Out of all my years of reading graphic novels and comic books, Maus is the most depressing thing in comic form that I read, and I have read comic stories that include being trapped in hell, families being killed in cross fire of gangsters and even one that included philosophical discussion that ultimately got me thinking and also depressed. Besides that, it is one of the most engaging stories I have read.
Although I have some knowledge of the Holocaust, I never had much of an insight to what it was actually like inside the death camps and what it was like for Jewish people in general during this time in Europe.
With the constant hiding and acting like the enemy to stay alive during those trying times really showed how resilient these people were. I will admit that I would not have lasted as long as some of them did hiding and dealing with black market goods so to speak.
I liked that it was a first person account on the matter and not just a multitude of accounts put together to put a general picture together. Showing one persons account creates a more personal story for the reader and thusly makes it more interesting.
Along with the story, a lot of the imagery is great and thought provoking. The one image that hit me the hardest was the one of the Jewish people being hung in the street. I had to put down the book for a bit due to the fact that it is hard to imagine how cruel humans can be.
All in all, it is a great story and I can't wait to finish part two.
Until next time.
That scene was the one I would have chosen as my most disturbing as well. Not just because, well, there are people hanging in the street, but also because I immediately think of the guilt that Vladek must feel. Men like these who were helping other Jews, were killed to be made examples of, and the men they helped, must certainly have been changed by having to live with that fact. I mean, obviously all parties knew the danger involved,there was no reason to actually feel guilty, they were not responsible for the situation they were in. But I know that if it were me...I would feel so guilty.
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