Maus 2 by Art Spiegelman

Maus II is Art Spiegelman’s biographical story about his father, Vladek Spiegelman. The book describes the life of a family in Poland during the Second World War. Maus II begins with the events, when Vladek and Art’s mother trying to escape from Poland in 1944, were fallen to Auschwitz, one of the largest and most famous Nazi concentration camps. Throughout the story the reader witnesses every difficult moment which Vladek Spiegelman was facing.

Showed by Vladek ingenuity in job for food, while he and his wife were in the ghetto, and later creativity in hiding helped him to stay alive in a concentration camp. Vladek’s story is absolutely amazing and heartbreaking. Being in the camp, he could communicate with his wife and even helped her to save her life. This fact shows the greatness of their love. Therefore, it becomes clear why Vladek seriously worried and completely fell down after her suicide. People removal from Auschwitz and the death march to the Gross-Rosen concentration camp, as well as the spread of typhus is shown in few but very powerful words.

Similarly to Maus, images in Maus II are appalling and needed. Each illustration tells its own story. The story is rich in symbolisms, taking into account the fact that the characters act like animals. Jews appeared in the form of mice, the Germans were cats, Poles were depicted as pigs and lonely Frenchman was in the image of a frog. Maus II ends with Vladek and Anja reunion. Art Spiegelman’s comic story book with numerous illustrations of animals is quite strong and soulful.

Maus II describes one of the most fascinating stories of survival. Author has written an excellent work, which has immortalized his parents, and also showed the burden that fell on all those, who survived and continued to carry it, even passing it to children. Maus II is not only the story about the Holocaust. Depicted by Spiegelman tale tells his own history of the Holocaust.