Maus I by Art Spiegleman
Maus I Characters: Art Spiegelman is the author and narrator of Maus, and also one of the story's main characters. Born in Stockholm after the Holocaust, he is the only surviving child of Vladek and Anja Spiegelman. His brother, Richieu, died as a child during the war, and his mother committed suicide in 1968 when he was twenty years old. He has a history of mental illness and is married to Francoise, a French woman who converted to Judaism upon their engagement. Mauscenters around two primary narratives: Vladek's experiences as a Jew in World War II Poland, and Art's relationship with his aging father. This second narrative follows a period of time in Art's life beginning around 1978 and ending sometime shortly before Vladek's death in 1982. When the story opens, Art lives in New York and does not see his father very often, though he lives only a short distance away in Queens. But as Art begins to draw this story about Vladek's Holocaust experiences, he begins to visit his father more and more frequently. Their relationship is strained, as Vladek's gruff demeanor and unwillingness to spend money routinely infuriate his son. Art is filled with complex feelings towards his father ranging from admiration for his survival in Auschwitz, to frustration towards his aggravating tendencies, and guilt for his own neglect of a father who has lived through so many difficult times. Art also has complex emotions towards the Holocaust. Though he did not live through it personally, he feels that he is constantly affected by it. His father's personality was largely formed from his experiences in Auschwitz, and this personality in turn directly affected the way in which Art was raised. Art is consumed by varied feelings of guilt, especially regarding the fact that his life has been so much easier than his parents'. He sometimes wishes that he had been in Auschwitz, so that he would know what they went through. ________________________________ Vladek Spiegelman Vladek is Art Spiegelman's father. He grew up in pre-war Poland, and much of Maus traces his experiences in the Holocaust, as told in his own words to his son. As the story opens in 1978, he is married to his second wife, Mala. The couple does not get along, and they are briefly separated in Maus's second volume. Mala is furious about the fact that he does not give her any money, even for things that she needs. Vladek, on the other hand, views Mala with a suspicion that borders on spite, and is constantly afraid that she is trying to steal the money that he has spent a lifetime saving. Vladek marries Art's mother, Anja, in Poland in 1937, only two years before the Nazi invasion. Anja's father is a wealthy manufacturer, and he provides Vladek with his own textile factory upon their marriage. Shortly thereafter, they have their first child, a boy named Richieu, who will die a few years later as a victim of the Holocaust. Vladek and Anja ultimately survive the war, and afterwards they move to Sweden for two years before settling in America. While living in Stockholm, they have their second child, Art. Anja kills herself in 1968, and Vladek mourns her until his death in 1982. Vladek's personality is largely dominated by his Holocaust experiences. During the Holocaust, he exhibited a spectacular resourcefulness, work ethic, and presence of mind that often enabled him to secure food, shelter, and safety for himself and his family. He was a shrewd businessman, and in the most troubling times he saved everything of use. In 1978, he still saves everything and tries to exchange those things that he no longer needs. Once so resourceful and competent, he is still constantly working on small projects, some of which he is incapable of completing. His last words of the story, in which he accidentally calls Art by the name of his son who died in the war, provide a final testament to the continuing relevance of the Holocaust in Vladek's life. ________________________________ Anja Spiegelman Anja is Art's mother and Vladek's first wife. The couple meets in Poland while Vladek is in a long-term relationship with another woman, Lucia Greenberg. They marry in 1937. Shortly after, they have their first child, a boy named Richieu, who will die during the war. Always an anxious woman, she suffers an acute depression shortly after the birth of her son and spends three months recovering in a sanitarium. Her father is a wealthy manufacturer who provides Vladek with his own textile factory, and the two live in comfort for a short while, until the German invasion in 1939. She survives the Holocaust with her husband, and they immigrate to the United States a few years after the war. Anja commits suicide in 1968, leaving both Art and Vladek in emotional turmoil. Art's last memory of his mother is recorded in a comic called "Prisoner on the Hell Planet," in which she enters Art's room and asks him if he still loves her. His response, a