By Junior Alyna Rei

Student bloggers went in search of something comic that conveyed something profound. Alyna recalls the graphic novel set Maus that she read as a sophomore. She liked it.

I am not the biggest fan of reading history books or learning about history in general. Not that I hate history. I just don’t have the biggest interest in it. But, there is an exception. In my 10th-grade English class, I read Maus by Art Spiegelman. This story was split into two books, and I actually enjoyed reading both. Despite this story being pretty famous, it was actually voted to be banned by a school board in Tennessee (nytimes.com). 

The two books take place during the Holocaust. The Jews display as Mice, the Germans as Cats, Americans as dogs, and the Polish as pigs. 

The First Book, Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale – My Father Bleeds History

We start off with our main character, Vladek, who was a survivor of the Holocaust. Vladek is telling his experience of the Holocaust to his son, Artie (who is a depiction of Art Spiegelman himself). As well, we see the story of Vladek’s wife and Artie’s mother, Anja. We first experience their regular lives before the Holocaust began and then see a complete switch up over time. We go into the beginning part of Auschwitz at the conclusion of Book I and basically the onslaught of the Holocaust. In Book I, we don’t see the couple in the camps. Rather it’s a run down of the beginning tragedies of the Holocaust: such as people losing their jobs, their homes, their neighborhoods, their livelihoods, their lives, etc.

The Second Book, Maus II: A Survivor’s Pain – And Here My Troubles Began

The second book is set in the middle of the Holocaust. Vladek is trying to get to his wife, Anja, since the two are separated into different gender camps in Auschwitz. Art Spielgelman does drive us into the characters’ arrival at Auschwitz. This book gives us a more detailed presentation on how the Holocaust appeared through Vladek’s perspective. We see Vladek trying to survive in the camp, desperately working for sufficient food, clothing, shelter, and possible escape for Anja and himself. We still see contemporary scenes between Vladek and Artie, but we also do go back into the past.

My Opinion

I actually prefer the first book over the second. The first book gave me a good understanding of what the Holocaust was about after seeing Vladik’s developing story. You see the mice having a regular life, and then you see that life chipped away, and eventually lost. I feel that this graphic novel is a better book from which to learn about the Holocaust than to read a nonfiction book for students. When you read Maus, yes, it is a little graphic. We see graphic depictions of dead bodies. But, the book gives you a good understanding of what the Holocaust tragedy was rather than reading dry facts. You get to stand in the characters’ shoes.

This book had an effect on me more than the rest of the books I read in 10th grade as I was able to learn about the Holocaust more. I do recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the Holocaust because it gives you moving insight about the tragedy of the Holocaust while capitalizing on a compelling stereotype regarding cats and mice.