Week 7: Maus

I really enjoyed how this story was set up. The author provides a lot of comic relief by showing his elderly father going about his daily life (complaining about his wife, attempting to climb on the roof the fix something, riding an exercise bicycle, etc.) while recounting such a horrific story of survival. He shows his father as an otherwise typical old man who is stuck in his ways, setting the tone as a very personal engagement- as if he was your own father/grandfather.

Although his father has his quirks, including being somewhat of a hoarder (which I suspect is a symptom of his trauma), you can tell from his stories that he is an intelligent man and a SURVIVOR. Though it is emphasized that you need more than intelligence to survive systematic genocide. You need a lot of luck.

This story is vital in understanding how these atrocities take place. It's a process. Hitler didn't just start killing all the Jews over night. First he made a curfew, had all the Jews self identify by wearing
the Star of David, only allowed those with papers out and about, etc.. It reminded me a lot of
Persepolis, a graphic novel about growing up in Iran. I couldn't find the exact quote, but the author talks about the strict dress code worn by citizens and the terror than engulfed their daily lives- when citizens are too preoccupied with their appearance so they are not arrested- if their head coverings are straight, if their hair is showing, etc., they do not think, "Where have my rights gone?". I think this is especially important to keep in mind now that we have a President who openly attacks minority populations and proposes things like a travel ban.