Maus Vladek Quotes

To start, Vladek’s choices can teach us that what is on the inside is more important than what is on the outside. In the graphic novel Maus, by Art Spiegelman, the text states, “‘Mom wasn’t that attractive, huh?’ ‘Not so like Lucia.. But if you talked a little to her, you started loving her more and more’” (Spiegelman 18). In the end, Vladek chooses Anja over Lucia. However, he does not choose her because she is more pretty, he chooses her over Lucia because he feels that she is smarter and kinder. From his decision, we can learn that what is on the inside is more important than what is on the outside. For example, at some point, I might be at school, and there might be another student trying to befriend me. However, they never talk, and they

The sign states, “Workers Needed: War Prisoners may volunteer for labor assignments to replace German workers called to the front. Housing and abundant food will be supplied… ‘When my comrades saw I was going; they too registered’” (Spiegelman 54-55). Vladek understands the risks when he volunteers for labor assignments. He knows that it could possibly be a trap, and that he might die if he volunteers. However, he takes the risk, and it pays off, allowing him to have a warm bed, food, and a chance to escape German confinement. Vladek’s decision to volunteer for labor assignments teaches us that we need to take risks to achieve our goals. To demonstrate this lesson, we might be working on a presentation, and we have an idea about how we want to do the presentation that is different from the normal way that people present it. After our presentation, we find out that we got the best grade in the class, and one of the primary reasons is how creative and unique our presentation was, and how we took a risk in making it different. All in all, even though we like to avoid risks and the danger they bring, if we want to advance in life, we have to take some of

Spiegelman writes, “‘We leave the day after tomorrow from the Katowice train station’ and finally I convinced her” (Spiegelman 154). As soon as Vladek sees the letter from Abraham he is of the mindset that they should go to Hungary. He does not take a second to consider the fact that it could be a trap, or think about the risks involved with taking help from smugglers who are just working for money. Because he does not consider the possibilities, Anja and him get caught and sent to Auschwitz. His decision to go to Hungary can teach us that it is important to fully think through our actions before we act. To exemplify this lesson, I might be looking to invest in stocks, and I see a stock that seems like its price has been increasing for the past few days. However, I look at the long term history of the stock, and realize that the stock is at the end of a spike, and is about to go down. Because of my research, I decide not to buy the stock, and I prevent myself from losing money on the stock. Sometimes, even though the solution to a problem might seem obvious and assured, it is important to consider all the information we have available to us before making a decision, as it can prevent us from making bad