An Essay for Maus
In his introduction to “Art from the Ashes: A Holocaust Anthology,” Laurence Lagner argues that “Language, of course, has its limitations” (3) when writing about the the holocaust. When witnessing the slaughter of children in Warsaw by the Nazis, Abraham Lewis wrote that “there is nothing to be gained by expressing in words everything that we feel” (3). Those experiencing the holocaust witnessed the limitations of language first hand, as their words were incapable of stopping the atrocities happening all around them. However, these same words, which so utterly powerless to the writer, exemplify the power of language by “leaving behind a record of scenes that nothing but language could have captured for the future” (4) In our contemporary context, the real limitations of language in relation to holocaust writing is not found in the first hand accounts, but rather in post-holocaust writing that attempts to apply familiar literary devices and tropes to events that are alien to the ordinary reader. Spiegelman, however, avoids using such literary cliches as heroism, hope, or the triumph of love over hate in “Maus” and “Maus II.” According to Lagner, effective holocaust literature is “an experience in unlearning” (5), as both the writer and the reader must come to terms with “abandoning all safe props” in order to come closer to comprehending the holocaust experience. Therefore, because all cliches and conventions are abandoned in “Maus” and “Maus II,” readers are forced to confront the reality of the holocaust without the safety or preconceptions of the familiar, which is invaluable for helping us come to terms with and to understand an event so unthinkable. One of Spiegelman’s most unconventional elements is using the form of a graphic novel to write a historical biography of a holocaust survivor. This form immediately places readers in an unfamiliar context, which is very effective in preparing them for the absence of familiar literary conventions. It is