Maus Spiegelman's Response To Art

During his appointment with Art, Pavel the therapist states that, “[M]aybe it’s better not to have any more stories” (Spiegelman 45) in response to Art’s troubles regarding the creation of Maus II. In a sense, this statement about the Holocaust is valid due to the fact that the only stories individuals will ever get to read are of those who were able to survive. As Pavel had also stated, “Life always takes the side of life, and somehow the victims are blamed” (Spiegelman 45), showing that, in all of the stories surrounding the Holocaust, individuals never get to hear the stories of those who perished. As a result, every single story surrounding the Holocaust will technically always be the same because it will almost always be a story of a survivor
Therefore, his whole goal and intention is essentially moot because Maus cannot technically further one’s understanding of the Holocaust because it’s just another one-sided survivor’s tale. However, despite all of this, Maus still does offer a new story and contributes to the discussion of the Holocaust and its aftermath and is therefore certainly not, “[A]n unnecessary stain on silence and nothingness” (Spiegelman 45). This is due to the fact that, while it is “just another survivor’s tale,” Maus still offers a new perspective by providing an account of an individual’s experiences that may or may not differ from other’s survivor’s stories. That is, Vladek’s specific experiences throughout the Holocaust are unique to him, and despite the fact that what he had gone through was similar for many other individuals, there are specific factors, such as working as an English tutor, that others must not have experienced. Because of this, while there may be similarities between Vladek’s story and the stories of many other survivors, there are still differences that can help add to the general discussion of the Holocaust and its