Inner Thoughts

     This week we finished reading the second volume of Maus, while I liked the first volume more and would rather talk about that, I guess I have to talk about the second volume. While reading the second volume, I noticed that two specific motifs were being carried throughout the book, from volume 1 as well, these were masks and trains.      I feel like the masks represent two things, the stereotypes placed on people and the sense of identity. For example, mice were chosen to represent the Jews since there was a stereotype of Jews being known as "crafty" and "miserly" people who liked to hoard everything. But the main message that was conveyed by the masks was the loss of identity for the Jews and the lack of a sense of individualism. When Anja and Vladek were forced to leave their shelter into the town. They could not be themselves due to the fear of being killed or captured. To ensure their own safety, they had to pretend that they were polish. During th...

      For this blog I chose to analyze a couple different pages and panels. Throughout Maus, the author is trying to make an argument on trauma and how it is passed down generationally or how trauma is shaping the behavior of the affected people.     Starting off, on page 67 we see Artie and Vladek talking about Mala. Vladek mentions how all Mala does is talk about Vladek's money and will (Panels 2,3, and 4). Due to these comments on Mala, at first she might appear as someone who does not care for Vladek and only cares for his money. But thinking about it more, I realized this is her way of venting her trauma. During the war, many people were only given coupons and ration books to buy food, and most of the time the amount of food was hardly enough for a family. Due to this, money was an incredibly important aspect of every person's life, money represented probably the only way of survival for everyone. Especially to Mala, who had a job to clean up "the peop...