Friday, March 23, 2012

#7: Finishing "MAUS"

     After finishing MAUS, I feel that I have read a great retelling of a survivor's true story.  In the end, Vladek and his wife Anja meet with some people who are helping smuggle people out of Poland for a price.  Vladek, who trusts them, pays them and they board a train.  However, the smugglers betrayed the couple and Nazis arrest Vladek and Anja to take them to Auschwitz.  The story ends there, on a big cliffhanger in Vladek's retelling of his past.  The novel switches back to modern day Vladek and how Art is angry that his father would burn Anja's journals and photos.  The last panel of the book shows Art walking away, calling his father a murdered (because he killed off Anja's thoughts by destroying her journals).  This ending made me want to grab the second book, which takes off from the point it left at - Vladek and Anja arriving at Auschwitz.
     I think the universal truth of this book is change.  Change is seen throughout the story in mostly Vladek.  During the flashbacks of World War II, Vladek is seen as a resourceful and respectful man.  He is polite and uses his cleverness to get himself through sticky situations.  However, in the modern-day parts of the story, Vladek is obnoxious and tense.  He whines about his wife Mala constantly and acts very cheap, not wanting to waste any bit of food or supplies.  His time in Auschwitz probably changed his mindset, scarring him mentally, which is why he now acts this way.
     I was most interested in the novel's action and symbolism.  Since the whole book was a graphic novel (a comic) it was easy for the author to show action without using a lot of description in their writing.  Feelings, events, and symbolism were easy to interpret because of the illustrations.  Symbolism also played a role in this book.  One such example was the species of the characters.  The characters were depicted as animals (mice, cats, pigs, ect) to show who was what nationality.  These characters sometimes used "masks" to "disguise" themselves as other animals, to show that the characters were pretending to be another nationality.
     One flaw that MAUS has was it's lack of deep meaning.  Although it contained much background information and some symbolism, the events and actions didn't really give off a sense of deep thought.  Actions were prominent in the novel, mainly because of it's graphical nature.  Other than that, I could not see any other flaws MAUS had.
     I think anyone above 8th grade (or who knows enough about the Holocaust to understand certain events) would certainly enjoy this novel.  MAUS gives the Holocaust another meaning and another point of view - through the depiction from a survivor's son.  I have never been deeply intrigued by Holocaust memoirs/novels/re-tellings, but this one surprised me with it's fascinating point of view and depiction of the characters as animals.  I was better able to understand the horrors that went on during World War II, none like other novels (such as Night) have.  I was so satisfied and interested that I picked up the second book as soon as I finished the first!

# 6: A Question that Sticks

     A question from yesterday's discussion that resonated with me was "Is death the only way to find true peace?"  This question stuck with me because in MAUS, so many terrible events occur, so many that it seems there can be no peace for the Jews - dying may be the only way to stop their suffering during World War II and the Holocaust.  In MAUS, Vladek and his family/friends are bombarded with unfair punishments, which force them into hiding.  Already their peace is disturbed here.  As the story progresses, they are put to work in ghettos and treated with disgust from the Nazi Germans, which disrupts their peace even more.  Finally, when Vladek and is family are transported to the concentration camps (Auschwitz), their peace is long gone.  Every moment the Jews are awake or asleep in the camps, they are tortured, malnourished, and forced to work.  Quite literally, death was the only way to find true peace in these dark times.
     I might narrow this question into a research topic by researching "How did the Jews suffer during World War II?"  I might look for information on the internet and by using memoirs of other Holocaust survivors like Vladek Spiegelman.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

#5: Universal Truth of "MAUS"

     Many people believe that fiction provides a mask that protects the author from being persecuted; the author can use characters to hide behind, giving them less fear of the truth.  What would be the major universal truth revealed in "MAUS"?
     
     I think a major universal truth in MAUS is about guilt.  In the parts of the book that show Art in the modern day world, he reveals on several occasions that he never felt "good enough" for his father.  "No matter what I accomplish, it doesn't seem like much compared to surviving Auschwitz," Art explains to his shrink in a short part of the story (regarding his feelings about his father Vladek's recent passing, and other issues such as the media bothering him about the first book of MAUS).  
     In a way, Art feels guilty that he led such an easy life compared to that of this father, mother, and late brother.  That's why he always felt his father wanted more from him.

