Maus Q&A: Page 230/231

What do you notice about the level of detail in the drawings of Auschwitz? How is the narrative voice being used in conjunction with this?

The diagrams are quite detailed and dark. It shows the grime on the floor and the sketching is quite strong. This experience for Vladek would have been quite strong, so he cal recall it well. It's interesting how Art chose to draw a birds-eye view of the 

What is the effect of the only piece of dialogue on these pages?

The dialogue is extremely emphasised as it is the only dialogue on the double page. I think it is supposed to shock the reader and become quite confronting. The fact that the character can talk about the dead bodies so casually makes the reader feel uncomfortable and therefore thinks about it more.

The figures are drawn quite differently from the background. What is the effect of this?

Through the use of shading, the grimy background is contrasted to the white characters in the foreground. The characters are made to look pure and different.

Vladek

The young Vladek in the book, Maus, is quite different from the older Vladek in the book. The young Vladek has a lot of witt and always seems to have everything under control. Vladek uses his intelligence and charm to get his way in life. Although he isn't very modest, ("I was, at that time, young, and really a nice, handsome boy... People always told me I looked just like Rudolph Valentino.") Vladek could charm and convince anyone in his path. Not only did he have a beautiful girl fall head over heels for him, but he also had an extremely rich and intelligent girl who also liked him. Because of Vladek's kindness and wit, he was able to survive the war as a young boy.

Present day Vladek is very different to the Vladek that lived during the time of the war. We can guess that his compulsive and violent spurts of anger come from his experiences. Before the war he was relaxed and very relying on his money, now he is more conservative and cautious. He comes off as self-centred sometimes but he cares for most people, including Art. Vladek seems to be stuck in his ways a little in the way he tries to be respectful and proper, doesn't treat women with much respect and the way he acts around his children. 

On page 11, Spiegelman tells us that his father’s second wife Mala was a survivor too, like most of his parents’ friends. Why does Spiegelman call Mala a survivor? What does he mean?
Mala was a survivor of World War II, specifically The Holocaust, as she is a Jewish German. I think that Vladek was implying that Mala was a very strong character and that she was tough.

What kind of relationship does Art Spiegelman and his father, Vladek have? Use specific pictures and text to support your answer.
Art and Vladek have quite an odd relationship. Even though their attitudes clash, Vladek clearly wants the best for his son and wants him to succeed in life. This is clearly demonstrated on page 13 when Vladek says to his wife, "A wire hanger you give him! I haven't seen Artie in almost two years - We have plenty Wooden hangers." In this scene, Vladek shows that he cares about his son. Also, on page 14, the reader can distinctly see that Vladek wants to please his son. When Art asks to write a book about him he says, "Better you should spend your time to make drawings what will bring you some money.. But, if you want, I can tell you..."

Why is the chapter called “The Sheik”?
The chapter is called The Sheik because the whole chapter is about when Vladek was a young man and he says that he was very handsome. In the background at the start of the chapter, there is an image of the movie poster of The Sheik. He said that he looked like Rudolph Valentino, so it was only appropriate that it was called The Sheik because Rudolph was the leading man in that movie.

Why does Vladek choose Anja over Lucia? What do you think of his choice?
I think that even though Vladek may have chosen money over beauty, he also chose Anja because he said that she was interesting to talk to and that she had the most beautiful literature. She would write him letters that were in lovely Polish. He says, "And then she started writing to me such beautiful letters - Almost nobody could write Polish like she wrote."

Why does Vladek ask Art not to write about Lucia in his book? Why doesn’t Art listen to his father? Do you think it is right for Art to break his promise?
Vladek is old-fashioned and so he did the chivalrous thing and asked Art not to write about Lucia because he didn't have her permission and he wanted to be respectful. I don't know if it was right for Art to break his promise, but I think that Art chose to write about her so that he could include an accurate portrayal of his father's character. Much like how later in the book when Art included the racist comments Vladek made about dark-skinned people.

Page 14 As a Narrative

After dinner, we went into Dad's room. He started pedalling on a stationery bike. "It's good for my heart." He simply said.

"Dad, I still want to write that book about you. The one that I always talked about,"I said, already imagining the scenes I could draw, "About you in Poland and the war."

"It would take many books, my life," Vladek said, "and no  one anyway wants to hear such stories."

He looked down at the number that had been permanently engraved into his arm. The rough surface spelled out 175113.

"But I want to hear it!" I said, hoping to convince him. I picked up one of the picture frames nearby. "Why don't you start with how you met Mum?"

"But son, better you make beautiful drawing and make money... But... If it will please you very much, I will tell you." He exclaimed, still pedaling on his bike. "It all started in Czestochowa, a small city not far from the border of Germany..."

Peacock Horror

The peacocks decide to try and intimidate the foxes by going up to them while they are resting and the peacocks declare war. They demand to speak with the head fox. The foxes observe that the peacocks had forgotten to bring their weapons. The head fox gives a sassy and sarcastic remark then orders her battalion to engage battle technique 23. The foxes slay the peacocks because they were smarter and had techniques as well as weapons. The peacocks died because of their stupidity and arrogance.

The End.

(Based on a true story.)

Cat and Maus Metaphor

We think that the metaphor is extremely relevant and that the decision on which animals he chose was precise and very well thought through. 

The metaphor of the cat and maus is extremely appropriate because of the portrayal that humans have of cats and mice. Cats are known to not only be superior of the mice but also they are known to be cunning and sleek. Mice are known to be timid and gross. Also, it is commonly known that humans are scared of mice unless they are in a cage. Once mice are in a cage, people feel content and safe. Cats are the more loved animals by humans and they are favoured most.

Spiegleman's point that humans are nothing more than animals is certainly true but not his only reason for choosing the animals, in our opinion. He chose the cat and mice metaphor because it's a commonly known fact that many animals hunt mice.

A similar metaphor of a cat-and-mouse is the germans being a corner of the desk and the jews being the hip.