Maus: Pg.58

Maus: A Survivor's Tale is a graphic novel by Art Spiegelman, set from 1980 to 1991. It shows Spiegelman interviewing his father about his experiences as a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor. Although survival is a key theme, the graphic novel focuses on how Holocaust survivors deal with their psychological trauma. Using images in Maus adds a layer that provides meaning in addition to words. On page 58, Spiegelman uses shading to portray the loss of identity the Jews felt during the war. He uses the pattern of stripes on the faces of the mice to portray a sense of loss of individuality. It is normal for prisoners' clothes to have stripes, but the stripes on the full bodies of the prisoners have a completely different meaning. The pattern makes the reader understand the loss of individuality the Jews felt since the reader cannot tell them apart. Even Vladek, who is very easy to recognize, cannot be told apart. This is a recurring idea in Maus. All Jews, no matter where they came from, are depicted as mice and often look very similar. They are the most vulnerable characters in the book. The Nazis thought of Jews as weak and small. We can see this on page 58, where all the mice put their heads down as if scared. We can also see the sadness on their faces. At this point in the story, Vladek talks about the struggles he and Anja faced. The loss of who they are on the inside and outside shows their sense of unhappiness.