Week 7: Maus and the Legitimization of the Graphic Novel

I was surprised by how much I ended up enjoying Maus after reading it. The art style and story were far from what I usually read, hence my initial hesitation. All the same, I became deeply invested into the story barely a few pages in, and by the end of the book I found myself wanting to read more. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to obtain a copy of the second volume online, but I might pick it up the next time I go to the library.

While the art style put me off at first, I eventually grew used to it. I initially had thought it strange that Spiegelman would use such a simplistic, cartoony art style to depict such serious and horrifying events. I later grew to appreciate it, however. I understand that using cats, pigs, and mice instead of humans was pretty effective, in its own way. In some scenes, such as depictions of the holocaust victims being hanged and displayed for the public to see, it was even more surreal to see them as mice rather than humans.

I also wasn’t expecting the story to be so personal. The story told by Art had a lot of his and his father’s very own experiences. While this is hardly the first firsthand experience being told through a holocaust prisoner’s eyes, it is the very first one I read that came in the form of a graphic novel instead of a memoir. It’s also interesting to note that the author of the story wasn’t told by Vladek, the victim, but instead through his son, Art.

There were two parts in particular that stood out to me. The first was the scene with Art yelling about his mother turning him into a murderer while he was behind bars. Add to the fact that he had been institutionalized, and one can’t help but feel sorry for him. The next is the scene where he calls his father a murderer. Both were very chilling scenes and left the deepest impressions upon me after finishing the book.

I was also heavily affected by the movie we watched during class, Barefoot Gen. I recall watching it just last year in another class of mine, though at the time I hadn’t known that I didn’t finish the entire movie. Back then, we had stopped at the part where the bomb just set off; I had no idea that there was a continuation afterwards of the surviving members of the family. At the time, I recall being shocked by the absolute mood whiplash and equally abrupt ending, but I understand now that it ends on a more hopeful note.

This week in general had touched on topics that are very heavy such as the bombing of Hiroshima and the Holocaust. I’m glad that the mediums they were portrayed through were anime (and initially manga) and graphic novels. It just goes to show how effective it is when people can use visuals to aid and further their understanding of the topic, and connect with the author in a much deeper level.