Maus Final Essay What is an upstander? An upstander is someone who speaks or acts in support of someone who is being bullied or attacked. In Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel Maus and Maus II a key character in the graphic novel is Vladek Spiegelman, who portrays the opposite characteristics of an upstander. Vladek is not an upstander for three reasons, he is selfish, racist, and controlling. A time that demonstrates that Vladek is not an upstander is when he is selfish towards his own wife, Mala. Art walks into the kitchen to find Mala crying about Vladek. Art empathetically asks mala, “‘Mala, were you crying”’ (Spiegelman, 130, 2). Mala responds by saying, “‘He only gives me $50.00 a month. When I need a new pair of stockings, I have to use my own savings”’ (Spiegelman, 130, 5). Mala is crying because Vladek refuses to spend nearly any of his money on her. Vladek …show more content…
An example of Vladek being racist is when he sees an African American hitch-hiker. The hitchhiker greets Vladek and subsequently Vladek says to Art, “‘A hitch-hiker? And- OY- it’s a colored guy, a shvartser”’ (Spiegelman, 98, 7). Vladek calls the African American person a racial slur. Therefore he does not seem to desire for Art to let him in. The quote shows an example of Vladek not being an upstanding person. If Vladek were an upstander he would at least not call the African American a racial slur. During the same encounter with the hitch-hiker, Vladek is racist another time. Art decided to pick up the hitch-hiker off of the road. Then while they are arguing Vladek says to Art, “‘It’s not even to compare, the Shvarsters and the Jews”’ (Spiegelman, 99, 6). In the quote, Vladek firmly tells Art that African American people be compared can not be compared to people of the Jewish religion. The quote is another example of Vladek being racist towards people of the African American race. In lieu of being an upstander, Vladek is feeding
The narrator classifies African Americans into three classes after his “observations…made in Jacksonville,”(Johnson 35), of African Americans through his journey of life. He considers the lowest class of colored people as “the desperate class,”(Johnson 35), which includes “[workers of] the lumber and turpentine camps, ex-convicts, [and] bar-room loafers”(Johnson 35). He mentions that this class “hate[s] everything covered by a white skin,”(Johnson 36), and that they “are truly desperate [because the] thoughts of death… have little effect in deterring them from… hatred,”(Johnson 36). The second class of blacks he sees as the “domestic [class],”(Johnson 36) and include “the servants, the washer-women, the waiters, the cooks, the coachmen, and all who are connected with the whites…”(Johnson 36). The narrator states that this class “may be called the connecting link between whites and blacks,”(Johnson 36), and that “there is little or no friction.
He says that the White think that African Americans want to be them and have their skin color and riches. But he portrays that they think wrong. He says in his appeal that the African Americans do not want to be their color because they know that they could not do the same harm as the whites did as of beating as they slowly die in the inside. He says that they have so much anger towards the white that the first thing that they would do is murder each and every one of them for the suffering that they bought on to their families of their kind. He would like to see them suffer the same way before they would ever become a white person.
This character trait of Vladek’s is a result from his role within his own family throughout the Holocaust. We learn rather quickly that his entire family relied on him to be their protector as well as their provider. It was Vladek’s job to find work to make money and get food for survival and it was also his role to make sure his family was being protected in every way that he could. He was constantly putting himself in harms way and at risk to ensure the survival of his family. This manifested in Vladek’s mind as his role far longer after than the Holocaust lasted.
comprehends that most people of his race is dignified enough to be acknowledged of their actions. He refers to all of the remarkable people such as Rosa Parks, Hunter-Gaunt and an amazing poets who lived through this era with courage and dignity. “... noble sense of purpose … characterizes the life of pioneers … rose up with a sense of dignity … ‘ My feet are tired, but my soul is at rest’ …” ( P.49, Paragraph 30). He sees his race being put down while they should be known for their decisions or actions in life.
