Performative Memorialization In Maus: A Survivor's Tale

804 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Creative writing about the holocaust

“Memorialization of the Holocaust has taken many forms in the sixty years that have followed it. The memory of this event seems more present now than directly after the war, but an increasing awareness of the limits of representing this memory has also cast a shadow (Sicher 355). Art Spiegelman's Maus: A Survivor's Tale recontextualizes this history by addressing such limits of representation, functioning as a unique form of Holocaust memorialization, which elicits what I term "performative memorialization." Performative memorialization is a layered memorial activity that performs in every Holocaust genre to create a temporally fluid, Bakhtinian dialogic between the author and the subject (memory) and the event and the audience (history)-combating It provides a performance that is told by the author and subject (Spiegelman and his father Vladek) and talks about a certain memorial (Holocaust) which, in turn, relates to the audience. Costello describes how through the use of generic movements and representational shifts, “Maus speaks to re-visioned memory intertwined with history for a performative, evocative Holocaust absence made temporarily present.” (23). This means that because Maus is filled with multiple genres like narrative, autobiography, biography, cartoon, film, and photography, and its use of visual and textual narration, it creates a performative dialogic with the past and present of Holocaust memory. Costello also talks about how in a performative memorial the reader must be forced into an active rather than passive participation. She claims that “Readers must engage with texts in order to understand them” (23) which Spiegelman does through his language of writing and content. Not only that but, Costello also talks about the importance of a listening audience and how performative memorialization depends on that which I truly believe is It examines and reevaluates the body of Maus scholarship, articulating trends and tendencies, with an eye on expanding the critical discourse.” In this peer, reviewed article Park’s subcategories include “Trauma, Postmemory, and Generational Transmission, Autobiography, History/PostHistory, Ethics of Representation, Postmodernism, Narrotology, Photography and Art, Gender, Jewish Identity, and Use of English”. In each subcategory, Park goes into deep detail critiquing the book’s discourse. In the first category, Park examines how the Holocaust has effected not only Vladek, a first-generation survivor but also his son Artie, a second-generation survivor. He explains how “the critical discourse focusing on trauma, postmemory, and generational transmission often aims to reevaluate the impact that the Holocaust has upon the second generation of the historical event” (Park 149). This illustrates that through Spiegelman’s use of traumatic discourse, the book focuses on the effect that the Holocaust has on Artie not only his father Vladek. This interpretation of the discourse of Maus is pretty accurate. It shows how not only first-generation survivors struggle with the trauma but the generation after that suffers as well. Although Park has a good point, I believe that he could have eluded onto the subject and gave more examples to illustrate how Artie is affected by the war. The

Show More
Related

  • The Role of History and Memory in The Fiftieth Gate, Schindler's List, and The Send Off

    1247 Words  | 3 Pages

    The strong relationship created between history and memory is one of a vexing nature due to deliberate selection and emphasis. It does however result in a confluence of different representations, that is, personal stories (memory) and public stories (history). Mark Baker’s biography and autobiography ‘The Fiftieth Gate: A Journey Through Memory’, explores his parents’ memories which are both verified and contradicted by Baker’s historical findings, as each asserts their claim through these different theories of representation drawing on such established criteria as evidence, accuracy, authenticity, authority and detail. Steven Spielberg’s horror-psychological thriller film, ‘Schindler’s List’ shows how amongst the abhorrence of the Holocaust, one man can make a difference for the better and leave a legacy of his generosity but it is also a question of what else he did that wasn’t emphasised due to the context of the film. Lastly, the poem ‘The Send-Off’ by Wilfred Owen expresses Owen’s personal feelings towards war which is enunciated through his strong emotive language.

    Read More

  • How Does Elie Wiesel Use Ethos In Keep Memory Alive

    444 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the speech “Keep Memory Alive” by Elie Wiesel, the author is trying to inform his audience about the Holocaust while also trying to persuade them to keep fighting in keeping the memory alive. He does this by employing the rhetorical features of pathos, repetition and ethos throughout his speech in order to effectively persuade and inform.

