Maus, a series of graphic novels 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) . In both volumes, many themes are addressed, including family and guilt. Spiegelman used stylistic choices such as point of view and allegory that emphasize the central themes of the graphic novel series. Additionally, Spiegelman's ability to blend both ethos and pathos gives a unique spin to the historical event of the Holocaust. Although Maus has been considered controversial, it serves to tell the story of a survivor of the Nazi concentration camp. The telling of the survivor's story is done through graphics and family narratives strategically implementing the aforementioned stylistic devices in order to depict themes of family and guilt. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayMaus offers two points of view, both of which are first person. The author, Spiegelman, uses himself and his father, Vladek, as narrators of the story. This unique twist provides insight into two perspectives necessary for 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 know Vladek's story, but it also provides insight into the aftermath of the Holocaust. The use of two perspectives sets the stage for 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 his attempt to save his first child, Richieu, by sending him to another family. Furthermore, Vladek loses his wife and, from the point of view of Art, the reader observes how Vladek mourns his first wife, Anja. On the other hand, the perspective of Art gives a completely different vision on the theme of family. Art was not alive in times of war, but it still felt great sorrow. When his mother, Anja, committed suicide, it left him confused and he often blamed his father, Vladek. Although both perspectives have family as a significant theme, they are very different. In addition to the use of two points of view allowing the theme of family to be understood from two angles, this stylistic choice also helps the reader understand the guilt. Both Vladek and Art experience guilt, but in very different forms due to their circumstances. Vladek's sense of guilt comes from the fact that he survived the concentration camps while millions of others did not. Paul Chodoff, a psychiatrist, put it this way: “Eventually, some survivors felt guilty simply because they remained alive when so many others were dead” (154). There was no rhyme or reason to his survival; truth be told, Vladek barely escaped, so his confusion of surviving left him feeling guilty. Art's perspective on the theme of guilt comes from the feeling that he was never on the verge of experiencing the agony of the concentration camps like his father, his mother and his brother that he never never met. Chodoff wrote: "Children, now adults, both men and women, were sometimes raised in a psychological atmosphere imprisoned by the scars their surviving parents left intheir educational task” (155), which is exactly what we see playing out in Vladek and The Relationship of Art. While the trauma Vladek experienced is more than valid, it also created an environment that was not meant for children. Vladek was still processing the trauma when he had Art and up until the day he died, which subjected Art to a new, completely different form of trauma that impacted his life and his outlook on life. family and guilt. The trickle-down effect of survivor's guilt has left a mark on art, just as survivor's guilt 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) point systematically to a parallel sequence of symbolic ideas,” (Kennedy et al. 1910). In Maus, the use of animals symbolizes people coming from different nations. Jews, including Vladek and Art, were depicted as mice while Nazis were cats. Additionally, Poles were drawn as pigs and Americans as dogs (Shmoop). The allegorical meaning of using mice and cats symbolizes a few ideas. First, the reader may recognize that this is the idea of ​​the game of cat and mouse where the cat chases the mice; In this game, fate is either the mice escaping or the cat killing the mice, which symbolizes the murder of the Jews by the Nazis and the Jews also trying to escape. Another way the reader can perceive the use of this allegory is that the Jews were seen as insignificant non-humans, similar to the idea of ​​a mouse being a rodent. The use of animals as humans creates another indirect symbol of how the Nazis operated. By using dehumanization as a tactic to kill Jews and many other minorities, Spiegelman is bold in highlighting this in his book. The article “Overlooking Others: Dehumanization by Comission and Omission” presents dehumanization like this: “Representing others as subhuman denies them the basic human rights of liberty and protection from evil” (Waytz and Schroeder 251), which is exactly how the Nazis carried out such a project. atrocity. The use of this subtle allegory shows that Jews were not considered humans and therefore did not have rights, which is another reason why they were portrayed as mice 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 another layer of understanding, but also the allegorical meaning of the graphics. This has led to a deeper and more complete understanding of the Holocaust. Along with the stylistic choices of multiple points of view and allegories, Spiegelman tactfully used ethos and pathos to engage the reader. Since Maus is written by Art and told through the perspective of himself and his father, credibility is present instead of it being a memoir. Art and Vladek are experts on their own lives and experiences. Additionally, 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 the point of view, your emotions change. When Art speaks, you feel resentful towards Vladek. Alternatively, when Vladek speaks,,