His “ambitions to be… a great colored man” manifested in aspirations to portray the “American Negro, in classic musical form” (50, 161). These childhood dreams are only subsequently revived by a white man who “had taken ragtime and made it classic” (155). The irony of his failed attempt to portray black society by succumbing to music forms of white culture is lost on him. Thus, despite his observations on pertinent issues concerning his race, he is oblivious to his bigotry and this subjects him to the ironic gaze of
“Take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim”. This is a quote by Elie Wiese which expresses that staying silent is not the right choice to make. An upstander is a person who is willing to risk their safety to help another person. They will do what it takes to stand up for what they believe is right.
To start, Vladek’s choices can teach us that what is on the inside is more important than what is on the outside. In the graphic novel Maus, by Art Spiegelman, the text states, “‘Mom wasn’t that attractive, huh?’ ‘Not so like Lucia.. But if you talked a little to her, you started loving her more and more’” (Spiegelman 18).
Another factor is that Vladkek’s meaningful relationships were affected by the Holocaust is that Vladkek knows that there is no such thing as friends. He doesn’t have a strong and meaningful relationship with Artie because he never had a stable relationship with him. Int the flashback on the beginning of the book Vladkek say “Friends? There’s no such thing as Friends”,This means that Vladkek will never have meaningful relationships because he doesn’t believe in friends which is the most important factor of creating meaningful
Alexander says that even though it used to be acceptable to discriminate against African Americans, it’s no longer socially acceptable to use race
“Racism is man's gravest threat to man - the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason”(Abraham Joshua Heschel). This quote relates to the story because in the story “How it feels to be colored me” by Zora Neale Hurston she uses pathos and ethos to relay the theme that being black is not an obstacle. In “how it feels to be colored” By Zora Neale Hurston she use pathos to suggest that being black is not an obstacle. When discussing her thoughts on racism, Zora Neale Hurston persuades the reader through emotion.
Without a doubt it is evident the holocaust is responsible for the severe personality shift Vladek had undergone. Although Vladek does not notice the huge personality shift but he does recognize the little things—he admits his compulsiveness when he states that he is reluctant to waste anything. “I cannot forget…ever since Hitler I don’t like to throw out even a crumb” (78). Vladek has come to both appreciate and be obnoxiously nit-picky about the smallest things. Vladek’s relationship with his son Art is fairly complex as Art feels his father compares him to his dead brother, Richelou.
When they finally drop the hitchhiker off, Vladek explodes in rage at Francoise, demanding to know why she let the hitchhiker into the car and even saying that he had to watch the man the entire time to make sure he didn 't’ steal their groceries. Both Art and Francoise are appalled by this, especially considering the fact that Vladek himself has gone through the racial horror of the Holocaust. Yet, despite this fact, Vladek sees nothing wrong with dehumanizing this man by describing him with a derogatory term, and has absolutely no problem accusing the man of being a potential thief, simply because of the color of his skin. I find that considering that the main plots of both Maus 1 and 2 are Vladek’s story of survival through one of the greatest examples of racism in world history, Vladek’s reaction towards the African-American hitchhiker is not only completely inappropriate, it is incredibly hypocritical and overtly ignorant. It relates to the unit in that Vladek referring to the African-American as a ‘shvartser’ is a form of
He really supports this idea using rhetorical devices to further strengthen the central idea as a whole. He uses ethos as shown in this quote, “ … our bodies, full of fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities,” to persuade his audience that there should be equality by explaining how blacks have a lower quality of life as whites in this supposedly equal nation. People
Vladek's friendships has changed a lot during the war. Before the war, Vladek was the “star” of Sosnowiec. Girls called Vladek almost daily. It almost seemed as if anyone would do anything for him. However, once the war was starting to escalate, there was a riot Bielsko and Vladek came home to Janina, Anja, and Richieu.
In Maus by Art Spiegelman, Vladek attempts to recreate the lives of Anja and Richieu through the lives of Mala and Art, resulting in a damaged relationship between Vladek and the living members of his family. In Maus I, Mala mentions that after they had first married, Vladek suggested that Mala wear Anja’s old clothes when Mala complained about not having any new clothes. Mala is upset by this because by having Mala wear Anja’s old clothing, it seems as if Vladek is trying to substitute Mala for Anja, as if clothing is all that makes a person. Mala is frustrated by this event because she wants Vladek to love her for who she is, not an artificial version of herself. In addition, Mala is already under the impression that Vladek loves Anja more