     Another major universal truth could be change.  In the flashbacks of Vladek's life, we see him as a resourceful and respectful man, who was very intelligent and good at solving problems.  In the modern-day Vladek, he is depicted as overly careful and cheap.  He constantly nags Art about trifling matters, and obsesses over saving money.  As Art once suggested, this change could have happened because of Vladek's experience in the Holocaust.  Such a nightmare could have scarred him mentally, changing him into what Vladek was to Art.  Of course, the reader must take this lightly, because we only rely on Art's depiction of him (which may or may not be the same way the reader might see him).

Monday, March 19, 2012

#4: Possible Research Ideas

     One possible research idea that I cam across was from a question I had regarding Vladek.  First, I asked why the modern-day Vladek is so stingy and concerned for money and health, must unlike his past self.  I think this may be because Auschwitz changed his character and mentality.  This brings up another questions, "How can a person change from such life-changing events?"
     Another idea I got was from my group partner John.  He pointed out that Vladek married Mala (after Anja died), even though they both dislike each other.  Why did they marry if they knew they were incompatible?  Maybe it was because they were both survivors of the same horror, so they shared that connection of strong individuals and felt they should marry.  It is unknown if they got along before.  Anja's suicide may have had an effect on Vladek (just as the Holocaust had), so he may have changed to be so stingy in response to his feelings.

Friday, March 16, 2012

#3: "Found Poem" of Vladek Spiegelman

A "Found Poem" is a poem that takes words from the actual text to describe an interpretation of the character.


Vladek's Past

A Survivor
[He] lived life in Poland during the War,
Given army training, taken as a prisoner, and escaped.
[His home] Sosnowiec became a ghetto,
He was sly for survival,
Hunted scraps of food,
and pretended to be German.
He tried to smuggle himself and Anja out of Poland,
but was betrayed.
He stayed outgoing and brave through it all.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

#2: Overview and Beginning Thoughts

     "MAUS" is the story of a Holocaust survivor, Vladek Spiegelman, and how he brushed against death to keep his family and loved ones safe from Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland.  This book is a graphic novel, a documentary, and a memoir all together, illustrated by Vladek's youngest son, Art Spiegelman.  Throughout the story, Art visits his father's house and has him re-tell tales from World War II.  He records these conversations with Vladek, and later turns them into a comic.  Did I mention that all the characters in the story are animals?  Yes, Jews are depicted as mice, Nazis as cats, and regular German/Polish people as pigs!
 
     My first impression of the book was a positive one.  I have never enjoyed Holocaust stories, to be honest.  I've felt badly for the victims and disgusted towards such prejudice, but I never really felt a connection with anyone in these "almost-hard-to-believe" tales of death, but "MAUS" tramples on this problem and goes beyond my expectations.  The story is re-re-told by Art from his father, and the occasional dialogue between the father and son give the novel a sense that it truly is vivid storytelling.  I found myself wanting to keep reading more and more, which has never happened to me while reading non-fictional historic novels!
     After reading the first chapter, I was wondering when the bad part of World War II would start affecting the characters.  The entire first chapter was a nice introduction to many of the main characters, and showed how well off Vladek and Anja (Vladek's wife and Art's late-mother) were.  It was a good first chapter to help the reader gear up and not have to wonder who is who, when everyone simply looks like a mouse!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

#1: For Starters...

     Greetings!  My name is Alex Martinez.  This blog was developed as an assignment for Ms. Caney's Research and Composition class, at Pathways to Technology Magnet School in Connecticut.  I will be writing occasionally about the book I am reading, "MAUS" by Art Spiegelman.  I am in no way a professional reviewer; this blog is for reflecting my thoughts and sharing my interpretation of this novel.

     I enjoy reading books for entertainment, especially those of the fantasy genre.  I've read the Warriors series by Erin Hunter; the Hunger Games trilogy by Susan Collins; the Fire Within series by Chris d'Lacey; and now I'm currently reading the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series by George RR Martin.  I've also read other book series, but they proably aren't that important if I can't recall them from my head.  Of course I've also read classics like To Kill a Mockingbird and Night for school.

     I hope you enjoy my writings!