Charlestown, Massachusetts, US
Posts: 13
Art Spiegelman's use of the comic in Maud is effective in showing both the emotional and historical weight of the Holocaust even though comics are often seen as a strange medium for this serious topic. This visual format lets Spiegelman communicate trauma in ways that traditional writings cannot by using imagery, symbolism, and panels to show memories, fear, and loss. Instead of downplaying the holocaust the graphic novel deepens the reader's emotional engagement and understanding of its lasting effects.
The comic format also shows the constant movement between past and present as Vladek tells his story to Art. Spigelman frequently shifts between scenes of Vladek recounting his experiences in Nazi Europe and moments in the present where Art struggles to record and understand his fathers memories. The back and forth is clear because of the panel which transitions easily across time without confusing the reader. For example in Maus I a single page shows Vladek describing Auschwitz while Art listens decades later reminding readers that the holocaust is not just a historical event but a living trauma that shapes relationships in the present. As Hillary Chutes explains in The Shadow of Past Time the graphic format allows past and present to exist simultaneously showing how memory interrupts and reshapes the present rather than staying separate from it.
Critics argue that by using comics to discuss the holiday it is lacking seriousness. They assume that cartoons simply reflect these events that should be treated with realism. Spiegelman directly challenged this idea by rejecting realistic imagery and using animals like jewish mice and nazi cats. This imagery doesn't downplay the horror of the vents but actually emphasizes the dehumanization that is extremely important to the holocaust. In Maus II Spiegelman addresses this concern by portraying himself as overwhelmed by the responsibility of representing the suffering and showing that he is aware of the moral weight of the subject.
Maus demonstrates that the comic form can be a respectful way to represent this historical trauma. By mixing visual storytelling with personal testimony and historical detail Spiegelman creates a work that captures both the facts of the holocaust and its emotional legacy. Chute argues that it makes the history not weakened but uniquely showing the complex impact.
Boston, Massachusetts, US
Posts: 10
The Use of Comic Form in Maus
No form of text can truly be effective in conveying the emotional and historical weight of the Holocaust. Videos from the scene get close by graphically and accurately showcasing some of the horror, but they can’t convey the emotions or thoughts of either the victims or the perpetrators as a first hand written account might. In general, the task of studying the Holocaust should come through multiple types of sources and be extensive. Still, the gravity may never be conceivable to those who simply hear or watch from a time distant in the future. That being said, the comic form is a valid and effective method of telling Vladek’s story. Art Spiegelman doesn’t intend for the reader to fully comprehend the Holocaust, but he gives us an individual story to remember, drawing clear connections between the traumatic past and more contemporary issues. As Chute claims, the spacing between images can act as a deliberate way to show the constant interaction between past and present, where everything hits at once and much of it can become confusing. The gutter space helps draw a distinct separation between past and present while acknowledging the overlap between the two.
Maus is an important and legitimate resource for Holocaust remembrance since it conveys important information, humanizes Jewish victims (ironically) through Vladek’s story, and does so in an accessible manner. Massive historical studies might be more comprehensive, but are usually only read by certain individuals who are already likely to be familiar with some of the historical weight of the situation. The comic form is accessible to young students, avid readers, and more casual adult audiences, filling in gaps Holocaust education. While seriousness is necessary in addressing the subject, a graphic novel does not necessarily compromise the sincerity of the message, but highlights other aspects, like the impact of the past on the present and how the Holocaust impacted Vladek’s family life. The scene on page 50 where Vladek returns to the body he shot dead is very hard to communicate in words. We see the emotion he feels and the authentic confusion when killing someone for the first time. The history of the individuals involved in the Holocaust could not have been consumed by such a large audience in another form. The graphic novel is appropriate for what Maus is, not the perfected Holocaust story meant to relay the entire history, but the story of a single Holocaust survivor and his family.
Boston, Massachusetts, US
Posts: 9
The Use of Comic Form in Maus
Often the hardest part of history is the subjectivity of it. Yes, there is the matter of recordkeeping and conservation, but once that job is done, how is that information communicated in a way that is “correct”? How should people remember this event? History is, above all, a matter of good communication. That matter in regards to the Holocaust is not who to side with, clearly, but instead how their trauma should be remembered. It’s a controversial topic, spanning film, literature, memorial sites, and beyond. While Spiegelman’s approach to this in Maus I and Maus II is definitely unorthodox, that unorthodox thinking might be exactly what history needs.
A main critique of the books is that the comic form makes the Holocaust seem more trivial, almost childish. I believe the comic form does quite the opposite; it takes an art form that’s meant to be light-hearted and targeted towards younger audiences and turns it on its head. The sole idea of diverging from the classic purpose of comic form, even ignoring the fact that these gruesome images are being shown, makes it all the more jarring.
