Maus

In Maus by Art Speigelman, the hardships and the struggle to survive during the Holocaust, are revealed with the help of Speigelman and his father, Vladek, who was actually a Jew living in Europe at the time. In the novel, the people are represented with animals. Cats represent Nazi’s, while Jews are displayed as mice. The Nazi's are cats because according to our understanding, cats and mice are easily shown as predator and prey, showing the Nazi's ability to wipe out vermin and also their superiority. Also in the books Polish people are displayed as pigs. Although this is a graphic novel, this book is frightening, and it gives us an idea as to how much people suffered at the time.

The first hardship shown is when Jews, such as Vladek, are drafted to fight against Nazi’s and are taken from their families. They were taken from their families, thousands not lucky enough to ever see their friends and family members ever again. However, soon the Jews are taken captive and have to live in tents outside in the freezing weather, going through constant sickness, and starvation. Many thousands of people died, especially when they were taken to Auschwitz and put into gas chambers. Also not only in those camps did they experience their own suffering, but saw there young ones killed, “Most they took were kids- some only 2 or 3 years old. Some kids were screaming and crying. They couldn’t stop. So the Germans swinged them by the legs against a wall and they never anymore screamed (108).” Most of these kids were no older than 5 years old and they were killed so suddenly for doing something that should usually occur at such a young age, crying.

I think that it’s unfair that Jews were put under such stress and suffering. Moreover, having to witness the deaths of their children, and having to scavenge around for food as it’s shown in the scene when Vladek finds wood to “relieve” him and Anja from their hunger. None of relatives went through this, but still according to Jewishvirtuallibrary.org and estimated 6 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust.  However Art Speigelman’s Maus gives me an idea as to how times were like for people during the Holocaust.