Done.

Maus Research

While I was searching for articles to connect with the text, Maus II, I found an article that focuses on the themes from the story.  The first theme presented in this article, “Spiegelman, Art – Introduction” is the theme of racial genocide.  The article goes on to explain how Spiegleman’s use of various animals “emphasizes the atmosphere of racial prejudice during the war.”  The author also points out the irony in Vladek's own racial prejudices and how he is unable to “draw parallels between his own experiences as a victim of racism in Poland and his position in the United States as a perpetrator of racism against others.”  Another theme presented in this article that I found interesting is the theme of the psychological issues faced by the children of the survivors of the holocaust.  Throughout the entire story Art Spiegelman talks of the struggles he has in getting along with his father and his inability to fully understand Vladek.  Art’s conversation with his ‘shrink’ Pavel reveals the awkward relationship he had with his father.  The author of this article is inferring that other children of Holocaust survivors struggled in their relationships with their parents, and that this is an important theme that should be acknowledged.

A final theme that the article touches on is the idea of representation and the retelling of major events like the Holocaust.  This is a major theme throughout Maus II as Spiegleman is always self-conscious by confirming with the readers that this is just a retelling of the Holocaust and not necessarily the way it was for all Jewish prisoners.  Throughout the book, Spiegleman includes phrases to let the readers know that it is impossible to completely represent the events of the holocaust.  One such phrase he includes is when he says “Maybe I could show the tin shop and not draw the drill press.  I hate to draw machinery” (46).  This is a strong quote about representations because Spiegleman again clarifies that Maus II is just a retelling and not a perfect representation of the Holocaust.