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Symbolism In Maus By Art Spiegelman

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Maus is a graphic novel by Art Spiegelman that portrays Jews as mice and Nazis as cats during the holocaust. The author portrays animals of different races and nationalities that can serve for many different purposes and possible symbolism. The first idea that comes to why it is significant that the author portrays the different nationalities and races is because of the symbolism it serves. The Jews representing mice shows how the Jews are the victims of the Nazis. Proof of this is the Nazis being shown as cats throughout this novel which cats are known for attacking mice on instinct . This shows how the Jews in the story of Maus have faced abuse from the Nazi and shows their suffering during the holocaust. Secondly the author, Art Spiegelman,
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Within the book Maus the biggest and most obvious symbol is the animal analogy. To do this, the author placed the cats as the Nazis and the mice as Jews. As representing the Jews as mice, the author Spiegelman is showing an anti-semitic stereotype of Jews, as vermins or pests rather than human. As the Germans / Nazis are cats, they were made to be predators who prey on the Jewish mice. Within the book Night, the symbolism that portrayed a deep meaning were the flames and fire in the air; as the cattle car pulled up into Camp Auschwitz.

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The use of symbolism is a great way to understand pictures and ideas in literature. Numerous symbols are used in Art Spiegelman's comic book Maus: A Survivor's Tale to create thought-provoking panels that convey deeper meanings and emotions. The most prominent one Spiegelman employs is the analogy between Jews and Germans and cats and mice. The use of different animals to represent various ethnic groups highlights the dehumanizing impact of the Nazi regime while also creating a universal story about the human experience of trauma and survival. A specific passage that stood out to me was on pages 99-103.

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