Book Talk

MAUS

-Art Spiegelman-

Summary

            Maus is a two-part graphic novel finished in the early 90’s that was originally published episodically in a magazine. This is the story of a son, Art Spiegelman, who interviews his father, Vladek, about his experiences in the Holocaust. The story runs in two tiers: one; where the reader is able to see Art interacting with Vladek and interviewing him; the other, where the reader sees Vladek’s experiences in Nazi controlled Poland, the war, and the concentration camp. In the graphic novel Jews are portrayed as mice, Nazis as cats, and non-Jewish Poles as pigs.

            In the modern timeline the reader learns very quickly that Art and Vladek have become very estranged, especially since the suicide of Art’s mother. This timeline shows the interactions Art actually has with his father and depicts him interviewing his father. One of the themes in the book is how lingering effects of the Holocaust have destroyed families, and in a way Art has survivor’s guilt despite not being born until after the war. While the description of the current day timeline may sound boring, it is actually a story about how Art can cope with his estranged father who has been completely ruined by his Holocaust Experience.

            The second timeline takes place between 1935 and 1945, and shows the story that Vladek is telling Art. This story describes the rise of the Nazi party in Europe and the gradual mistreatment of the Jewish people all across Europe. It shows Vladek’s participation in the war and his time in a German POW camp. After his release by the Germans, he sneaks back into Germany controlled Poland to be with his family. His journey from Ghetto to death camp is described after the war. The second timeline is rife with many themes: trying to figure out who he is whether that is a Jew or a Pole or if it can be both, watching the humanity being stripped from such a large group of people, and dealing with the consequences of survival in such brutal conditions

Rationale

            This is a very powerful text about a subject that is required teaching not only in Social Studies Classes but also English Language Arts. It is told a unique medium compared to most other literature about the Holocaust without losing the deeply personal touch of a celebrated work like Night. Furthermore, the reading is simple and the artwork opens a whole new level of discussion for students. Also, graphic novels sometimes appeal to reluctant readers because they don’t think of it like reading.

Teaching Strategies

- Could be used as an alternative to a more difficult text to read if the class reading level is on the lower end while still meeting state curriculum standards

- Could very easily be used as a supplementary text in a Social Studies room during WWII or Holocaust Lessons

- Can easily be used to breach difficult subjects like racism (Why are Jews mice?)

Difficulties

            One difficulty with this text (especially compared to texts with similar subject matter) is that it can be easy to lose the power of the Holocaust because it is done in such an artistic fashion. With any graphic novel the teacher must be careful to not let the class get distracted from the actual subject matter.

            Another difficulty with any graphic novel is that many people look down on them as a form of literature (this could include principals, other teachers, or parents) so when writing a lesson plan to include one in the curriculum the teacher must have a very good rationale built in.