Reflections on Maus Peer Feedback
Originally posted by WoahWoah on February 10, 2025 08:41
I believe that Spiegelman’s use of the comic form is effective in conveying the emotional and historical weight of the Holocaust because it gives us a visual that other sources couldn’t provide. There’s many different works that discuss the Holocaust and the Jewish community experiences, but none of them truly reveal the trauma and suffering the way that Maus does. Even though it doesn’t use real people in its illustrations Maus at times can be horrifyingly graphic Throughout the graphic novel we see Jewish homes and businesses taken from them, unjust massacres, and overall just the dehumanization of the Jewish people. Reading the atrocities that happened to the Jews is one thing, but actually having a visual and a personal account gives the horror a more real and emotional feeling. The depiction of Germans, Poles, and Jews as animals is another key detail that adds so much depth to the graphic novel. Germans being cats and the Jews as mice is an easy connection. Similarly to Tom and Jerry the Jews are play things for the Germans, the Germans as the dominate group in their society did whatever they saw fit. A key detail that I found important in the illustration was the Poles depiction as pigs, I found that it symbolized how some Polish people behavior and attitude towards Jews was purely disgusting. Comparative to the Germans, they weren’t as bad but many Poles treated the Jewish people terribly, purely due to biases and their status within German society.
The format of the graphic novel supports movement between the past and the present because panels give comprehensible transitions between the past and the present, with the visuals we understand when it’s Vladek speaking in the moment and speaking in the interview. With only words it would be hard to convey the difference between the interview and Vladek’s Holocaust perspective, while also portraying Vladek’s personal experiences, his traumas and reflection and Artie’s personal struggles simultaneously. Being able to do all of this effectively on the same page would have been impossible with just words, many feel as if the comic book design takes away from the story but I believe that it only enhances it. It allows us to have a deeper understanding of each characters personal lives, enhancing our understanding and emotional connection to every character. While also making the story more approachable, as it will naturally be more appealing to a younger audience due to the advanced visuals. The visuals make the story of the Holocaust retain in young minds easier, without being purely horrified and disconnected with the topic. In society we hear terrible stories and we turn a blind eye to it, but through Maus the content can be enjoyed and the meaning is still carried out throughout the graphic novel.
My argument against that the medium lacks the seriousness that is needed is that while reading the graphic novel there wasn’t a single moment where unnecessary humor was added. Maus is not a comic book, it’s a documentary in novel form, the simplicity of most of the art and the lack of color shows that the drawings weren’t the main focus of the graphic novel but the story was the intent. The drawings only adds to the story and grab the attention of the reader, I believe those who can’t see past the fact it has drawings in it are the issue. To not recognize the work and take this story because of the drawings and symbolic meaning within it makes no sense.
I agree with WoahWoah’s analysis of the use of illustration in the graphic novel Maus, as it definitely provides the reader with a more visual representation of the events taking place as well as makes it easier to understand the connection between past and present. The fact that the characters are portrayed as animals rather than humans is also useful for understanding Art’s goals, as the different animals illustrate different aspects of our humanity that take on an animalistic feel. I believe that WoahWoah did well in making an argument against the criticism that Maus being in graphic novel form takes away the seriousness of the topic, by giving examples of how it helps rather than hinders one’s ability to read and comprehend the story. I liked the bit about how it can widen the target audience, and makes it easier for younger readers to handle and internalize the point of the book. I also liked how WoahWoah explained the roles of different groups in the book based on the animal that Spiegelman chose to illustrate them. One thing that I think could have enhanced this reflection would be discussing the different styles of illustration that appear throughout the book to give a different feel that would be difficult through words.