The Sheik In Maus

The Sheik is the first chapter in part one of the graphic novel Maus. Because, it is the first chapter, it is really being used as setup for the rest of story. It introduces our key characters and settings. All in all, Maus is about memories being passed down from generation to generation. We see how these memories of the past have a huge impact on the character’s present lives and future lives. Artie and his father Vladek are not particularly close. Artie decides to visit his father one day. There he asks his father to tell him about his life. At first Vladek is reluctant stating that it would take too long and no one would be interested in hearing his story. This book is really a love story; Though Vladek seems shallow and self-interested

Unlike Lucia, Anja shows the demur manners expected of women at this time.in this chapter we see that Vladek is the love interest of two young ladies.. This story sets a very key romantic relationship for Vladek. His relationship Anja is really the driving force behind all of the chapters. You can tell that his love for her and her death has really done a number on Vladeck. This is apparent to Artie who states that Anja’s death and his heart attacks has aged his father not the years he spent during the Holocaust. He was sexually involved with Lucia but he never loved her. Vladek described her as very beautiful, but still he was not in love with her. He chose Anja over her. He chose not Anja not because other money but because of her kindness. This is what keeps them together throughout all their trials and tribulations. The telling and writing of this story has let Art and Vladek develop their relationship. They are father and son who do not show their love but by telling Vladek’s story they are able to understand each other

it is surprising that Vladek should start his story with memories of ordinary life in Poland. These memories remind Artie that Vladek is more than the violence he has experienced. It is very one-sided, a reader can tell that there is a very clear bias coming from an older Jewish man. This is seen when Vladek makes the remark about how people said he looked likes Rudolph Valentino who was a very famous actor in the 1920s and a notorious ladies man (which Vladeck was). This actor was in a movie during the time period named “The Sheik” which may be the reason this tittle of the chapter is that. A poster of the movie can be seen behind Vladek as he exercising on his stationary bike. Though this chapter is really does not go into the details of the holocaust it pegs the question how can one really understand it if you never lived through something like that. Taking down his father’s memories and recreating them on the page may not just be a concern with artistic realism, but Artie own attempt to connect with his father on a deeper level. We see Artie listening and writing notes to the things his father says but he will never really understand the extent of the Holocaust. We can always ask the people who actually lived. We can read the primary sources and look at pictures and watch documentaries but we will never truly understand because we never lived