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Complete Maus Sparknotes

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Art Spiegelman’s (1996) book The Complete Maus is a graphic novel in the genre of Life Writing. Art Spiegelman wrote this memoir in memory of his late father, Vladek Spiegelman. This Graphic Novel is divided into two parts (1986 & 1991) and delves into Vladek’s experiences during the Holocaust. The intended audience for this novel includes individuals intrigued by Vladek’s story, as well as fans of comics, with the majority being young adults. Spiegelman adamantly asserts that his novel is not intended as an “Auschwitz 101" or a replacement for historical texts. Instead, it is written from the perspective of a son trying to understand the life of his father. Stating that he was “retracing my memories and memories that were transferred to me.” …show more content…

Spiegelman employs this genre convention to represent the domino effects that led his father into such a traumatic period in his life. Early in the memoir, a scene is shown that depicts a conversation between Spiegelman and his father. The page begins with Art requesting his father’s permission to illustrate a novel about him. Stating “I still want to draw that book about you” (Spiegelman, 1996, p.12). This introduces the audience to Vladek, establishing him as a Jewish prisoner of War. In the second panel, Vladek explains how pedalling is good for him health-wise. Spiegelman uses this as an opportunity to symbolize how his father continues to remain stuck in the past. Vladek makes no effort to heal from his trauma as an Auschwitz survivor. In the next panel, it is clear to the audience that Vladek is reluctant to do so, saying “It would take many books, my life, and no one wants anyway to hear such stories” (Spiegelman, 1996, p.12). It is important to recognise the emphasis on the word many in this panel. The bold capitalization of the word makes it the focal point of that panel. Spiegelman's use of heavy graphic weight visually represents the burden carried by Vladek. As the gutter cuts to a new panel, Spiegelman momentarily ignores the convention of sequence as he reveals a holocaust

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The Holocaust was a terrible event that left few Jewish survivors. In the graphic novel “The Complete Maus”, (Maus I and Maus II), Art Spiegelman writes about his father’s personal experiences of surviving the Holocaust, while also showing Vladek and his problems in the 1970s-80s. The Holocaust stories consist of hiding in many bunkers and hiding spots, working in labor camps while starving, and using connections and bribes to survive just one more day. Vladek was fortunate to survive the Holocaust with his wife, who committed suicide later, and a few of his relatives. Close to 98% of Polish Jews were killed (Wikipedia), but Vladek managed to survive Auschwitz and other life-threatening situations.

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In Maus, Art Spiegelman records his personal accounts of trying to delve into his father’s traumatic past. His father, Vladek, is a Jew from Poland who survived persecution during World War II. Art wants to create a graphic novel about what his father went through during the Holocaust, so he reconnects with Vladek in order to do so. Due to the horrifying things that the Jews went through he has trouble opening up completely about all the things that happened to him. But after Art gets together with his father many times, he is finally able to understand the past legacy of the Spiegelman family.

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