Maus, By Spiegelman, And How They Survived The
Holocaust
Some of the reviewers wanted less. Some wanted lots more. Some wanted lots more
of something else. But these strips are exactly what they are. This quote was said by
renowned American cartoonist Art Spiegelman, on his best selling graphic novel,
Maus, published by Pantheon Books in 1986. The anomalous novel depicts the life
and story of Art Spiegelmans Polish born parents Vladek and Anja Spiegelman, and
how they survived the Holocaust. In his novel, the Jewsare portrayed as mice, the
Poles as pigs, and Germans as cats. The story alternates between the parents struggles
and the strained present day relationship between Vladek Spiegelman and his son,
including the suicide of Art s mother when he was 20 years old and its effect on...
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To have survived something where your death was guaranteed is very rare. In fact,
according to research, and an estimate of around 1/3 of Jews alive at that time in
Europe were murdered during the Holocaust. Between 1933 and 1945, 11 million
people were murdered in the Holocaust, of these six million were Jews and of this,
1.1 million were children. Of the nine million Jews who lived in Europe before the
Holocaust, an estimated 2/3 were murdered. Despite all these odds and statistics,
Vladek Spiegelman managed to survive, and then shares his story with his son, so
he could share their story with the world. Another reason that Vladek Spiegelman
is a good subject to write a biography of is, his personality. He seems to have two
sides to him, Vladek Spiegelman before war and Vladek Spiegelman post war. We
get to see the impact and affect the Holocaust had on it s victims, with our own eyes.
Moreover, Vladek Spiegelman is an inspiration and a reminder of the potential dark
side of human nature. Thus, writing a biography of Mr. Spiegelman is informative,
moving and above all, inspirational.
The Holocaust itself is a sort of compass, where if things are going bad, people begin
to reference it. It s become an unofficial reference point for the public for the gravity
of racial situations, and situations of that nature. Many Holocaust survivors, including
Mr. Spiegelman have contributed to the society by, educating and enlightening us
with their experiences, teaching