The Tale of Cat and Maus

A Tale of Cat and MAUS

Wars and revolutions can be like disastrous volcanic eruptions, tsunamis and wild fires that consume the peacefulness of the world at certain moments. These events are the usual things that cause great fear, distress and anxiety to people that also leave a speck of dark memory in their minds. However, as compared to natural disasters that can as well kill and destroy lives, wars and revolutions do not happen naturally, rather, these are man-forced and man-initiated events which lead to the end of lives, dreams and peacefulness. The Second World War has been considered throughout the entire world history as one of the most popular and destructive wars since it were contributed to by a lot of nations who fought with different ideologies. This war left lots of painful, traumatic and life changing scars into the memories of its survivors and even for the people who merely served as spectators of the ruthless revolution that occurred. This proves that just like natural disasters, wars indeed destroy and change lives of people drastically. However, unlike earthquakes and volcanic eruptions which are rather naturally occurring disasters, wars can oftentimes plant hurtful and resentful feelings within people's hearts. This is not just true among people who witnessed the ruthless and grave damages the war caused, but also among survivors and their loved ones. In a lot of personal accounts and tales, these appear to be true, although that these people were lucky to survive, the war has nonetheless taken something that are precious to them. These people whose lives have been forever changed by the war were known throughout the entire world as the holocaust children. Seeing themselves alive after all the chaos may be a great blessing and a something to be very thankful for. However, watching their lives changing drastically could be another serious matter. But although surviving after all the great turbulence can be considered as a great blessing, the pains and the trauma they are bound to carry through the years are sure to cause drastic changes in their lives.

The people who were lucky to survive the Nazi's genocides in Europe during the era of the Second World War have been popularly known in history as the Holocaust survivors. These people were mostly Jews who lived during the reign of the Nazis in Europe. Being able to survive this dreadful and ruthless reign by one of the cruelest dictators in the world at that time was a great accomplishment and blessing for these people. However, as they came back to their own families and went on with their lives and it seemed like some things are forever changed. The children of war survivors and victims' relay and recount their stories of changed family lives through narrating how it was like living an entirely different and damaged life. Art Spiegelman is a child of holocaust survivors, grew to become a literary artist and a comic book author who later on told his tale that delved on the effects of the war to his parents and to his life. Maus not only shows the horrors of the Holocaust through Art Spiegelman father account but also shows how the Holocaust directly affected the second generation of Jews through the constant behavior and beliefs of the original survivors.

Maus has been a very popular comic strip that tells the story of a holocaust survivor. However, the entire story was based on animals which stood for the real personages behind these characters such as the Jews, the Germans, the Americans, the Polish, and the French respectively. The mice were the Jews, the cats were the Germans, the pigs were Polish, the frogs were French, and dogs were Americans. These portraying of the groups in this manner not only show that the cats are the dominate predator out of all of these animals as in real life. Until in volume two when the Americans step in to help fight against the Germans, thus changing the dynamic of the animals, therefore the dog becomes the alpha predator. Art Spiegelman uses the reference of the dog to stand for loyalty and protection unlike that cat that has no loyalty and is only out for its self. This example stands out the most in reference as the cats against the mice followed by the dogs against the cats. Ironically, even in modern day animation like Tom and Jerry for children the same example is played. Tom (cat) is always trying to exterminate Jerry (mouse) in one way or another and Spike (dog) protects Jerry from Tom by beating Tom up. Another way the Spiegelman illustrates this point is that in the animal kingdom there is no mercy. Humans unlike animals are able to show mercy, compassion, empathy and logic. Spiegelman uses this to show how brutal and animalistic the inhalation of the Jews was.

The storyline is observed from back and forth from the war to the present as Vladeck- Spiegelman's father- recounts how the war occurred in front of his very eyes to how he views life now. The tone of the narrative can be seen as very mild and natural tone like of that of people conversing over dinner. However with analytical reading it is able to be observed that the small details of the illustrations and some parts of the narrative reveal that a war has had several impacts on Spiegelman's life than just of the obvious trauma. Vladeck is unable to attach to his post war life where as he able to form bonds and attachments pre and during war time. Vladeck is unable to attach and have productive interpersonal post war relationships. A common theme in Vladeck's life is that he is unable to emotionally attach to the number two's in his life; Mala who is his second wife and Art who is his second son also. Vladeck was very much in love with his first wife and Art's mother Anja. Vladeck treasured her, after their first son was born; Anja went in to a very bad depression and was sent to the sanatorium. Vladeck dropped everything to be with her. Vladeck explains "I understood much of such sickness, so I helped always to calm her down...in the evenings we went either to the theater or to dance in the café" (34-35). When it comes to Mala, Vladeck does not hold back his disdain and is constantly comparing her to Anja. Vladeck says " Even though everything was very tough-and it was really tough-we( Anja and Vladeck)were happy only to be together...not so like it is now with me and Mala...Mala makes me crazy" (67). Mala knows that Vladeck is unattached to her and is unresponsive when it comes to her emotional needs. Mala expresses this while Art is looking for his mothers diaries in his father's den.

Art: incredible! Four 1965 Dry Dock Savings Bank Calendar...I'll bet he never even had an account there.

Mala: he drives me crazy! He won't even let me throw out the plastic pitcher