Survival In Maus II By Artie Spiegelman And Night

Value is Vital to Survival
“Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing” -Unknown. Surviving without having something to value is like walking without legs; tough and grueling. In order to find success in survival during the Holocaust, valuing certain items is key to establishing major foundations to help increase the chance of living. In the Holocaust it is important to protect, care for, and utilize each item. Finding something value and cherish in every way possible is one of the best thing someone can do for not only themselves, but for others too. Creating a safe environment and securing everything of value is extremely important because without protecting the things that someone values most could potentially

lead to something severe and deadly.

In the novel Maus II by Artie Spiegelman and Night by Elie Wiesel, having certain valuables are vital to survival because without them it would be almost impossible to survive.
Throughout Maus II, if one did not have a spoon or bowl, it would be barely possible to eat without stealing or surviving off someone else for food. Having a spoon and bowl at all times during the Holocaust was extremely necessary to keep safe because prisoners were not allowed to eat food without a spoon or bowl. Therefore, if the spoon or bowl lost, stolen, or broke in any way, it would be almost impossible to obtain a new one. It would be extremely risky to try and steal any type of object because if someone were to get caught, the punishment would most likely be an extremely harsh beating by a guard. Once Vladek retrieved Mandelbaum a spoon, Mandelbaum leaped with joy and replied to Vladek,“‘A spoon! Thank you, Vladek, thank you’” (Spiegelman 34). Vladek asked one of

the guards, after teaching him how to speak some English, if he could not only get a few things for himself, but also wanted to know if he could grab a few more items for his struggling friend, Mandelbaum, as well. Vladek retrieved Mandelbaum a spoon, and he leaped with joy once he found out he got a brand new spoon. His reaction was as if he just received something very special or a much wanted birthday present, grateful and exalted. Thus, a new spoon in Mandelbaums eyes was one of the most valuable things he could have asked for in that situation. He was given such a great gift by containing something so hard to obtain. Without a spoon, Mandelbaum would not be able to eat out of his food from his bowl, and without it, he might have starved to death in a span of days. Having a spoon during the Holocaust is essential because without it the chances of becoming malnourished would increase dramatically as the prisoners weren’t allowed to eat without a spoon.
In Maus II, it is extremely hard to walk around in raggy, dirty, and wrong-sized clothes while constantly doing work.

During the time of the Holocaust, prisoners were given ragged clothing and shoes that only had one size. In the concentration camp, clothing and shoe size did not fit all. If someone was larger than another person, the clothing and shoe size would be the exact same, despite body sizes. While in Auschwitz, prisoners would barter and trade for different sizes of shirts, pants, but most importantly, shoes. Shoes are one of the essential items the prisoners use every day to make sure their feet stay comfortable, so if the shoes someone wore were too small, or too big, they would have the opportunity to barter with someone else to find their correct shoe size. While Vladek collected the shoes and brought them back to his friend, Mandelbaum, Vladek spoke to Mandelbaum, “‘Wooden shoes that fit you’” (Spiegelman 43). While Vladek was fixing a guards shoes, he also got the opportunity to choose some new clothing items to help him and Mandelbaum. Once again, Vladek went to fetch Mandelbaum a brand new pair of shoes for Mandelbaum to help him out because his old shoes were falling apart more and more every day. Once Mandelbaum found out the news, he leaped in excitement just seeing the new shoes in Vladek's hands. Mandelbaum knew that it was extremely hard to find a pair of shoes that fit perfectly, so when he finally received a properly sized set of shoes, he could

not have been happier. He realized that even though there are some dim stars in the sky, there are still bright stars too, that allows luck to spawn, making the sky much, much more breathtaking. Vladek knew how valuable and rare it is to come across a proper fitting pair of shoes. Therefore, he knew how hard it was to find stable shoes, and without them, foot injuries may arise, causing lots of pain, suffering, and even death.
Throughout the novel Night, relying on something valuable to survive was not only found in just objects, but people too. There are many important objects that can be useful during the Holocaust, but the most valuable thing, does not have to be an object, but it could be a person as well. Relying on someone during the Holocaust can play out in many ways. If the right decisions are made, having someone to rely on could actually be one of the most important things to survive off of. Eliezer wrote, while in the Death March with his father,“‘Pressed tightly against one another” (Weisel 98). Elie was going through the Death March for the first time with his father, Shlomo, and they both relied heavily on each other to survive. In the quote above, Elie and Shlomo were holding each other up from falling down, landing on the cold, frigid snow. Together, they made sure neither one of them fell asleep. They were worried that if they fell asleep, they may not ever wake back up. Therefore, Elie and Shlomo, Elie’s father, relied heavily on each other and used each other as extremely valuable circumstances that most other prisoners had during the time of the Death March. Elie and his father bonded together like magnets to help them survive. They both knew that despite everything going on around them, they needed to rely on one another to make sure they make it out of the Death March alive. If Elie did not have his father, and if his father never had Elie, their chances of death would most likely rise dramatically higher; making their teamwork one of the most valuable objects they could have used during the Holocaust.
In Maus II by Artie Spiegelman and Night by Eliezer Wiesel, having certain valuables during the Holocaust is extremely important in order to survive because without having something to value, can lead to potential death. In both novels, doing whatever someone can to ensure that they will live longer is appropriate, as long as they work carefully to ensure their survival, in order to survive. Having a spoon and bowl with someone at all times during the Holocaust, and valuing the items as much as possible is vital because without them, the prisoners would not be able to eat, and would most likely starve to death. Also, taking care of the clothes given to the prisoners is salient so the clothes they use can feel more comfortable and useful. Thus, having a proper fitting pair of shoes can change someone's life during the Holocaust because it would make their feet feel more comfortable, and less painful. Lastly, the most important thing to value during the Holocaust is not just objects, but people, too. Walking into the travesties of the Holocaust alone is strenuous without having someone helping them out by their side throughout the whole experience of surviving. Without utilizing any of the materials given to them, perhaps maybe their life would look much, much more different then it would be without having something to value.