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Maus... an un-heroic survival.

In looking for analysis on Maus, I came across an article by Stacy Affleck titled, “Art Spiegelman's Maus: An Analysis of Honesty and Imperfection.” In this article she touches on many issues portrayed in Maus, but for the most part she puts an emphasis on how Spiegeleman highlghts the overall imperfection of the Holocaust.

First off, Affleck points out that within Maus the Holocaust survivors aren’t being idolized; instead, they are conveyed in a more honest light—as selfish. Affleck states, “The honesty in this novel shows that people are not perfect and they cannot be placed on a pedestal for any reason.” The survivors look out for themselves and have little concern for others’ suffering. Vladek’s survival is only found through a series of tricks that misleadingly pushes him in a better position than others—whether taking jobs that he doesn’t deserve, bribing those around him, or sharing less than he can truly offer. Affleck argues Spiegleman’s intention in making survivors seem more human through imperfection, “By doing this it is possible that Art and other second generation survivors like him will no longer feel like they are living in the shadows of people they have no way of competing with.”

Affleck also shares that the imperfection of the Holocaust can be seen in the un-heroic rescue that supposedly “ends the prisoners’ misery.” She explains, “Survivors were not rescued in a neat and tidy manner and things did not go back to normal for them. Everything they lost in the war, valuables and businesses, were not returned and survivors were still being killed.” The absence of a typical rescue that makes everything better helps convey the entirety of the victims’ suffering. It was much more life impacting than just a few brutal months in a miserable camp.

           Affleck conveys that throughout the novel Spiegelman hints that Holocaust victims are not heroes, but just regular people like anyone else. She states, “Maus suggests that people like Vladek are not perfect, they are not idols and it is not a matter of living up to their level of greatness.” She argues that we shouldn’t compare our misery with theirs, but rather try to relate to it. And by making the Holocaust appear more imperfect than what we our use to imagining, Spiegelman allows us to more easily relate with the victims’ circumstances.