclusion, it is evident that Maus is a comic book that outlines the characters involved, cultural diversity and Holocaust experiences. The book also upholds honesty and truthfulness in Spielgamn’s story of Maus as it is rated as a second generation perspective of the Holocaust experiences.

BibliographySpiegelman, Art. Maus: A Survivor's Tale, Volume 1. (New York City: Pantheon Books, 1986), 122–125.