Analyzing Art Spiegelman's Maus

Introduction 

Art’s Spiegelman’s Maus is a comic work that presents a young boy whose associations with his father are tensed. In Maus , animal characters are used to symbolize its human characters. The work is mostly based during the Holocaust, and the animal characters have been used to reduce the likelihood of unintentional preconceptions and biases regarding different cultures. The book The Great Gatsby covers the 1920 fall of the American Dream and the hollowness of the wealthy people. On the surface, The Great Gatsby seems to analyze a frustrated love between two people (Scott, 2001). Through making a comparison of the elements in these comic books, this paper will analyze how conflict, plot, and themes are similarly or differently presented. Also, the paper will evaluate Spiegelman’s success in passing his message. 

Comparing Art Spiegelman's Maus and “The Great Gatsby”

First, Maus’ plot is founded on the Holocaust and world war periods. Art bases the story on personal conversations with his father regarding Jews’ exploitation by Germans and the world war. The plot also covers real-time historical occurrences that have been recorded multiple times as they are mastered worldwide (Spiegelman, 2003). On the other hand, The Great Gatsby is mainly based on a love triangle between Daisy and Nick. Despite the book’s actions spanning around a few months, the work profoundly symbolizes America in the 1920s, concentrating on the crumbling of the American dream during a period of exceptional material excess and prosperity (Scott, 2001). The book portrays these periods as those of corroded moral and social values, as demonstrated in the all-encompassing pursuit of pleasure, greed, and cynicism. One notable difference is that while both are comic books, The Great Gatsby is mostly fictional while Maus bases its arguments and events on actual occurences.

There are significant differences in the themes. Maus concentrates on the Second World War occurrences through a detailed analysis of the impacts of the Holocaust on the relationship between family members and survivors. The young boy in Maus seeks answers from his father concerning the events of the Second World War, the aftermath of the war, and the experiences he underwent as a Jew. After his mother’s death, the boy is forced to tolerate a step-mother whom he strongly despises (Spiegelman, 2003). As the story comes to an end, the tensed relationship between father and son significantly improves. The Great Gatsby concentrates on the theme of love that is portrayed as a wicked form of affection. Despite Daisy being a married woman, Gatsby is bent on having an affair with her, a situation that results in her divorce. The dark and malicious love portrayed in The Great Gatsby is the complete opposite of that in Maus . Notably, the love was represented by an empty chase for desire and reckless jubilance. 

The primary conflict in Art’s work is demonstrated by his desire to spend minimum time with his father while he wished to understand all events that occurred within the period of the Holocaust. The situation, therefore, forces him to plan on how he will utilize every opportunity to learn new things regarding the Holocaust (Spiegelman, 2003). The author’s wishes to spend little time with his father are prompted by the tensed relationship that exists between the two. On the contrary, the major conflict in The Great Gatsby is internal. According to Gatsby, every woman he meets would fall in love with him due to his wealth, despite the fact that he illegally acquired them. However, Daisy needs more evidence to prove that Gatsby is indeed a changed man who has deviated from the past (Scott, 2001). The manners in which these conflicts are presented are different in many ways. 

Art sufficiently presented the conflict, theme, and plot in his work despite the exceptional writing style, by employing global situations in addressing issues that many populations and cultures would rather remain silent about. The graphical format that he uses brings his narration to life, just like the tense interactions between him and Vladek. The broad discussions about the exploitation of the Jews by Germans and the Holocaust make Art’s work even more enhanced. In a real sense, Maus is more than just a Holocaust story, but also a narration of struggle and suffering of generations during and after the Holocaust (Spiegelman, 2003). Readers often prefer analyzing literary works that incite their thinking concerning past and current matters that have significantly impacted on peoples’ livelihoods and perceptions. 

Conclusion

Despite Spiegel’s book being categorized as a comic work, it has successfully educated readers on past events. The book’s literary progeny has received wide acclamations. Art’s work does not stop at recounting the terrors within Poland’s camps; it proceeds to present the outstanding second generation problems affecting people who survived the Holocaust, such as coming to terms with their ancestors’ plights. Among the major lessons that the book has promoted include the value of family and interpersonal relationships. Art’s work concludes by provoking readers to speculate on the death of Anja and Vladek. 

References

Scott, F. (2001). The Great Gatsby . CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS.

Spiegelman, A. (2003). The complete maus . Penguin Books Limited.