Maus Close Reading

p. 84, panel 1 of Spiegelman, Art. Maus: A Survivor's Tale,
vol 1. New York: Pantheon Books, 1986.

Aside from the fact that the graphic novel's serves to relate the story of Art's father, Vladek, it also represents how surviving the holocaust has changed Vladek, with the effects impacting his daily life. These changes even haunt him from early on. This panel acts as the inside of Vladek's mind. The mice that were hanged are shown hanging over Vladek's head. Since they are drawn faded into the background, they represent how Vladek is always burdened with paranoia, especially since he says "maybe one of them could have talked of me." There is no light on Vladek, showing how he feels hopeless in this situation, and with his back turned to Anja, Art depicts how closed off Vladek was starting to become. Since not even Anja could reach and help him in this situation, the theme of being imprisoned is evident here. The vertical lines on the back of the chair, on the window, and the background illustrate Vladek's imprisonment in his own mind. To further the sense of disconnect felt by Vladek, there is a crack on the back wall to represent how broken he his. Though this hanging was only in the beginning, the effects have already taken their toll, and what Vladek will witness in the future will change him even more.

Richieu seems to be unaffected by all of these events, and the light that shines on him depicts him as an innocent figure. He is calmly playing with his toy in the chaos, which brings emphasis back to how his father is struggling alone.

These features are few of many which Spiegelman incorporates into his drawings, giving special meaning to even a line. Ultimately, these components to the drawings illustrate how surviving the holocaust has changes Vladek.