learntoquestion ltq discussions

Originally posted by coolturtle on February 02, 2026 20:08

Spiegelman’s work of Maus is effective in capturing the emotional and historical weight of the Holocaust. I think that the Holocaust is often brought down to abstract statistics and numbers. People refer to the event as a the killing of millions of Jews with a number of Nazis perpetrators. However in Spiegelman’s novel, the choice of a graphic novel and an intergenerational parallel between father and son brim these abstract statistics into something real and authentic. In Maus I, there is a particular scene where Artie is riding a bike. Spiegelman then switches back and forth between the present, Artie and Vladek having a conversation, and the past, where Vladek is living in a concentration camps. I think throughout the novel, Spiegelman spurs back and forth between both narratives in order to show the burden Artie has to carry and the mental struggle Vladek has had to face his entire life. This gradual integration of both stories builds the layers of trauma on top of one another. As the novel progresses, we see Artie’s behavior become more defensive, short mannered, and often impulsive as he attempts to capture the entirety of his father’s story. We also see a change in Vladek. Despite him being nagging in his son’s eyes, Vladek grows a deeper connection with his son. In a way Spiegelman purposefully does this to show the character development of both characters and the importance of acknowledging generational trauma among many families who are traced to a victim of the Holocaust. Furthermore, the narrative is deeply personal to Artie and the first-person account of the narrative allows readers to grasp the Holocaust in its authentic form. Despite the medium lacking seriousness to some critics, I think it helps the book become more useful in conveying the events of the Holocaust. Graphic novels are much easier to process and with such heavy, sensitive topics like the Holocaust it can be hard for readers to process. Spiegelman is able to use his father’s story in a way that is authentic for readers and also original. The choice of a graphic novel and the choice of the topic create an ambiguous narrative that highlights all the importance of acknowledging the Holocaust. In “The Shadow of a Past Time,” the text refers to the iconic phrase that “time is space.” What makes Maus so special is its ability to utilize its spatiality in order to represent the complicated entwining of the past and present by “packing” the tight spaces of panels. In a way, metaphorically he is able to capture the all too real experiences of his father during the Holocaust. This use of space and the comic book panel is how Spiegelman is able to approach such history effectively. In retrospect, what makes Maus so effective in capturing the weight of the Holocaust, both emotionally and historically, is the utilization of comic media itself and the personal perspective Spiegelman takes into his own book.

The most compelling idea of this post is that Spiegelman's use of the space on the page and the movements between past and present makes the Holocaust more emotionally real rather than abstract. I think this is a compelling idea because Maus doesn't just teach its readers about history, it focuses on making the reader feel the history. One of the parts that I liked the most was the analysis of the scene with the bicycle, where Artie and Vladek switch between past and present as they discuss the past and present memories in the concentration camps. I think this is so compelling because it suggests that the trauma is not just a historical event, but something that affects relationships that exist in the present. I think this idea shows that the comic form is necessary as the content as this part of the story would not have been possible without the medium. One of the concepts present throughout other posts is the focus on memory, testimony, and intergenerational trauma examining the impact on children of survivors. I agree with other posts' arguments as I also believe that Maus is a book that is concerned with intergenerational trauma. However, I think that there is a difference in that there is emphasis on Artie's position as a narrator and how it is complicated by Vladek's actions.

Originally posted by sunnydays on February 03, 2026 08:37

The use of the comic form in Maus is an effective way of communicating the emotions of the Holocaust in a digestible way. When discussing the Holocaust, it's easy to get overwhelmed by or desensitized to the horrors of what happened. By using simple images, Spiegelman is able to balance feeling the weight of what happened with understanding it factually. There are several scenes - such as when Nazi soldiers smash a child against a wall (Maus I, 108) and the Hungarians burning (Maus II, 72) - where the emotional impact comes through in a way the human brain can still process and accept. This is similar to what Paul Buhle says in the article - "[Maus is] the most compelling of any [Holocaust] depiction because only the caricatured quality of comic art is equal to the seeming unreality of an experience beyond all reason." Additionally, the comic form allows Spiegelman to simplify very complex concepts, such as the use of mice and cats to represent Jews and non-Jewish Germans. By the end of Maus II, I was getting tense every time I saw a cat, even if it wasn't a Nazi. In this way, Spiegelman gives a sense of what it was like to live with these seemingly glaring differences. Similarly, there are many scenes where explaining would take away a lot of the emotional weight, like when Vladek barely escapes Nazis with his black market goods (Maus I, 78) and when Artie is struggling to write Maus (Maus II, 41), so the comic form helps convey the story more purely.

I also think using the comic form is a really effective way to integrate the past into the present. The panels easily slide between the story and Vladek telling it. In a traditional book, the author would need to describe Vladek telling the story or describe the story itself; in this comic, the narration is Vladek's, but Spiegelman is able to show the story itself or Vladek telling it, helping the reader better connect to the Holocaust and understand that this a real person's story. Vladek's interjections, such as when he spills his pills or when he starts to have a heart attack while walking with Artie, also help ground the story in reality and in the present, and help the reader understand the lasting effects the Holocaust have on Vladek.

There are places, however, that the comic form just does not suit what is being conveyed. Strangely, it's usually not the heaviest parts. Spiegelman is usually very good at expressing emotions through the mice that come across as real, not laughable, such as Vladek's sadness when he talks about Richieu's death (Maus I, 61), the man starving who can't stop talking about bread (Maus I, 123), and Tosha's conviction before she kills herself and the children (Maus I, 109). However, there are some scenes that are just drawn so ridiculously the seriousness doesn't come through, such as Vladek starving to avoid being drafted into the army (Maus I, 46), Mala's anger at Vladek (Maus I, 93), and Artie's chilly voice (Maus II, 23). However, I think overall Spiegelman does a good job giving the Holocaust the weight it deserves, in a way people are willing to read and understand.

I agree completely with the idea that the comic form makes something like the Holocaust more digestable. I also believe that despite it being more digestible and having a seemingly soft, almost child-like artsytle, it is still geared towards mature audiences. The book strikes a good balance between the seriousness of the Holocaust and the digestible nature of the comic boom formula. One point that I didn’t think of (but I totally agree with) is that the author (Art Spiegelman) does a great job at building up tension during the tail end of the novel with the death marches and the cats. It gets to a point where the reader cannot tell whether or not Vladek will be attacked or killed by a German soldier. Even the German citizens, who have been greatly influenced by the Holocaust, continued to view Jewish people as evil despite the end of the war. The only part that I disagree with is the fact that there are certain parts of the novel that the graphic art style doesn’t suit. I think that clearly, Spiegelman was attempting to make it as raw, but digestible as possible. I think this is why scenes like Vladek starving to avoid being drafted were drawn the way they were, because of the fact that it would otherwise draw too great a contrast between the more lighthearted animal style and the true horrors of the Holocaust. I think it’s important to know that Spiegelman wasn’t simply trying to capture as much brutality as possible, rather attempting to strike a strong balance between realistic tragedy and understandable content.