Maus by Art Spiegelman showcases a strikingly harrowing and
personal account of the horrors that took place during the Holocaust. The story
revolves both on Spiegelman and his father’s relationship and his father’s
experience in his earlier life. After having read Maus, it doesn’t surprise me why this graphic novel has gained the
critical acclaim it’s received.
I think Spiegelman tiptoed when it
came to making sure he wouldn’t potentially offend anyone by using animals
instead of people for Maus. The
Jewish people were portrayed as mice and the Nazis were portrayed as cats. If
he had used humans, it would have been bound to offend someone.
This story was not particularly
easy to read. Not in the same way I felt when reading the underground comics,
however; the underground comics were offensive and crude, which is why they
were hard to read. Maus was all based
on reality. An awful, tragic reality that actually happened and the author
spared no punches in making sure our readers got the awful truth. I think the recognition of graphic
novels like Maus are extremely
important for this reason; people can convey their stories in any medium, and
comics are no exception to that rule.
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