Maus, a graphic novel series written by Art Spiegelman, has been published in two volumes. Volume I, My Father Bleeds History, was published in 1986 (“My Father Bleeds History” 4) while Volume II, And Here My Troubles Began, was published in 1991 (“And Here My Troubles Began” 2). There were many themes in both volumes including family and guilt. Spiegelman used stylistic choices such as point of view and allegory that enhance the central themes of the graphic novel series. Furthermore, Spiegelman's ability to weave together both ethos and pathos puts a unique spin on the historical event of the Holocaust. Although Maus has been considered controversial, it serves a purpose in telling the story of a Nazi concentration camp survivor. The telling of the survivor's story occurs through graphics and family accounts, strategically implementing the stylistic devices mentioned above to represent the themes of family and guilt. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Maus offers two points of view, both first-person. The author, Spiegelman, uses himself and his father, Vladek, as narrators of the story. This unique twist provides insights from two necessary perspectives to the story. Vladek's first-person perspective gives us a first-hand look at life in the concentration camps and how he had to think to survive. On the other hand, Art offers us a completely different perspective. The perspective of art allows us to learn about Vladek's story, but also provides us with information about the consequences of the Holocaust. The use of two perspectives gives way to some of the book's major themes, including family and guilt. From Vladek's perspective, the theme of family creates a heartbreaking narrative as he talks about trying to save his first son, Richieu, by sending him with another family. Furthermore, Vladek loses his wife, and through the perspective of art, the reader observes how Vladek mourns his first wife, Anja. The perspective of Art, however, offers a completely different vision on the topic of family. Art was not alive during the war, but it still suffered great pain. When his mother, Anja, committed suicide, he was confused and often blamed his father, Vladek. While both perspectives have family as a significant theme, they are very different. In addition to the use of two points of view that allow you to understand the theme of family from two perspectives, this stylistic choice also helps the reader understand guilt. Vladek and Art both experience guilt, but in very different forms due to their circumstances. Vladek's perspective of guilt comes from surviving the concentration camps when millions of others could not. Paul Chodoff, a psychiatrist, said it this way: “In the end, some survivors felt guilty simply because they had remained alive while so many others had died” (154). There was no rhyme or reason to his survival; truth be told, Vladek barely made it out, so the confusion about survival made him feel guilty. Art's perspective on the topic of guilt comes from the feeling of never having come close to the agony of the concentration camps like his father, his mother and his brother whom he never met. Chodoff wrote, “Children, men and women now grown, were sometimes reared in a psychological atmosphere imprisoned by the scars their surviving parents bore in their task of child-rearing,” (155) which is exactly what we see in Vladek and The Report of Art. Although the trauma experienced byVladek is more than valid, he also created an environment not suitable for children. Vladek was still processing the trauma when he had Art and up until the day he died, and this subjected Art to a completely different new form of trauma that affected his life and outlook on family and guilt. The drip effect of survivor's guilt has left a mark on art, just as survivor's guilt has left a mark on Vladek's life. Spiegelman implements the allegory in his graphic novel Maus. Allegory is defined in the textbook Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing as “a narrative in verse or prose in which literal events (people, places, and things) consistently indicate a parallel sequence of ideas symbolic,” (Kennedy et al. 1910). In Maus the use of animals symbolizes people from different nations. Jews, including Vladek and Art, were depicted as mice while the Nazis were cats. Additionally, Poles were drawn as pigs and Americans as dogs (Shmoop). allegorical meaning behind the use of mice and cats symbolizes a couple of ideas. First, the reader may recognize it as the idea of ​​the cat and mouse game where the cat chases the mice; in this game, the fate is for the mice to escape or for the cat to kill the mice, which symbolizes the killing of the Jews by the Nazis and also the Jews who were trying to escape can perceive the use of this allegory is that Jews were seen as insignificant nonhumans similar to the idea that a mouse is a rodent. The use of animals as humans creates another indirect symbol of how the Nazis operated. Using dehumanization as a tactic to kill Jews and many other minorities, it is bold of Spiegelman to carry this forward in his book. The piece “Overlooking Others: Dehumanization by Comission and Omission” defines dehumanization this way: “Representing others as subhuman denies them basic human rights to freedom and protection from harm” (Waytz and Schroeder 251), which is exactly the how the Nazis completed that process. atrocities. The use of this subtle allegory highlights how Jews were not seen as human beings, therefore they had no rights, which is why they were portrayed as rats in the series. The use of allegory in the graphic novel gave a different perspective to the historical event. Typically, historical events are told only in words. Spiegelman incorporated graphics to add an extra layer of understanding, but also the allegorical meaning of the graphics. This allowed for a deeper and more complete understanding of the Holocaust. Along with stylistic choices of multiple points of view and allegory, Spiegelman tactfully used ethos and pathos to engage the reader. Because Maus is written by Art and told through the perspective of himself and his father, believability is there in place of it being a memoir. Art and Vladek are experts on their own lives and experiences. Furthermore, Spiegelman uses pathos effectively both when he is in the first person and when his father is in the first person. As a reader, depending on your perspective, your emotions change. When Art speaks, you resent Vladek. Alternatively, when Vladek speaks, you begin to feel empathy for him and his story and wonder why Art is harsh on his father. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In conclusion, Art Spiegelman has tactfully implemented a variety of stylistic choices to give a unique perspective on a Holocaust memoir. Not just his choice of,