Week Seven: Maus by Art Spiegelman
After reading both Volumes 1 and 2 of Art Spiegelman's Maus, I understand why my professor stressed the importance of reading this piece (and reading it fully). I had a feeling that there would be something about Maus that stood out to me in some way in comparison to the other comics I have dove into this semester thus far. However, I had NO idea that such an emotional real-life experience could be expressed through a graphic novel using animals as characters.
As I have mentioned before, I am extremely new to comics. In my eyes they have always been playful, mindless reads for those who would rather glance through pictured scenes than depict the scene themselves from solely words on a page. I feel even funny typing that out and expressing it to the world because after such a short time in exposing myself to comics I have realized that my assumption was so wrong. I think Maus and its integrity played a big role in confirming my view on comics.
The way Maus explores the experience of the Holocaust is so real. Initially, I think that maybe some people would shy away from reading it because of the characters being cartoons (maybe this offending some people due it the subject matter of the comic being such a serious one?) but I really think it makes the read less harsh. The holocaust was a horrific event in history and I truly believe it is a hard thing to learn, read, hear, and see about (or at least for me, personally).
Although its a very long read, I loved how Art was able to expose the everyday reality of fear that his Father experienced, especially the events leading up to the war and the events that followed (for instance, Art's Mother's suicide). It was very interesting to see how Art and his Father were ultimately brought closer together (despite the constant bickering) through the sharing of his Father's (I feel like I need to add that it is not just his Dad's history, but the worlds history as well). It was obvious in the beginning that the son did not come around much, however as the story progressed, he was over more and more because his Father's past drew him in. I think that a lot of children don't get enough exposure to their parents pasts. I have found the more and more my mom has opened up to me about her history, the more I have been able to connect with her and feel her pains and her victories in a raw way. However, I think that it takes a lot of prying sometimes, as Art showed through Maus, he intimated the digging into the past.
I feel like I am rambling, but I also feel like there is just so much to say about Maus as a graphic novel and even though it has a playful image, it is raw and full of fear, guilt and relief all in one.
P.S I will be passing this reading suggestion off to my boyfriend who is Jewish and was raised by a strong Jewish family.
As I have mentioned before, I am extremely new to comics. In my eyes they have always been playful, mindless reads for those who would rather glance through pictured scenes than depict the scene themselves from solely words on a page. I feel even funny typing that out and expressing it to the world because after such a short time in exposing myself to comics I have realized that my assumption was so wrong. I think Maus and its integrity played a big role in confirming my view on comics.
The way Maus explores the experience of the Holocaust is so real. Initially, I think that maybe some people would shy away from reading it because of the characters being cartoons (maybe this offending some people due it the subject matter of the comic being such a serious one?) but I really think it makes the read less harsh. The holocaust was a horrific event in history and I truly believe it is a hard thing to learn, read, hear, and see about (or at least for me, personally).
Although its a very long read, I loved how Art was able to expose the everyday reality of fear that his Father experienced, especially the events leading up to the war and the events that followed (for instance, Art's Mother's suicide). It was very interesting to see how Art and his Father were ultimately brought closer together (despite the constant bickering) through the sharing of his Father's (I feel like I need to add that it is not just his Dad's history, but the worlds history as well). It was obvious in the beginning that the son did not come around much, however as the story progressed, he was over more and more because his Father's past drew him in. I think that a lot of children don't get enough exposure to their parents pasts. I have found the more and more my mom has opened up to me about her history, the more I have been able to connect with her and feel her pains and her victories in a raw way. However, I think that it takes a lot of prying sometimes, as Art showed through Maus, he intimated the digging into the past.
I feel like I am rambling, but I also feel like there is just so much to say about Maus as a graphic novel and even though it has a playful image, it is raw and full of fear, guilt and relief all in one.
P.S I will be passing this reading suggestion off to my boyfriend who is Jewish and was raised by a strong Jewish family.
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