My Take on Maus – A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History
Maus – A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History Part 1 by Art Spiegelman is a humanist, unique and hard hitting take on the plight of the Jews during the Second World War. World War 2 and its inhuman atrocities have been documented across mediums, be it films, novels, poetries, documentaries, etc. Hence, any art form’s claim to uniqueness which is dealing with this theme becomes preposterous. But this is certainly not the case with Maus – A Survivor’s Tale for it documents the survivor’s account which happens to be Art Spiegelman’s father through the medium of comic strips. Also, its uniqueness doesn’t cease with its unusual choice of medium but it continues in the characterization. Spiegelman very innovatively portrays the different ethnicities as animals, for example the Jews are portrayed as mouse, the Polish as pigs, the Germans as cats, and the Americans as dogs. Though it portrays the characters as animals yet the characters retain uncanny human characters and resemblances.
World War 2 like every other war is a blot on humanity, the way it impacted all those who were involved in the war directly or indirectly is unfortunate. It’s a difficult experience and a painful memory for every survivor to evoke. But, no matter how painful a memory is, it is imperative that we share it with others, it is a sort of defence mechanism employed by human body to protect itself from its traumatic psyche. Yet it’s a challenging path to tread as it’s very difficult to express such painful experiences and more often than not such reminiscences turn out be maudlin. It is imperative that the author/poet/director remains true to the experience especially if they are telling the story of someone else. Spiegelman strikes the right chord in capturing in frames the story of his father through the war years. Also, his chosen medium and his unique portrayal of the characters make the book and the story of his father different from that of other survivors yet retaining its universal appeal, in that it speaks to every human irrespective of time and place.
Generally, comic strip is believed to be a childish, non-serious art form. Spiegelman’s choosing comic strip despite all the prejudices associated with it for such a serious theme, speaks volumes in itself about the tragi-comic nature of life. But nowhere does Spiegelman trivialises the seriousness of the theme he is dealing with. The whole work is a perfect blend of seriousness and ease, past and the present, light and dark, with the underlying motif that no matter what life goes on.
I appreciate the fact that instead of situating the narrative in the actual time span of the war, Spiegelman told the story in retrospect while giving snippets of their present life. Thereby demonstrating that war is not an isolated event continuing from one point to another in the timeline of history, rather it’s a pervasive event which continues to permeate and impact the lives of those who were directly or indirectly involved in it long after its cessation in the historical records. I also liked that Spiegelman did not sugar-coat the story; he is honest to his readers in that he does not modify the story according to his own convenience or to make it more palatable. He presents all the characters as they were with all their flaws and faults, including his father, without deifying or villainizing any of them.
Spiegelman’s use of animal to portray the human characters adds depth to the narrative. As stated before, the animal caricatures are uncannily human. This obviously signifies the animalistic nature of humans which was full-flegedly unleashed during the war years. But what really strikes me is that he uses different animals to represent different ethnicities. Thereby falsifying the pervasive notions of the equality of humans, the common brotherhood, etc. which had already been shattered by war, where the institutions of family, relationship, etc. were called into question, let alone the notion of common brotherhood among humans. Here I quote a dialogue of Vladek to validate my argument:
“At that time it wasn’t any more families. It was everybody to take care for himself.”
Though Spiegelman uses mouse and cat to portray the Jews and the Germans respectively yet it is a far cry from the usual trope of the cat and mouse chase. Merely being a Jew/mouse by the accident of birth doesn’t guarantee that one will not turn out to be a cat when it is convenient for them, such as the Jewish police. Thereby reiterating that there is no inherent sense of bonding between people even though they may belong to a same community, and that community may be the basis of their identity.
This book which chronicles Spiegelman’s father’s life from his youth and marriage in pre-war Poland to imprisonment in Auschwitz presents the horrors of the war without sensationalizing them. It’s an accurate, detached yet humane first hand account of the horrors of the war, how it impacted the survivors throughout their lives and the strained relationship of the survivors with their families. The book ends somewhat abruptly leaving the reader gasping for more, but thankfully the second instalment of the Maus had already been published.
It is surely a one of a kind book, and reading it has been a unique experience for me. It is not just a regular graphic novel that is appreciated for its aesthetic value. It employs the simple comic strip that frequently appears in newspapers and magazines, and to tell such a poignant tale through so simplistic a medium is truly laudable. Though Spiegelman subverts artistic reality yet through his art plunges the reader into world of Vladek and his struggle for life during the war years. Though Maus chronicles the horrors of war yet it is not a grim tale; an optimistic streak runs throughout the narrative reaffirming life and hope. I am really glad that I stumbled upon this unconventional gem; this is one such book which finds its reader when the time is ripe.