    Read More

  • Maus Two by Art Spiegelman

    444 Words  | 1 Pages

    Art Spiegelman's Maus II is a book that tells more than the story of one family's struggle to live thought the Holocaust. It gives us a look into the psyche of a survivor's child and how the Holocaust affected him and many other generations of people who were never there at all. Maus II gives the reader a peek into the psyche of Art Spiegelman and the affects of having two parents that survived the Holocaust had on him. Spiegelman demonstrates the affects of being a survivor's child in many ways throughout the book. Examining some of these will give us a better understanding of what it was like to be a part of the Holocaust.

    Read More

  • The Aftermath of the Holocaust in Art Spiegelman’s Maus Volumes I and II

    1130 Words  | 3 Pages

    By means of comic illustration and parody, Art Spiegelman wrote a graphic novel about the lives of his parents, Vladek and Anja, before and during the Holocaust. Spiegelman’s Maus Volumes I and II delves into the emotional struggle he faced as a result of his father’s failure to recover from the trauma he suffered during the Holocaust. In the novel, Vladek’s inability to cope with the horrors he faced while imprisoned, along with his wife’s tragic death, causes him to become emotionally detached from his son, Art. Consequently, Vladek hinders Art’s emotional growth. However, Art overcomes the emotional trauma his father instilled in him through his writing.

    Read More

  • Comparison between Maus & Anne Frank

    1040 Words  | 3 Pages

    What if you were a holocaust survivor and asked to describe your catastrophic experience? What part of the event would you begin with, the struggle, the death of innocent Jews, or the cruel witnessed? When survivors are questioned about their experience they shiver from head to toe, recalling what they have been through. Therefore, they use substitutes such as books and diaries to expose these catastrophic events internationally. Books such as Maus, A survivor’s tale by Art Spiegelman, and Anne Frank by Ann Kramer. Spiegelman presents Maus in a comical format; he integrated the significance of Holocaust while maintaining the comic frame structure format, whereas comic books are theoretically supposed to be entertaining. Also, Maus uses a brilliant technique of integrating real life people as animal figures in the book. Individually, both stories involve conflicts among relationships with parents. Furthermore, Maus jumps back and forth in time. Although, Anne Frank by Ann Kramer, uses a completely different technique. Comparatively, both the books have a lot in common, but each book has their own distinctive alterations.

    Read More

  • Maus: A Survivor's Tale

    1670 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Maus: A Survivor’s Tale, Art Spiegelman presents his father’s Holocaust narrative alongside his own personal narrative, especially with regards to his relationship with Vladek. In Maus, Vladek is dependent on his skills and even his flaws to survive. He comes to make these traits a part of him for the rest of his life as he strives to survive no matter what. While these flaws helped him survive as a young man but these same traits estrange him with those that care about him such as his son. In a way there are two Vladeks in Maus, the one in the past that he speaks about and the one that is actually present.

    Read More

  • The impact of survivor’s guilt in Art Spiegelman’s Maus

    699 Words  | 2 Pages

    Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel Maus unfolds the story about his father Vladek Spiegleman, and his life during the WWII. Since Vladek and Art are both the narrators of the story, the story not only focuses on Vladek's survival, but also the writing process and the organization of the book itself. Through these two narrators, the book explores various themes such as identity, perspective, survival and guilt. More specifically, Maus suggests that surviving an atrocity results in survivor’s guilt, which wrecks one’s everyday life and their relationships with those around them. It accomplishes this through symbolism and through characterization of Vladek and Anja.

    Read More

  • Symbol, Allusion, and Myth in Irving Layton's Rhine Boat Trip

    880 Words  | 2 Pages

    The everlasting, inescapable pain of the Holocaust is so imbedded in our culture that our senses can become paralyzed by the enormity of its reverberation through the years since the last chimney fire in Aushwitz was snuffed. Through his use of symbolism, Layton is able to -it a picture in the minds of his readers, one that juxtaposes the subject matter with his choice of diction.

    Read More

  • The Use Of Humor In Art Spiegelman's Maus

    1269 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Art Spiegelman’s Maus, the audience is led through a very emotional story of a Holocaust survivor’s life and the present day consequences that the event has placed on his relationship with the author, who is his son, and his wife. Throughout this novel, the audience constantly is reminded of how horrific the Holocaust was to the Jewish people. Nevertheless, the novel finds very effective ways to insert forms of humor in the inner story and outer story of Maus. Although the Holocaust has a heart wrenching effect on the novel as a whole, the effective use of humor allows for the story to become slightly less severe and a more tolerable read.

