Anaylsis of MAUS
In Chapter 4 page 84, in the first panel, the author draws the four Jews that were killed. They hang over Vladek and his family, who is shaded completely black, in a state of reflection and guilt. The shading also represents the atmosphere of Vladek’s current situation. It shows how grave the situation has become, with it continuing to worsen. No longer can people try and work their way out of restrictions set by the Nazis. Additionally, their deaths literally and figuratively hang over him as he feels guilty understanding that it very well could have been him in their place as he admits his refusal to “pass where they were hanging” (Spiegelman 84). The mouse on the far left of the panel is also glaring/staring. This could be used to represent how Vladek blames himself or feels as if the men would blame him for their fates and the current circumstances. Thus, he is carrying the weight of their deaths over his shoulders and is haunted by their demise.
Additionally, in Chapter 5 page 125, in the fifth panel, the road in which Vladek and Anja are walking on towards Sosnoweic is drawn like a Swastika. Vladek notes his doubt of the future and how “Anja and I didn’t have anywhere to go” (Spiegelman 125). They don’t know where life will take them and they don’t know what to do. Therefore, this uncertainty along with the Swastika helps to foreshadow what is to come. Although Vladek and Anja are in a better place now than they’ve been in the past few years, the path to the future that they walk on signifies that their struggles are far from over.
I really liked how you analyzed details such as the shading and the way the mouse is looking at Vladek. These details are extremely important to consider they allow us to see the situation Vladek is in and the perspective Vladek has on himself. Overall, you indepth analysis of these panels allowed me to see important details that I did not notice while I was reading these pages.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you said the mice were both literally and figuratively hanging over Vladek. The color and shading really helps add emotion and depict the situation better. It all goes to show the immense details Spiegelman adds.
ReplyDeleteI like how analyzed the color and shading of the panel to deepen the understanding of the emotion portrayed and I like how you talked about their deaths hanging over Vladek
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you mentioned the pathway was shaped like a Swastika as that was something I noticed and I thought it was a pretty clever detail Spiegelman added. I also thought it could be a symbol of the Nazi's reach since no matter they go they will always be in Nazi territory.
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