terse and dismissive "sure," haunts him for years. ________________________________ Richieu Spiegelman Richieu is Vladek and Anja's first child, born in Poland in 1937. In 1943, Vladek and Anja send him to live under the protection of Uncle Persis, where they think he will be safer. Richieu travels with Anja's sister, Tosha; Tosha's daughter, Bibbi; and Vladek's niece, Lonia. But soon after, Zawiercie is liquidated by the Nazis. Rather than be taken to the gas chamber, Tosha poisons herself and the children under her care, including Richieu. After his death, Vladek and Anja keep a photograph of their first child hanging on the wall of their bedroom, and Art comes to feel a sense of sibling rivalry with his "ghost brother." ________________________________ Mala Spiegelman Mala is Vladek's second wife, and a friend of his family from before the war. The couple does not get along. Mala is consumed with frustration towards Vladek's inability to part with money, while Vladek views his wife with considerable distrust and accuses her of trying to steal his money. Fed up with her husband, Mala eventually leaves him and moves to Florida, though they are later reunited against her better judgment. Like Vladek, she is a Holocaust survivor. ________________________________Francoise Art's wife. She is French and converted to Judaism in preparation for their marriage to please Vladek. She is intelligent, kind, and opinionated, and their relationship is strong. She plays a relatively minor role in the story, serving mostly as a means for Art to discuss his relationship with his father and the Holocaust. ________________________________ Mr. Zylberberg Anja's father. Before the war, he is a wealthy manufacturer who owns a hosiery factory. When Vladek and Anja are married, he provides Vladek with a factory of his own. He survives with his family in German-occupied Poland, until the family is captured and sent to await transport to Auschwitz. By bribing his cousin, Haskel, Vladek is able to arrange for the release of himself and Anja. Though Haskel also accepts payment for the release of Anja's parents, he is ultimately unwilling to help them, and the two eventually die in Auschwitz. ________________________________Orbach A friend of Vladek's family in Poland. When Vladek is a prisoner of war, Orbach claims him as a cousin, so that Vladek is released into his custody and eventually returns home to Sosnowiec. ________________________________ Vladek's father Vladek's father is a tough and deeply religious man. His wife dies of cancer before the worst of the Holocaust. Before the war, Vladek's father intentionally starves his son so that he will be declared unfit for the army. Later, the Nazi grip tightens, and all Jews are made to register in a nearby stadium. Those who are fit to work are sent to one side, while the elderly and women with many children are sent to their deaths at the concentration camps. By registering at a table manned by his cousin, Mordecai, Vladek's father is spared. Before he leaves the stadium, however, he sees his daughter, Fela (Vladek's sister) and her four small children standing with those destined for Auschwitz. He crosses over to be with her, and all die in the camps. ________________________________ Uncle Herman Anja's brother. Along with his wife, Hela, he is visiting the New York World's Fair when the war begins, and they remain in the United States to escape the horrors abroad. He has a son of about 15 years, Lolek, and a young daughter, Lonia. Lolek is sent to Auschwitz but survives, while Lonia is poisoned by Anja's sister, Tosha, rather than be sent to the gas chambers. ________________________________ Tosha Tosha is Anja's older sister. At the beginning of the German occupation of Poland, she lives with Anja's family in her father's house, along with her husband, Wolfe, and their small daughter, Bibbi. As the situation deteriorates Uncle Persis offers to keep her safely in nearby Zawiercie ghetto, where he is a prominent member of the Jewish Council. She agrees, and leaves with Wolfe, Bibbi, and Vladek's son Richieu. Soon, though, the Germans slaughter the Jewish Council and begin to evacuate the Jews of Zawiercie to the camps. Rather than be sent to the gas chambers, Tosha poisons herself, her daughter, Herman's daughter Lonia, and Vladek's son Richieu. ________________________________Mr. Ilzecki A former customer of Vladek's from before the war. The two meet again after the German occupation and begin conducting business on the Sosnowiec black market. Mr. Ilzecki has a son about the same age as Vladek's, and he offers to send Richieu along with his own son to a Polish friend to hide until things get better. Vladek thinks this is a good idea, but Anja refuses. Mr. Ilzecki's son will survive the war; Richieu will not. Mr. Ilzecki himself dies in the Holocaust. ________________________________ |
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