Irony In Maus By Art Spiegelman

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Maus by Art Spiegelman is not only a graphic novel demonstrating the negative effects of the Holocaust, but it is also a narrative that illustrates the personalities of the characters. Through a storytelling technique, various themes appear such as betrayal within the same race, dominance over others, suicide, and most importantly irony. The meaning of irony throughout Maus directly relates to absurdity, there is absurdity in all ironic occurrences throughout the book, the death of Anja’s wealthy parents, the death of Richieu, Anja’s suicide, Vladek’s dictator qualities, the burning of Anja’s diaries, the betrayal of Jews and finally the irony of war. It is apparent that it didn’t matter whether you were a person of wealth or someone with …show more content…

Before the war started Anja wrote in her diary. All throughout the Holocaust she wrote about her feelings and emotions. She also recorded her hardships and experiences through the Holocaust. The love Vladek felt for Anja was strong, throughout the Holocaust he did everything possible in order for her to survive. Vladek constantly encouraged Anja to make an effort to survive,” NO, darling! To die, it’s easy… But you have to struggle for life! Until the last moment we must struggle together! I need you! And you’ll see that together we’ll survive” (122) one can feel the immense love Vladek felt for Anja. But as Spiegelman explains Vladek’s love for Anja would prompt him to burn the diaries. As Alison Mandaville explains, “The growth of the memory culture may, indeed be a symptom of a need for inclusion in a collective membrane forged by a shared inheritance of a persistent and traumatic past” (217) suggesting that the memories of Anja that Vladek had were joyful and peaceful and he would do anything to preserve those memories. But it is once he reads the diaries and realizes that she was depressed and suicidal that he cannot bear to have the diaries and thus burns them. The absurd irony is that Vladek did whatever to save and protect Anja, but he would later become the murderer of her

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