    Read More

  • The Comic Format of Spiegelman's Books Maus I and Maus II

    1179 Words  | 3 Pages

    The books Maus I and Maus II, written by Art Spiegelman over a thirteen-year period from 1978-1991, are books that on the surface are written about the Holocaust. The books specifically relate to the author’s father’s experiences pre and post-war as well as his experiences in Auschwitz. The book also explores the author’s very complex relationship between himself and his father, and how the Holocaust further complicates this relationship. On a deeper level the book also dances around the idea of victims, perpetrators, and bystanders. The two books are presented in a very interesting way; they are shown in comic form, which provides the ability for Spiegelman to incorporate numerous ideas and complexities to his work.

    Read More

  • la rafle

    717 Words  | 2 Pages

    As the years distance us from the Nazi horror, and as survivors are slowly starting to lessen in number, we are faced, as a nation, with the challenge of how to educate the new generations of the Holocaust. Many young people have no knowledge of the events that took place in World War II. However, today, artifacts can greatly contribute to the understanding of the Holocaust, just as the movie La Rafle (The Round Up) did for me. The Round Up by Roselyn Bosch shows that the mass arrest of Jews did not only happening in Germany and it also emphasized the cruel dramatic irony of this historical moment.

    Read More

  • Guilt In Night, And Art Spiegelman's Night And Maus

    789 Words  | 2 Pages

    Survivors guilt is a mental condition that occurs when a person survives a traumatic event that others did not. This is something that many people, especially Jewish people, experienced during and after the Holocaust. In Elie Wiesel's Night and Art Spiegelman's Maus, survival and survivor’s guilt are a common theme, and the main characters write about very similar situations. Wiesel is writing from personal experience, whereas Spiegelman is writing about his father’s experience. Both authors have the themes of public hangings, illnesses, and the father-son relationship woven throughout the books.

    Read More

  • Female Holocaust Experiences

    2263 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Holocaust continues to exist as a black mark in the history of Germany; through the government supported torture and extermination of both men and women, more than 6 million lost their lives. As a consequence of the collective tragedy for both sexes, there has been much debate pertaining to the focus of gender specific suffering in Holocaust literature; for this reason, the Holocaust accounts of women writers were largely ignored prior to the 1970’s. Many historians still refute disparities existed between the male and female experience. However, it is worth noting that the social, familial, and cultural expectations of men and women, both prior to and during the war, varied greatly. Moreover, these diverging roles promoted distinctively different coping, processing, and accounting of the tragedies stemming from the Holocaust. By examining the unique experiences of women, both within and outside the concentration camps, one can logically conclude these remarkable accounts broaden the scope of Holocaust literature. Embedded gender roles helped the survival efforts of women, and these unique female perspectives are valuable in accurately portraying the Holocaust experience.

    Read More

  • Does Spiegelman Present His Father's Mistakes In The Life Of Vreek

    813 Words  | 2 Pages

    Art Spiegelman's graphic narrative Maus gives the reader an inside glimpse into his father's memoirs. Vladek was not an easy man to live with, nor was a cold tyrant neither. Instead, he was domineering and a difficult father. Artie feels alienated from his father, and has no relationship with him outside their recounting of the Holocaust narrative. Although, Artie does respect his father for all the suffering he survived through, at the same time he is infuriated at his father. In Vladeks memoirs, Artie shows mixed emotions towards his father; on one hand, he memorializes his father as a hero who survived the Holocaust. On the other hand, he exposes his father's mistakes and shortcomings through his artwork. I will be presenting the confusion of Arties feelings between hero and villain concerning his father.

    Read More

  • Analysis of The Complete Maus, by Art Spiegelman

    1114 Words  | 3 Pages

    Using lines and basic shapes to emphasize shading and detail and then teamed with such a complex theme, Art’s story and graphics join together in a complimentary marriage. With the nearly childlike drawings and the intense mature storyline, there is a message that this is being written by the child telling the story of the parent. The story emphasizes his father’s inability to grow and repair from his past but even without the words you can almost see that Art has never truly be able to move past his the trauma of growing up with his parents. Using his frustrations and the need to explore the history of his father’s idiosyncrasies, Art creates a poignant story not only about the tragedy of the holocaust, but of the realities of being a child growing up with survivor parents.

    Read More

More about Performative Memorialization In Maus: A Survivor's Tale

Open Document