Maus by Art Spigelman

     This week, I read  Maus by Art Spiegelman. Even though this is a re-read, I became aware of even more themes and saw a lot of purpose behind a lot more of the smaller more subtle things Art does in his book. There are many peculiar and questionable things in the book that I believe should have some sort of meaning or social message behind it. However, I also believe the book itself is a larger social message. This is due to the historical setting and meaning. The setting, for the most part being Eastern Europe during World War Two, in itself already hints at the nature and complexity of this story. Furthermore, Art's comic book style format and illustration give the book a gritty but slightly melancholic tone. In fact, grief and sadness is a large theme in the story. This is emphasized greatly by the inclusion of an unpublished, explicit short comic about the day Art's mother died entitled, "Nightmare on The Hell Planet". It features Art arriving bak to his home in Queens, New York. The comic features more realistic animations compared to the animalistic drawings representing different groups of people in the original story,
      Furthermore about the comic, it contains explicit details, from blood to hyperrealistic facial features. For example, Art's mother had committed a tragic suicide. The body that had been left unnoticed (she was home alone) was drawn in the boxed section. Very specific details include slits on the wrist of his mother, spilled pill bottles, and a naked corpse in a shower. This attention to disturbing detail was meant to almost scare the reader. To the point where they could feel how he felt that day, horrified and grief induced. The comic isn't the only example of grief and sadness and disturbing, mind twisting detail. Its in fact throughout the book. Spiegelman didn't hold back because he wanted to describe the world's worst horror to the best of his ability: the Holocaust. Yes, his father survives. The struggle, pain, and fear were all insurmountable for many, many others however.