MAUS

     This was a heavy week. I've been aware of Maus for awhile before taking this class, but never quite got around to doing it. Sometimes, despite knowing better, I put off learning about unpleasant things and thinking about what I can do to understand, as I did with Maus until this class. That was my mistake, but I'm very glad to have finally read it. Art Spiegelman's biographical telling of his father's experiences during the Holocauast was simultaneously mundane and heartwrenching, especially as he repeatedly reflected on how this atrocity affected his relationship with his father years later. Personally, I am glad that he did not omit the personal side of his story, as it gave a glimpse into the psychological effects on Vladek and the strain put on his family.

     I could say that I enjoyed Maus, but that wouldn't be entirely true. It is undoubtedly a prolific and deeply important work, but it is not a fun read. However, I did appreciate elements such as the representation of the Nazis as cats, the Poles as pigs, the Jews as mice, and so on. While the art style is simple, it is not unskilled and it perfectly mirrored the energy of the stories.