Execution of innocent Jews

The graphic novel Maus by Art Spiegelman is a rich and engaging story. It follows his own parents’ story in Poland during the 1930s, and describes their experiences as the Nazis invaded and persecuted the Jewish population. Spiegelman presents his story in graphic form, portraying his characters as animals. Let’s take a look at a summary and analysis.

Maus takes place during two different periods in time. The present time in Florida frames the story of the past. In the present, Art interacts with his father, Vladek. From these interactions, the story moves to the past as Vladek recounts his experiences as a Jew in German-occupied Poland. The second part of the story describes Vladek’s life in the concentration camps.

Part One: The Present

The story begins with Vladek as a young man in the mid-1930s living in Poland. His friends help set him up with a girl named Anja. Anja lives in Sosnowiec, Poland, and her parents are extremely wealthy.

Vladek makes a good impression and shows that he is self-determined and not afraid of hard work. He becomes somewhat successful in his own right, and Anja’s father loans Vladek money to build his own factory. Vladek and Anja soon marry, and have a son, Richieu. Life is good.

Then the threat of the Germans descends on Poland. Vladek fights for the Polish Army on the front line but is captured and becomes a prisoner of war. Vladek is able to escape and returns to his family. He acquires paperwork from his black market contacts, which, in addition to his wealth, keeps his family safe from capture. Many of their friends and some family members are captured or killed.

His son Richieu had been sent to stay with his aunt, but she poisons him along with her own children to prevent them from being sent to the concentration camps. Vladek and Anja barely manage to stay alive in the ghettos where the Germans confine the Jewish population. Eventually they resort to hiding to prevent capture by the Germans, but are betrayed by one of their own, and Vladek and Anja are captured. They are sent to separate camps at Auschwitz.