MAUS

Maus was one of the best books I've ever read. The story was so compelling and well-written. It is about the experience of Vladek Spiegelman as a Jew in Poland during WWII. Vladek's son Art Spiegelman wrote the novel from his lens, juxtaposing the events of WWII and Vladek's life after the war. The novel portrays humans as animals: specifically, just the heads and faces, the rest of the body is drawn as human. Although the story is sorrowful, the narrative's juxtaposition of past and present instills hope in the reader's minds, by showing a brighter future. Maus is very different from all the other Holocaust stories. Mainly because of the unexpected perspective of Art Spiegelman, and his increasing struggle with intergenerational trauma as he becomes more intertwined with his father's story. At the start of Maus V II, he worries that he has portrayed Vladek negatively to show a truthful account of what happened before, during, and after the war. Even though Vladek is portrayed as the villain in their family, I feel like it is Artie who should be portrayed that way. Artie only went to meet his dad for his story. He didn't care about Vladek's health or his relationships. He always tried to avoid responsibility and blamed Vladek whenever possible. Vladek however has always been the opposite. During the war, he struggled so much for his family's survival, and he continued to fight for his health even after the war.