Family or just strangers.

     I have read the book "Maus" by Art Speigelmen's at east ten times and have loved it even more each time. The book is about World War two and the Holocaust, so you would expect it to be along five hundred page book, instead it is a graphic novel. The story is Speigelmen's interpretation if his fathers survival story. The book portraits the survival story through carefully draw panels with numerous small details that add to the panels, and the story as a whole. It is filled with anecdotes along with horrifying stories that make you shiver. While reading the book one part stood out to me the most.

     After years living the normal life, the war comes to Poland where Vladek (Spiegelmen's father) is living. Him and his family go into hiding. To their dismay they are eventually captured and taken to a building to wait until they are taken away to the camps. While waiting, Vladek see's his cousin. He screams to him and ask's for help. His cousin responds saying that their is nothing he can do. When Vladek makes signs that he can pay him for help, his cousin all of a sudden has a way to help him. This part of the book stood out to me and made me think. We help out our family all the time. We clean the house, we help with dinner, we are always willing to lend a hand. The only difference we are not in world war too where our lives are at stake, we are not in constant danger. The difference is tremendous, but in both situations we are still family, and as people say "family comes first".

     If someone asked me how I would act if I was in Vladeks cousin's position, I would try and help my family. My first thought would be of course. I would always do whatever I could to help my family. When you look at it the other way, they as well as you are in a life or death situation. Who knows what would happen if he tried to help him. I mean jews in the during world war two were shot at just for fun, it was seen as a sport among German officers. Vladeks cousin could have been shot just for turning around while he was on work duty. I think it is sick that his cousin wouldn't help him if there wasn't anything in their for him.