Arcade of Memories

Of MAUS and other things...

There are several aspects to which we can pay attention in the process of reading, especially if we are talking about a graphic novel, from which so much information is processed.  In order to understand better and to write from what we have read (just like some of us are doing in this precise moment) we can read what experts on literature have to say whether it is in the form of an article, essay, review, etc. But rarely do we see a work of art through its own writer’s eyes.  That is why in this piece of writing, I will focus on a few aspects I found quite interesting supporting my ideas not only with the literature available but also with Spiegelman’s own vision upon these subjects expressed on an interview from 2 months after having published MAUS’ second volume.

Of MAUS and Time.

As we already know, this book narrows its narrative down to at least three different stories; the story of Vladek’s, a Jewish from Poland who survived the Holocaust; the story about the relationship between Artie (the author) and his father (Vladek); as well as the story of how Artie dealt with his book’s publication and his father’s death. Pablo de Santis (1998) defines this interaction like this: ͑Maus is not just the narration of a survivor but the way in which the survivor’s son understands his father`s story and is able to live with it.

 Throughout this book we can find temporal jumps from past to present and backwards such as one of many moments in which Art interrupts his father’s narrating in order to find out more details. We can also appreciate how past and present coexist in the same frame so as to engage us as readers, to make us react, wonder ourselves and therefore, understand better. “To call the reader into the story is to force an active rather than a passive participation. For instance, the fragmented narratives typical of postmodern writing do not allow the reader to simply absorb information” (Costello, 2006)It seems brilliant to me that the author had taken advantage of the drawings to make us wake up (because to absorb information is one of my talents) and realize this is not a simple narration about a WWII survivor, but more importantly about his son’s interpretation.

"These interruptions would remind readers that this history is being told and remembered by some- one in a particular time and place, that it is the product of human hands and minds." (Young, 1998)

When asked for such technique, Albert admitted that we wanted past and present to become one, this was one of the main reasons why he chose to write this book in the form of a graphic novel. “Something that the comics’ medium makes available because in a comics book (...) you have various panels, those panels are each units of time and you can see them simultaneously” (Spiegelman, 1991)

As we know, an image is worth a thousand words, so another reason to add drawings or pictures to writing is simply that...

Images speak when words can't.-

Of MAUS and Memories.

What about Anja’s memories from the holocaust?

As we discover by reading the first volume of MAUS, Art’s mother was separated from his father before they get to Auschwitz, we also find out that Anja had written diaries about her experience in the camps but in order to leave the past behind (which is impossible when you are marked in such way) Vladek burnt those diaries without even reading them, causing his own son to call him a murderer. It is this absence of memories that make us feel a void in the story, and we only get to know about Art’s origins from this father. And how can you trust someone who says “they lived happy ever after” when one of them committed suicide? Still it seems unfair to question whether they loved each other (I believed it, almost cried a little bit) and Art finds the way of reunite them at the end of MAUS, by placing them together in the same grave.

 What about Art’s memory of his father?

From watching this Upon Reflection interview one discovers that Albert wanted to come to terms with his father and he thought one way of doing so was to share the experience of commenting his father’s experience before and during the war. But was he really interested in his reconciliation? “When he remembers his father's story now, he remembers how at times he had to wring it out of him. When his father needed a son, a friend, a sounding board, Art demanded Holocaust.” This can be perfectly in the moment Art is transcribing what his father told him and he notices he did not listened to his complains about Mala, he cared about only hearing from Auschwitz.Regarding the last moment in the first volume, when Albert calls his father a murderer, he admits “having murdered” his father as well by revealing secrets he specifically asked not to include in his book. One thing he refers to with joy is seeing his father as a collaborator in the publication of MAUS.

To conclude, I recommend you to watch this interview if you want to learn more about Spiegelman’s own writing experience,  and to hear his words about the central dilemma of reading this graphic novel.  What about your reading experience? Did you enjoy this book? Should you enjoy it?

References

Costello, L. A. (2006). History and Memory in a Dialogic of "Performative Memorialization" in Art Spiegelman's "Maus: A Survivor's Tale". Midwest Modern Language Association.

Ravelo, L. (2013). Semiotic analysis of Art Spiegelman’s Maus: A war comic with an open ending. Argentinian Journal of Applied Linguistics .

Saraceni, M. (2001). SEEEVG BEYOND LANGUAGE: WHEN WORDS ARE NOT ALONE. Bangkok.

Spiegelman, A. The Complete MAUS. New York: Pantheon.

UWTV. (1991). The Holocaust Through the Eyes of a Maus (Art Spiegelman) . Washington.

Young, J. E. (1998). The Holocaust as Vicarious Past: Art Spiegelman's Maus and the Afterimages of History.