Art Spiegelman’s Maus
Literery works usually follow certain guidelines depending on the genre of the works and the author. Art Spiegelman’s Maus just like other literary works is conformed to specific guidelines not limited and including elements of theme, plot, and conflict among others. This essay will focus on comparison of Art Spiegelman’s Maus to a comic book Superman with the consideration of how the elements including theme, plot, and conflict are different or alike in the two works and how successful Spiegelman is in conveying his message through the more unfamiliar format of the graphic novel.
Theme
Several themes have been depicted in the comic Maus. The most prominent themes include power, warfare race, family, morality and ethics, guilt and blame and art and culture. Most of the themes are dominant with other traditional comic books. Power is normally the main theme that causes the rise of the villains and heroes. During the Second World War, most of the European countries were fighting for their survival, and therefore, their citizens would become the victims of war. Vladek was one of the causalities of these wars. Unlike traditional comics that placed a lot of emphasis on heroic acts, the comics show no sign of identifying the heroes in this case. One major theme that is found in comic’s books and other works is conflict. Most of the traditional comic books were built on a major theme of conflict. They normally ended with the demise of the party that was deemed to have started the conflict. In the case of Maus, the war ends when Vladek and the family leave for the United States. By doing so, the story ends in a familiar way with most of the comics and, therefore, does not break the traditional antagonist- protagonist views. Comparison of these works with a comic book Superman, the main factors involved a superhero having supernatural powers and fighting the world. The cosmic show revolves around the acts of the superhero in fighting crime or in fighting against the villains. It normally ends up with the superhero winning against at the villains. The superheroes are also depicted as human beings and not as animal characters as shown in Maus.
Conflict
The comic book Maus depicts different forms of conflict. They include personal conflicts, which involve the family of Vladek, and the conflict between the different countries where Vladek becomes a victim of circumstances in the society. Similar to the traditional forms of comics, the film ends by resolving the conflict. However, the effects of the conflict are worse to the different parties and countries. Vladek’s family suffers since they become poorer while their countries lose their sovereignty. Conflict in the comic Superman revolves against fighting crime that has been initiated by the villain. The superhuman uses extraordinary powers to be able to defeat the villain. In the end, the superhuman manages to deliver justice something that is not noted in the comic Maus. In Maus, there is no justice for the victim instead there is irreparable suffering
Plot
Maus uses different species of animals to represent the diverse ethnic groups that are present in the book. The Jews are depicted as mice, the polish are depicted as pigs, the Nazis as cats and the Jewish – American as dogs. All this is uncommon in other forms of comics which constantly depict the main antagonists and protagonists as people. The only part of the body that is depicted to belong to the animal is the head while the other parts resemble human beings by dressing in more appropriate ways (Bongco, 2014). The plot opens up with Art going to his father Vladek to seek information regarding the happenings of the Holocaust. Vladek starts narrating the story from the time they lived in affluence to their present condition. This was before the world war. Vladek narrates how they lived happily with Anja and their son, Richieu. The beginning of the World War II changes the fortunes of the family entirely. Richieu dies at a young age, and Vladek is sent to fight, ending up as a war prisoner. Later on, Vladek is freed and returns to Poland which is being occupied by the Germans. The condition becomes unbearable when Germans confiscate deporting them to the Jews camps. Vladek family attempts to hide from Germans but is betrayed by the Nazi. In the camps, they experience the full horror of the brutality of concentration camps. They attempt to survive in the camp. They are later transferred to Dachau where the conditions are even worse (Bongco, 2014). At the need, they are both set free and immigrate back to the United States. The plot resembles a different plot that is observed in most of the comic stories where there is an established villain and hero. Such characters do not exist in this comic group.
The plot in the comic superhuman has always revolved around the identification of the villain, the fighting between the superhuman and the villain. In the beginning, the villain causes a major disturbance in the society, and the only person who has the ability to stop the villain is the superhuman (Bongco, 2014). By solving all the injustices in the society, the superhero manages to bring back justice in the society in a more different form. Unlike this forms of traditional comic books, Maus shows a different picture. There are no superheroes fighting for the injustice done in the society. There is also no justice as the end as most of the people in Vladek family suffer considerably.
References
Bongco, M. (2014). Reading comics: Language, culture, and the concept of the superhero in comic books. Routledge.
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