Interperative questions

1.) In one instance of the story, Artie was driving with his wife and Vladek, and they decide to pick up an African American who was hitchhiking on the side of the road. Vladek, out of no where, began bad-talking the hitchhiker about his race in Polish. How do you suppose Vladek can justify to himself this reaction towards the African American. Didn't Vladek face the same kind of discrimination by being sent to the camps? Would that not have had some effect on Vladek's views on discrimination?

2.) Throughout the entire novel, when Vladek is not telling about his story, we see that Vladek is very much attached to material things. He will find wire in a trash and save it. He'll refuse to spend money unless he absolutely has to. But, early on in the story, Vladek throws away Artie's coat, which could be considered a completely wasteful act. Why would Vladek throw away a perfectly good coat, even though he has such an inclination to save things?

-Alek Poniatowski

Maus Interpretive Questions

1)

On page 57 Vladek dreams with his great Grandfather. In his dream he is told that he will leave the labor camp he is in on Parshas Truma. Many people would believe in their dream and have faith as Vladek did, and many would lose hope after time. Later on Page 59 Vladek explains how important this date is to him. He mentions that Artie was born on a Parsha day. What can you infer about Vladek's comment about Parsha Truma and Artie's birth? On Page 59 Artie closes up on Vladek's facial expressions, but not on his own. What do you think he was feeling at this moment?

2)

On the fourth page of Prisoner of the Hell Planet: A Case Story Artie says that his mother murdered him. At the end of the novel Artie ends with the word murderer. He is referring to Vladek. Why do you feel Artie put this in the novel, and why does he have such feelings towards his parents. It is ironic that these novels are in honor of his parents-the survivors who were persecuted to be murdered, and that he calls them murderers. Do you think Artie means what he says?

Maus II questions

Throughout Maus I and II Vladek and Mala are constantly complaining about each other. Vladek even goes so far as to say that "alone I can manage more easy than with Mala, believe me" (book II page 79). Yet, in the end, they end up back together. When Art asks Mala why she came back she says she doesn't know why (book II page 122). Why do Vladek and Mala stay together despite their apparent mutual dislike?

On page 74 of book II Art and Francois are talking together outside and are bothered by the pesky bugs. At the bottom of the page Art sprays the bugs and the last panel shows the bugs fall dead to the ground. This mini extermination reminds the reader of the extermination of the Jews, but what more is symbolically represented in this panel? How does Spiegelman use this sequence to relate the story to the Holocaust?

Thing I posted in the wrong spot or something

You touched on this already, but why does Art only appear to be wearing the mouse mask at the beginning of chapter two? In all of the flashbacks to when he's speaking with his father, he looks like an anthropomorphic mouse.

What is Art trying to tell the audience by showing his father exterminating an insect with pesticides after speaking about the gas chambers?

So yeahhhhh

Maus Discussion Questions

My first question is from page 59 of Maus II. Felix knew that he was going to be taken away by the German the next day. There was really nothing that anyone could do about it. He had no chance to survive. How do you think it would feel spending the night knowing that the next day you were going to be taken away and you couldn't do anything about it?

My second question is from page 72 from Maus II. The prisoners that worked there had to pour gasoline over dead and alive people and burn them. Then they would shovel the human fat back on so that the people would burn better. Would do you think was going through their minds during this time and do you think you could handle that mental strain?

-Sam Groesch

Maus I/II Questions

My first question comes from Chapter 3, page 98-100, of Maus II. Here we see an African-American hitchhiker who walks up to the car needing a ride. At this same instant Vladek looks out the window and yells: "A hitch hiker? And-oy-it's a colored guy, a shvartser! Push quick on the gas! (98)" Disregarding what Vladek has said Francoise picks up the hitchhiker and anyway. As the drive along Vladek mumbles under his breath in polish speaking not so highly of this hitchhiker. Knowing this and the fact that Vladek and many others have suffered oppression at the hands of the Germans for being Jewish, why would Vladek oppress someone who has gone through an experience much like his?

As we read Maus in class we saw that it had a more realistic view to it, such as the characters, but the narrative style was lacking. When comparing that to Maus I and II it is almost the opposite. Do you think combining the narration of Maus I and II and the artistic style of Maus will offer the story of Maus I a deeper meaning?

Discussion Questions

1. In the part where Art is speaking with his psychiatrist friend, Art says that it is admirable to survive. Then the question is raised if it was admirable to survive was it not admirable not to survive? So the question i give to you is who were the hero's of the holocaust those that survived? those that died? the Americans that saved them? no one? Decide the answer from your perspective then, discuss the answer from the perspective of Art then Vladik.

2. Is the use of animals to distinguish between races fair or politically correct? Is it okay to reinforce racial stereotypes in a book about the horrors associated with them?