Maus Close Read

On page 110 in Maus Book 1, Vladek continues to narrate his past experiences to his son. In this particular instance, Vladek chooses to take charge in the process and draw out a memory.

This page reveals the effectiveness of art as a means of communication and perhaps provides reasoning for Spiegelman’s decision to write a graphic novel instead of the ordinary novel. Vladek “explains” (which is usually done through words) his experience to Artie by drawing the bunker. No number of words could have represented the memory as clearly as the picture does. Everything from the location of the bunker to the two prison-forming outer walls is made apparent through a simple sketch.   

The theme of entrapment is present throughout the novel. Usually it is the Germans who capture Jews and confine them to prison. From Vladek’s recollection and drawing, however, it becomes apparent that sometimes the Jews confined themselves in bunkers. To keep themselves free from the grasp of Nazis, they had to take away their own freedom. This is not just ironic but also reveals a sad truth about the Holocaust. No matter what the Jews did, the environment had made it impossible for them to live even a seemingly normal life.