I will end my review with one of my favourite dialogues from the book:
“No, Darling! To die, it’s easy… but you have to struggle for life!”
My rating – An absolute 5 star for this gem of a book.
World War 2 like every other war is a blot on humanity, the way it impacted all those who were involved in the war directly or indirectly is unfortunate. It’s a difficult experience and a painful memory for every survivor to evoke. But, no matter how painful a memory is, it is imperative that we share it with others, it is a sort of defence mechanism employed by human body to protect itself from its traumatic psyche. Yet it’s a challenging path to tread as it’s very difficult to express such painful experiences and more often than not such reminiscences turn out be maudlin. It is imperative that the author/poet/director remains true to the experience especially if they are telling the story of someone else. Spiegelman strikes the right chord in capturing in frames the story of his father through the war years. Also, his chosen medium and his unique portrayal of the characters make the book and the story of his father different from that of other survivors yet retaining its universal appeal, in that it speaks to every human irrespective of time and place.
Generally, comic strip is believed to be a childish, non-serious art form. Spiegelman’s choosing comic strip despite all the prejudices associated with it for such a serious theme, speaks volumes in itself about the tragi-comic nature of life. But nowhere does Spiegelman trivialises the seriousness of the theme he is dealing with. The whole work is a perfect blend of seriousness and ease, past and the present, light and dark, with the underlying motif that no matter what life goes on.
I appreciate the fact that instead of situating the narrative in the actual time span of the war, Spiegelman told the story in retrospect while giving snippets of their present life. Thereby demonstrating that war is not an isolated event continuing from one point to another in the timeline of history, rather it’s a pervasive event which continues to permeate and impact the lives of those who were directly or indirectly involved in it long after its cessation in the historical records. I also liked that Spiegelman did not sugar-coat the story; he is honest to his readers in that he does not modify the story according to his own convenience or to make it more palatable. He presents all the characters as they were with all their flaws and faults, including his father, without deifying or villainizing any of them.
Spiegelman’s use of animal to portray the human characters adds depth to the narrative. As stated before, the animal caricatures are uncannily human. This obviously signifies the animalistic nature of humans which was full-flegedly unleashed during the war years. But what really strikes me is that he uses different animals to represent different ethnicities. Thereby falsifying the pervasive notions of the equality of humans, the common brotherhood, etc. which had already been shattered by war, where the institutions of family, relationship, etc. were called into question, let alone the notion of common brotherhood among humans. Here I quote a dialogue of Vladek to validate my argument:
“At that time it wasn’t any more families. It was everybody to take care for himself.”
Though Spiegelman uses mouse and cat to portray the Jews and the Germans respectively yet it is a far cry from the usual trope of the cat and mouse chase. Merely being a Jew/mouse by the accident of birth doesn’t guarantee that one will not turn out to be a cat when it is convenient for them, such as the Jewish police. Thereby reiterating that there is no inherent sense of bonding between people even though they may belong to a same community, and that community may be the basis of their identity.
This book which chronicles Spiegelman’s father’s life from his youth and marriage in pre-war Poland to imprisonment in Auschwitz presents the horrors of the war without sensationalizing them. It’s an accurate, detached yet humane first hand account of the horrors of the war, how it impacted the survivors throughout their lives and the strained relationship of the survivors with their families. The book ends somewhat abruptly leaving the reader gasping for more, but thankfully the second instalment of the Maus had already been published.
It is surely a one of a kind book, and reading it has been a unique experience for me. It is not just a regular graphic novel that is appreciated for its aesthetic value. It employs the simple comic strip that frequently appears in newspapers and magazines, and to tell such a poignant tale through so simplistic a medium is truly laudable. Though Spiegelman subverts artistic reality yet through his art plunges the reader into world of Vladek and his struggle for life during the war years. Though Maus chronicles the horrors of war yet it is not a grim tale; an optimistic streak runs throughout the narrative reaffirming life and hope. I am really glad that I stumbled upon this unconventional gem; this is one such book which finds its reader when the time is ripe.
I will end my review with one of my favourite dialogues from the book:
“No, Darling! To die, it’s easy… but you have to struggle for life!”
My rating – An absolute 5 star for this gem of a book.
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