One thing that I appreciated with Maus is the overlap of the father's story with the dynamic between the father and son thrown in. The style that it was written in made you feel like you could've been talking to the father itself, and it also provided some context as to where the character was now and how they grew after this experience. I feel like this also provides the ethos for the audience, as we feel like we are in the room listening to the story, asking Vladek to rewind, go back, or talk more about a certain subject. Maus story details the harsh conditions that the father had to go through during the war and everything he had to face as a Jewish person.
I believe that the reason this is so successful is for how important this work is in retelling the events that happened. Additionally, the characters are portrayed as simple mice or other animals, which I believe helps others see the condition as more than just one group of people or another; readers can identify the core of what was happening and because of the simplistic character designs, they are able to put themselves in the place of characters. The character choices as animals also softens the blow of the information; Maus is a heavy story, and the author is aware of this. By using animals, the audience is just focused on the conflicts between the different groups of people, not the specific group; it also help shed light on the fact that people were only seen as this group of people at that time, and not as individuals themselves.
Additionally, through the simplistic character designs, audiences are easily able to project themselves onto the characters and are able to truly feel the complexities of what is happening. I felt like this piece was very similar to Barefoot Gen in terms of how powerful the content was. Because they are so visual, it creates a longer, lasting impact to people rather than just detailing numbers of how many were injured or died. This gives a slight visualization to the pain and suffering of a generation. It is hard not to empathize or imagine what the main character is going through after you see such powerful images such as this:
I think Maus is great at detailing how people are changed from their experiences. You see Art's father act just like Art and receive the same responses, especially when Vladek says that the stew is very tasty and his grandmother says it is not because of the limited supplies. It is very reminiscent to Art saying the dinner Mala had prepared was great, and Vladek commenting about its faults. Later, you see that it is really just an affect of how much he misses Anja, and you really feel for him. The first book ends with Art calling his father a murderer, and after just reading about how he went to Auschwitz, it's a deeply moving account. You're able to understand both sides, and you really feel the pain that they're going through.
It's in Volume 2 that you see more of what Art is going through, and see how he's been dealing with the pain that was passed down to him.
The comic was only a form for him to get these stories out. He talks on how hard it was for Maus to have success, because now people are expecting more from him, and they're expecting answers he doesn't have. He brings up an important point about his story-- it wasn't necessarily the best that survived. It was just random luck. I think that brings even more perspective to the story, because you really understand that in order to survive Auschwitz, you can to be cunning and resourceful.
I think Maus was a very powerful read, and it's not hard to imagine why it was so widespread. The affect it has upon the reader is tremendous, and the personal story makes you feel for everyone involved.
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