Let me just start off this blog post with saying how intense Maus II is compared to Maus I. The scenes depicted from the concentration camps have gotten much more gruesome and harder to read. In a previous post I talked about how hard it was to get through some portions of the first novel, but that is no comparison to this novel. Something, however, in this book that I've noticed myself having an issue with is which panel to read first. I didn't seem to have this problem while reading Maus I, so it is odd to me that it is becoming a challenge.
Chapter one starts out with Art getting the phone call from his father which sets the entire tone for the chapter. It makes the reader suspenseful and worried as to what has happened. It is also no surprise that in this chapter, Mala has left Vladek. We all saw that one coming. It was interesting to learn about the meaning that the numbers Vladek had tattooed on him. If I were in his position, I would be given a great deal of hope after hearing all the good fortune that comes out of these numbers.
Chapter two is where things start to get messy. You get a look into how sad Art is and how lonely he feels even though his first book is doing so well. It is a prime example of just how money cannot buy you happiness. You also find out in this chapter that Vladek has died. At first, I didn't know how the book would go on, but I soon realized that Art had conducted these interviews long before his father died. As the chapter goes on, Vladek relays the stories of the gas chambers and the mass graves that he was told about from a guy who worked with him. This was interesting, yet so hard to read. When he says, "prisoners what worked there poured gasoline over the live ones and the dead ones. and the fat from the burning bodies they scooped and poured again so everyone could burn better"(page 72) I found myself repulsed by the imagery it created. The words don't even need illustrations to go along with them, the words produce enough horror.
In chapter three, things somewhat get toned down because there is a lot of dialogue between Vladek, Art and Francoise regarding the stay that they are having with Vladek. Again, the recurring motif of recycling everything is shown again by the cereal being almost empty and Vladek insisting he return it. The most interesting thing I gathered from this chapter was on the ride home from the store when Franciose picks up the black hitchhiker and Art's father freaks out. He becomes very racist and says demeaning things regarding the man. I'm confused as to how he could say such things after going through everything from World War II. You would think that he would be the most understanding and empathetic human-being on the planet. This shocked me to say the least and I'm wondering if it will come up again in the upcoming chapters.
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