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.
 |
| 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.”
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
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>.