Comic form also makes the common advice of “show, not tell” much easier. In Maus, Spiegelman uses his illustrations to repesent Art’s struggle with identity and trauma. Spiegelman and others are shown wearing a mask in Maus II, as he fears he is simply performing this identity for others. His shrinking in size, to the point where he looks like a child, can both represent how vulnerable and weak he feels, and also regression as a coping strategy. In a comic, it’s harder to
Another key way Spiegelman communicates the messages, emotions, and relationship between past and present is not actually the illustrations, but the boxes themselves in which the illustrations are contained. Take, for example, the large middle panel on page 63. The panel depicts Nazis shooting 600 people- an event so horrifying Spiegelman believed it shouldn’t be contained by borders. The use of borders also helps clarify the time frame. Right under this middle panel on page 63, Vladek is depicted talking to Art, with no borders around him. Past events are mainly in boxes because these are things that cannot be changed, boxed into this spot of history. As the scenes of the Holocaust become more overwhelming, not only do they feel impossible for the borders to contain, but as such, the past- they leak into the present and future, a reminder of the effect of these events on today. Another interesting example of borders and time is on page 118, the panels with Vladek telling Art his stories. Every other panel is boxed in in a checkboard batten, representative of Vladek’s inability to feel present and ove on from the Holocaust. Spiegelman himself emphasizes the importance of these borders himself: “You’re always, in comics, being made aware of different times inhabiting the same space”. This only emphasizes the intentionality of the panels.
Maybe there is not a “correct” way to share history. However, there is an effective way, and Spiegelman has done just that.
Charlestown, Massachusetts, US
Posts: 13
Originally posted by
Orso on January 30, 2026 14:30
No form of text can truly be effective in conveying the emotional and historical weight of the Holocaust. Videos from the scene get close by graphically and accurately showcasing some of the horror, but they can’t convey the emotions or thoughts of either the victims or the perpetrators as a first hand written account might. In general, the task of studying the Holocaust should come through multiple types of sources and be extensive. Still, the gravity may never be conceivable to those who simply hear or watch from a time distant in the future. That being said, the comic form is a valid and effective method of telling Vladek’s story. Art Spiegelman doesn’t intend for the reader to fully comprehend the Holocaust, but he gives us an individual story to remember, drawing clear connections between the traumatic past and more contemporary issues. As Chute claims, the spacing between images can act as a deliberate way to show the constant interaction between past and present, where everything hits at once and much of it can become confusing. The gutter space helps draw a distinct separation between past and present while acknowledging the overlap between the two.
Maus is an important and legitimate resource for Holocaust remembrance since it conveys important information, humanizes Jewish victims (ironically) through Vladek’s story, and does so in an accessible manner. Massive historical studies might be more comprehensive, but are usually only read by certain individuals who are already likely to be familiar with some of the historical weight of the situation. The comic form is accessible to young students, avid readers, and more casual adult audiences, filling in gaps Holocaust education. While seriousness is necessary in addressing the subject, a graphic novel does not necessarily compromise the sincerity of the message, but highlights other aspects, like the impact of the past on the present and how the Holocaust impacted Vladek’s family life. The scene on page 50 where Vladek returns to the body he shot dead is very hard to communicate in words. We see the emotion he feels and the authentic confusion when killing someone for the first time. The history of the individuals involved in the Holocaust could not have been consumed by such a large audience in another form. The graphic novel is appropriate for what Maus is, not the perfected Holocaust story meant to relay the entire history, but the story of a single Holocaust survivor and his family.
Your post's most compelling idea is the claim that Maus is effective because it does not try to make the Holocaust understandable but instead preserves it through an individual story in parts. I agree with this point. It's interesting because it challenges the belief that historical works must cover everything to be meaningful. You point that Spiegelman wants readers to remember Vladek's experience instead of fully understanding the Holocaust is very convincing. The use of Chutes' idea about gutter space is strong since it clearly explains how the comics format shows the overlap between past and present trauma.This post also connects to others like some peers. You argue that traditional historical texts often only reach a smaller audience while Maus is accessible to students and other readers. What makes your post stand out is that you clearly explain why accessibility does not mean a loss of seriousness. You show that the graphic novel format can still treat the Holocaust with respect while highlighting long term emotional effects. My own views are similar especially with the power of visuals. I agree that some moments like Vladek returning to the body he shot would be much harder to communicate through text alone. The image allows readers to see confusion and emotional shock without needing a detailed explanation.
