The Shoah and the Second Generation: The Uneasy, Unorthodox, and Multi-Layered Representation of MAUS

"Write and Record!" (Shreibt un Farshreibt)¹
Simon Dubrow, 1941

      The ghastly horrors of the Holocaust are well-documented by modern literature. Scores of survivors, in an effort to soothe their pain and honor Simon Dubrow's request not to allow the world to forget the Shoah, have composed historical accounts, novels, short stories, and poetry on the subject. The existential anguish created by the destruction of the European Jewry has not been restricted to those who lived it; their offspring have also been affected by an event they did not experience first hand. The torch of remembrance has been passed to the second generation, which struggles to find suitable manners in which to pay homage to its elders. Not having lived through the terrors of the death camps, the children of survivors search for ways to "write and record" for future generations.

      Art Spiegelman's graphic novel Maus is one of the best-known and more unusual examples of second generation narratives. Born to Jewish survivors relocated to New York, Spiegelman's life is forged by his parents' existence and demeanor, forever bound to the Holocaust. His attempt to come to terms with both his father and the Holocaust give birth to his Pulitzer-prize winning masterpiece. The central focus of this hypermedia project, Maus is a complex, multi-layered work that connects Spiegelman's suffering with his father by using the graphical novel genre to represent a topic too inhumane and profane to put to words.

      This study is divided into three portions capable of being read as stand-alone works. However, the sections share common traits woven by Maus's complexity and effectiveness. As a result, the chapters draw from each other, and should be examined together in order to achieve optimum understanding of the work. Each section is accessible by clicking on its title; in addition, the bottom of the screen also contains jump buttons to each particular segment.

•       Graphical Representation: The Unusual Structure of Maus. Written in comic book-form—a genre traditionally associated with childish themes and lower-class entertainment,Maus shocks its audience, forcing it to question the Holocaust and its implications. Much like Steven Spielberg's recent animated motion picture The Prince of Egypt, the work proves serious didactical meanings can be contained in vehicles of predominantly visual nature.

•       Father and Son: Maus's Story within the Story. Spiegelman's work is not only a Holocaust survivor's memoir; it is also the chronicle of a strained relationship between Vladek, an Old-World father, and Art, his American son, products of different eras. The author's attempt to understand and relate to his father blends with the historical aspect of the work, making for interesting correlations and associations between Vladek's pain and Art's guilt.

•       Second Generation Trauma: The Post-Holocaust Experience. As a child of Holocaust survivors, Spiegelman feels both a desire and an inhibition to follow Dubrow's request to write and record. His life is shaped by an event that precedes his birth; as a result, he is shaped by a specter he is unable to fully grasp, yet alone comprehend. Such is the daunting task of second generation survivors, as examined in the light of difficulties, impairments, and limitations of their representations, as well as the new methods through which they pay tribute to the fallen Jewry.

•       Conclusion. This section weaves the preceding three by highlighting the common traits exemplified in Maus. The work's structure, the relationship between Vladek Spiegelman and his son Art, and the second generation's artistic and cultural quest are closely related. These elements embody the dilemma of proper Holocaust representation, one that survivors encounter in narratives, films, and fiction alike. Spiegelman's work--and this critical hypermedia project--take into consideration this limitation, but prove how the theme's relevance overtakes the representation difficulties that arise.