Maus

Art Spiegelman’s Maus: My Father Bleeds History has a lot of historical significance such as his first hand account of the effects of the Holocaust, how it shows religion and race, and its difference with popular culture.

The way that Spiegelman shows how the Holocaust has had and is still having effects today is amazing. Instead of showing just the direct effects, he takes into consideration the lingering effects and does a great job with it. It is easy to see how this tragic event has had an effect on Spiegelman given he lost a mother, and a brother he never even met. Not to mention his always sad father, who lost his first wife(Maus11). Whenever Spiegelman finds out that his father burned the journals of his first mother, Anna, it doesn’t go well(Maus160). He curses out his father and calls him a murderer(Maus159). Destroying his mother’s journals destroyed her legacy, Spiegelman feels. Also, he says it gets rid of the story she had from her experience. Their new marriage is one that is filled with constant talk and argue over money because of the differing views of Spiegelman’s father and step mother on the subject. While one wants to save, the other is only concerned with future wealth(Maus71).

The way that Spiegelman shows race and religion is one like no one had seen before. With the use of comics and the portrayal of each party being cats and mice, he is able to connect with a variety of readers. The Nazis are cats, and the Jews are mice. It is pretty clear to see where he is going in this connection. The symbol of these animals goes further than the physical nature though. Cats are natural enemies, who play with their prey before they attack. This could be true for what happened with the Nazis while executing the Jews. On the other side, mice are not only to be said to be a typical prey of cats, but also a nuisance in society, thus causing the Nazis to want to execute them. On all levels, Spiegelman does a stellar job with this connection, both physically, and mentally.

Art Spiegelman uses his comic to transform an emotional subject, into one that many people are able to read and learn about. He is innovative and formal in his work with the Holocaust(AOS). It is clear that many books and films have opened containing a plot having to do with the Holocaust, except they are doing it for the wrong reasons. Instead of making a book explaining and detailing the events and significance of the Holocaust, they are more concerned with just the fact of making money from the book itself. The Holocaust is such a broad event that many people relate to and care about, so filmmakers and authors use this to make it easy to make a story(AOS). It is proven that since writing Maus 22 years ago, the Holocaust has become a much more popular subject.