Characterization

The Characterization of the elements of the Holocaust plays a pivotal role in the appeal and enjoyment of the book. It strengthens the overall plot and adds a certain level of depth to the story as well as enhancing the audience’s comprehension of the conflict as a whole.

                There are three main aspects of the book that are worth analyzing when trying to better understand Spiegelman’s characterization choices. The first is the Holocaust as a deadly mouse trap. This will lead directly into the second which is the characterization of the major players in the overarching story; that is the Jews as Mice and the Nazis as Cats. Lastly, it is worth paying attention to Spiegelman’s characterization of his father Vladek as a sufferer, survivor, a father, and as a man.

                In an interview with Hilary Chute of the New York Review of Books blog, Spiegelman sheds some light on these aspects. He explains that during his research for the project, he learned that a gas called Zyklon B is what was used inside the gas chambers at Auschwitz and other places where this horrible act was taking place. The interesting footnote of this is that Zyklon B is a pesticide that is made to kill vermin, such as roaches and fleas. He immediately understood that there was a massive dehumanizing of people in order to carry out Hitler’s killing project. [1]

Gas Chambers at Auschwitz

                This dehumanizing directly carries into his characterization of the people as animals instead of humans. It was a very conscious choice and not one he fell up accidentally. He initially had planned to use the cat and mouse paradigm of oppression in a commentary about racism in America towards African Americans. However, upon reflecting on the analogy as well as his own life, family history, and especially childhood nightmares where Nazis chase Jews, he felt he had stumbled upon a much more compelling, and honest story. His research on this idea led him to German documentaries from the 1940’s where Jews in the Ghetto are depicted as swarming rats, with title cards literally reading “vermin of mankind”.  Spiegelman then understood how useful the depiction would be. The Jews being portrayed and characterized as mice while being preyed upon by the German cats, who also in real life possessed unbelievable power over their victims, would strike at the heart of the matter.

                Perhaps the most interesting part of the book is Vladek, Spiegelman’s father. He grounds the story in reality as the back story of his experiences during the Holocaust can seem quite otherworldly at times due to the horrific circumstances. Spiegelman’s characterization of his father gives complete legitimacy to the story as there is no sugar coating or saintly hood that he tries to apply to his father. Rather, there is sort of a blemish added to Vladek’s personality. In the book, Vladek demonstrates what clearly seems to be some personal prejudices towards African Americans. Ironically, he cannot draw a connection between his attitudes and the horrors that he himself witnessed and experienced in Nazi-Germany. This adds immense believability to the character. In an article in The Observer , author Rachel Cooke states about Spiegelman that “…his absolute refusal to sentimentalize or sanctify the survivor, in this case, his father…but unimaginable suffering, Spiegelman wants us to understand, doesn’t make a person better; it just makes them suffer.” [2] Spiegelman shows that even though his father is a sufferer, and a survivor, he was still just a man, with flaws, and their relationship was strained and complicated. The undertone of the story is an overwhelming tension that lies between Art and his father and it makes the book much more human, much more believable, and a much more compelling read. 

by Manu Gopinath

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[1] Chute, Hilary. "Why Mice?" New York Review of Books. N.p., 20 Oct. 2011. Web. 23 Oct. 2012. <http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2011/oct/20/why-mice/>.

[2] Cooke, Rachel. "Art Spiegelman: 'Auschwitz Became for Us a Safe Place'" The Observer. Guardian News and Media Limited, 23 Oct. 2011. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/oct/23/art-spiegelman-maus-25th-anniversary>.