Art Spiegelman's MAUS: A Breath of Fresh Air.

After reading Maus by Art Spiegelman, I have to say that this style of writing his father's account of their lifestory, and their struggles with the Nazis is like a breath of fresh air. I was really intrigued by the comic book style in which he executed his family history, and by far this is the best, if not the most creative technique in which I have ever came across. It appeals to the readers, because it has a familiar feel to it, and the bonus is that it addresses serious matters, such as escaping the wrenching claws of Hitler, the importance of money, and the most mind blowing of all, that of exile. Just by reading the first couple pages, you realize the importance money played in this society, when his father said,"Her family was nice, but had no money, even for a dowry" (p.15). This shows us that being financially stable in this society was a huge factor, not only for a comfortable living standard, but even when it came to marriage and choosing a life pathner. What happened to love, shouldn't love be the deciding factor? Another interesting theme that goes hand in hand with money/finances would be that of social status. From reading the the first page, when Artie went to visit his father and stepmother, she hung his coat on a wire hanger, and his father made such a huge deal about putting his coat on a wooden hanger. In my opinion, this symbolized their social standing in society, and showed what luxuries they could have afforded at this time. By including these little details, for example, his mom encounter with suicide, dowry in exchange for a marriage agreement, Artie having a stepmom all these side details made the novel more real, and made its readers connect to it more easily. Aside from discussing the struggles of being rich and having it all taken away, and being forced to live in intolerable quarters imposed by the Nazis, there are other aspects in this novel that stands out, and makes it shine. Having said all that, I must say that by including this text in the syllabus, it was a wise decision and it had a huge impact on my outlook, it really made me think out of the box.