Boston, Massachusetts, US
Posts: 11
Use of Comic Form
Art Spiegelman, a second generation survivor of the Holocaust and American cartoonist, depicts the story of his father, Vladek Spiegelman, in the form of a graphic novel. His use of color, shading, symbolism, and expression adds to the emotional impact of the story in itself, conveying the Holocaust as Vladek lived through it as well as Vladek recalls it with gravity and weight. Art’s jumping from the past to the present is utilized to further emphasize the lasting impact that the horrors of the Holocaust had on his father, as well as other survivors such as Mala, who was married to Vladek, and Anna, who was Art’s mother and Vladek’s wife before she passed. In several scenes, specifically one on page 12 of Maus, Vladek is depicted with extra shading, which illustrates how the Holocaust weighs greatly upon him. Another tool utilized by Art Spiegelman is symbolism, and his depiction of different peoples in his novel as different animals: Jewish people as mice, German people as cats, Polish people as pigs, and American people as dogs. His play on certain social stereotypes that surround the animals is representative of the social stereotypes that surround the communities depicted in the novel. For example, a common trope widely known is the cat-and-mouse storyline, in which the cat is the pursuer and the mouse is the pursued; the trope was popularized by the children's television series known as “Tom and Jerry”, a cartoon where the cat relentlessly targets the mouse. These roles of antagonist and victim are symbolized by the Nazis’ persistent stalking of Jewish communities, and the atrocities made by the Nazis against Jews. The pig, however, is not a part of this cat-and-mouse trope, calling attention to the passive witnessing by, not all, but some Polish people during the Holocaust. In one particular scene, Vladek and his friend ask a Polish farmer for help, but are denied (Spiegelman 109). An article published in 2013 titled “Intergenerational transmission of trauma in Spiegelman’s Maus” agrees: “In using anthropomorphic animals, Spiegelman uses cartoon conventions, in particular the antagonism between cats and mice, to express the nature of predatory perpetrators, victims and bystanders.” Spiegelman’s use of animal imagery allows him to further place emphasis on the nature of each population during the Holocaust, highlighting the cruelty of Holocaust perpetrators, the oppression of Holocaust victims, and the separation of Holocaust bystanders.
Brighton, Massachusetts, US
Posts: 10
Spiegelman’s use of the comic form is effective in conveying both the emotional and historical weight of the Holocaust, and in fact, its unique form offers it new pathways to communicate these things. First, it is in a visual medium, so unlike in a book or a data table, details are able to be visualized. But, unlike in something like a movie as well, which does have that visual element, comics are often less polished, and this rawness is something valuable as well that makes the story more human and visceral: for example, page 72 (a visualization of prisoners being burned alive). Additionally, in a comic, it is easier to jump between timelines and be more “meta” because, being fundamentally a series of still images, less explaining is needed to understand how the story got from one place to another; you can just see it. In Maus, the time jumping element is something crucial to the story and which it executes very well. There’s two main timelines: the relative present, where Art is talking to Vladek and going through his own struggles, and the past, where Vladek is recounting his life. You are able to see how the past is influencing the present, all at once, through the different panels and deep symbolism, as Chute notes in page 45: “Artie’s body, then--in the act of writing, of recording--is visually figured as the link between past and present, disrupting any attempt to set apart Vladek’s history from the discursive situation from the present”.There are many arguments against comics as an adequate medium for discussing the Holocaust. The Holocaust is an event that requires deep and thoughtful discussion, which comics, as some argue, by their nature, may not be able to do. Comics are generally simple drawings, which even at their most symbolic can still appear like a satirization of events because of their appearance. Maus in particular was criticized for its use of anthropomorphic mice and other animals, all looking the same, to represent different groups of people. Although, Spiegelman did this intentionally to mirror how these different people were categorized and depersonalized by the Nazi party, as well as to have the metaphor of the Nazis themselves being cats and the Jews being mice. Whether his vision was able to come through or was detrimental to the story is up to personal opinion.
Boston, Massachusetts, US
Posts: 11
I think that Siegelman's use of the committed form is very effective in portraying the emotional and historical weight of the holocaust because through his animations he is able to show human experience in a slightly removed way, making the media more digestible. Through his comic, he uses different animals to represent different races and uses a lot of mass imagery. Without the clear difference in animals, the mask imagery would be hard to understand and visualize. I think that through the illustrations much of the story is told instead of relying slowly on the words which also captivate a larger number of readers and a larger audience. Aside from conveying, the emotional history is also told. Through this comic and allows readers to learn about historical events and the personal experiences of others. This format also bounces between the pass and the presence. The past is explaining Valdek life when he was younger and the present demonstrates a father son relationship that isn’t perfect. I think that humanity can take away from the seriousness and gravity of the story because it uses animals and comics which are usually supposed to be funny or carefree. However, in this depiction, there’s a lot of intentionality with the images/ imagery, and the story telling itself. With scenes like the hanging scene on page 84 and the bathtub scene depicting his mother‘s suicide, Spiegelman does a great job at not removing or censoring all of the tragedy that occurred. Using these graphic and suggestive images readers can understand the gravity of the situation, and the impact that seeing such tragedies have on people in real time. They were able to witness Spiegelman’s struggle to grasp his father‘s behavior, and to understand his father‘s trauma. I think that that is the most honest betrayal of his father's story and through his honesty he conveys the emotional significance to his father's story. I think that the comic was also a useful tool because the visuals allowed for the seamless transition between the past and the present without having to imagine too much. The reader could visualize and understand what was going on in Vladek’s mind as he was telling his son the story and relaying his life accounts
