Maus Discussion Questions

In Maus II, we finally get to see a couple of panels of Art, in what is supposedly the "present", drawing Maus. We also accompany him on his trip to the psychologist and to a couple of public events. Like Jing, I am also curious as to why he portrays himself as someone wearing a mouse mask instead of an actual mouse. Is it because he doesn't consider himself of the same caliber as Vladek because he didn't have to undergo the horrors of the Holocaust? Why is the psychologist also wearing a mask?

I also wonder why Vladek is so suspicious of Mala. She is a fellow survivor, so she's been through the same things that he has, but yet he still doesn't trust her with his money. What makes her different from any of the friends that he helped out after the Holocaust?

Finally, why does Art have trouble coming to terms with his success as a cartoonist? We see on pages 41-42 that he slowly turns into a child when he's faced with reporters inquiring about Maus. He's also portrayed as a child when he visits his psychologist. What idea is he trying to get across by showing us that?

- Irene