Maus by Art Spiegelman

 

Maus by Art Spiegelman is part memoir, part history, and part biography. It’s a painful look at not only the Holocaust, but also the effects it leaves on the survivors. Art begins the graphic novel by asking his father, Vladek, how he survived the Holocaust. Through this, we see how the Holocaust has changed Vladek, he does everything he can to avoid spending money unless absolutely necessary and he hoards things he could not possibly need or use. Vladek and his current wife, Mala, often argue over money and eventually, Mala actually leaves Vladek because of these arguments. Not only do we see the effects that the Holocaust has had on Vladek, but we also see the effects it has had on Art’s mom, Anja, and even the effects it has on Art himself through generational trauma.

I think this is a fantastic book for anyone to read, especially students. It has a compelling narrative that is easy to follow, while still showing the reading the horrors of the Holocaust. Also, it gives the readers the facts in digestible pieces to give them time to reflect and comprehend what has happened. Maus is an incredibly powerful book with important lessons and I think it should be available to anyone who is old enough to understand empathy and the issues that people face due to being a part of a minority group.

One of the common critiques of this graphic novel is that Art Spiegelman has created a world where each race is a different animal. Some say that this is posing it as a Germans vs. Jewish problem instead of a human vs. human problem. Personally, I can see where this is coming from and I agree with it, to an extent.

            Overall, I think Maus has a lot of literary merit and should be available in every school. Personally, I give it a 5/5 as it shows not only the effects of the Holocaust on the survivors, but also on their children.