Allegory In Maus

Maus – Essay

Martin Measic 10.23

The graphic novel Maus by Art Spiegelman explores the Holocaust through the eyes of Vladek Spiegelman and his son, Art’s, mission to capture every detail of the genocide. The conventions of the graphic novel allow Spiegelman to communicate his ideas effectively to the reader. The allegory of mice and cats, the imagery used to describe the conditions endured during the Holocaust, as well as the dialogue used to portray themes and relationships all enable Art to present his ideas to the reader.

Spiegelman uses the conventions of the graphic novel to describe his ideas to the audience. Art uses the allegory of mice to represent the Jews in the Holocaust and cats to represent the Germans. “Not human” as Hitler describes them, the Jews are depicted as mice as they reproduce quickly and in mass, live quietly in society, and are hard to kill. The Jews are seen as

As Maus is a graphic memoir, Art uses this to his advantage to make the novel “more real” and “human-like.” When Vladek describes his experiences at the Ghetto, there are intersections of dialogue between him and Art. Vladek jumps back and forth in his story which angers Art as he shouts, “Wait! If you don’t keep your story in chronological order, I’ll never get it straight.” This makes the story more lifelike as it allows the reader to connect with the characters and make him feel as if Vladek was reciting the story as he read. Another example of realism portrayed in the graphic novel is when Vladek and Art are on their way to the bank. While describing his experiences of the Holocaust, Vladek goes off topic and starts rambling about Mala and how, “she wants everything only for herself.” Spiegelman uses this dialogue to present the characters of the novel as not static, but real people who endure real problems which allows the reader to sympathize with the