What Makes Maus so Effective

Going into this week, many of us had the idea in our heads that comics are only to be used for laughs and light entertainment. This accompanied by the idea placed in my head by school that any books with pictures in it are inherently less intelligent and informative, made me very excited to see how the holocaust would be portrayed in a more comical and allegorical way. After I had begun reading I was instantly stunned to see that, although it was simply a retelling of a holocaust survivor’s experience in Auschwitz, it was so much more captivating and powerful than other written account of the holocaust that I have read.

What makes Maus so effective, is the way that it uses cartoonish and hyper-realistic images to convey the inhuman and unbelievable events that occurred during this time.  For example, on page 72 of the second volume, Vladek describes the gruesome process of burning alive many of the prisoners in the camp. While I personally was already aware of the fact that this went on, this page brought it to life in a whole new way. The strong imagery found here brings a completely different sense of understanding to the reader, as Spiegelman describes how the “fat from the burning bodies,” was “scooped and poured again so everyone could burn better.” This is really brought to life because in the bottom panel, the actual process of burning the prisoners alive is depicted. What makes it so impactful is the way that Spiegelman used exaggerated, almost cartoonish flames that seem to swallow up the prisoners as they let loose their raw and animalistic cries for help. Something this powerful cannot portrayed in a photograph because as devastating as seeing an actual photograph of an actual person being burned alive is, it could never capture what that person is truly feeling in that moment. What that person is feeling can no longer be explained in words or in a realistic photograph because the feelings that one must feel at the point are not fathomable or human, as humans at that point are reduced to nothing more than a helpless rodent in the moment before it is crushed by a mouse trap.