Survival in The Nazi Concentration Camp as Depicted in Maus

Survival

The mode in which Art Spiegelman wrote his novels seem at first glance disarming and lighthearted. Yet shortly after delving into these animated works, the reader feels the weight of the sober issues addressed within. Both Maus Book I and Maus Book II 2 describe both the will to survive the Nazi concentration camps as well as the struggle to exist afterward with the burden of the heinous memories burned within the senior protagonist. They are both subtitled “A Survivor’s Tale” to make the reader inquire upon this term. In reflecting upon survival, the reader needs guidance. The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines survival as “the state or fact of continuing to live or exist especially in spite of difficult conditions.” Survival not only applies physically, but mentally as well. One can survive an experience unscathed physically, yet left mentally decimated. In Maus by Art Spiegelman, the main characters Anja and Vladek “survived” the holocaust, yet are left forever mentally disturbed. There is a point at which physical survival becomes too unbearable. Although it is basic human nature to fight for the will to survive, at what point does physical “survival” become too pernicious? In addition, physical survival of a person who has been emotionally annihilated has an impact on the lives of others surrounding him/her. The answer to this query can be discerned by examining both Anja’s and Art’s relationship with Vladek. “Survival” is a seemingly simple notion that Art Spiegelman shows in Maus to be a much more obtuse notion.

In beginning Maus, the Vladek immediately introduces the theme of survival. Art describes to his father how his friends skated away without him, and Vladek retorts that “(your friends) if you lock them together in a room with no food for a week, then you could see what it is, friends!” In this way, Vladek reflects on how survival can be both dependent and an independent notion. He reinforces the “every man for himself” theme. Even in Chapter One Vladek’s innate sense of survival seems to be honed, with him being both cunning and resourceful with others. In this way, he attracts many friends and lovers. His acumen of survival and self preservation is also reflected in his business dealings, profiting off of black market textiles even when Nazi occupation prevents normal business. When stuck on the wrong side of a Nazi occupied country, he also uses his cunning survival skills to transport himself and his family. In Maus II, Vladek is very crafty in the camps In this manner, he strives to remain indispensable in order to “survive.” and to actually prevent his own “disposal”. In the train cars, Vladek shows his durability in abysmal conditions by creating his own hammock. In all of these instances, we see young Vladek pushing for physical survival and self preservation.

When the reader views Vladek in his interactions with his son, he/she witnesses some of the deep emotional effects of his physical survival of the Holocaust. Although his body physically persists, he seems devoid of life emotionally. He is portrayed as a bitter person filled with anxiety. Vladek transforms from a loving, caring individual in the past to a miserly, untrustful old man in the present. Despite having enough money to live well, Vladek chooses to scour the trash in search of reusable items. His relationships with his son seems continuously strained. Despite making efforts to develop a relationship with his son, the emotional scarring from the survival from the Holocaust prevents any warmth to this bond. For even though Vladek physically survived, his emotional state has not survived intact. He recognizes that “going out the chimney is the easy way out” as his brethren were killed intact while he is surviving physically, but not emotionally intact.

In addition, even though Spiegelman himself was not an actual survivor of the Holocaust, the reader sees how Vladek’s survival has impacted the emotional state of even his son. The author even considers his father as a “murderer” at one point when referencing his destroying of his mother's memoirs. Spiegelman too seems like a survivor and is racked with guilt and anger. He feels like he has not been a “good” son.

The theme of survival is also seen recurrently with Vladek’s first wife, Anja. She too is seen in many instances having survived incidents physically intact but emotionally decimated. When one first encounters Anja in the book, we meet a fragile rich girl. Anja’s sense of survival seems feeble. The reader is introduced to the difference of survival physically and emotionally as he/she sees Anja decline in a postpartum depression. In addition, we see Vladek discover that Anja may have been abusing pills. Although she recovers after rehabilitation at the sanitarium, Anja’s weak sense of “survival” is still highlighted. In the ensuing chapters, Anja displays complete dependence on Vladek, not leaving his side due to not knowing anything about survival. In book two, Vladek is separated from Anja in the prison camps. When Vladek converses with Anja through a fence, the reader is introduced to the notion that Anja’s lack of emotional survival may lead to an ultimate cessation of her physical survival.. She tells Vladek that she has been continually contemplating whether to commit suicide by running into the electric fence To this Vladek responds, "No darling! To die, it's easy...but you have to struggle for life! Until the last moment we must struggle together! I need you! And you'll see that together we'll survive." (Speigelman, Maus I,122) Vladek’s struggle for survival influences Anja to fight for life.

When we revisit Anja in the section “Prisoner on The Hell Planet,” we learn the true value of Anja’s suffering. In one panel, Anja is displayed looking melancholy. She enters the room, asking her son if he still loves her. Art replies with an answer devoid of emotion, “sure” Anja ultimately commits suicide. Her emotional state did not survive the Holocaust which lead to the self destruction of her physical survival. Even Art is even seen in the next panel contemplating the cause of her suicide. He seems to blame it on her “survival” of the Holocaust, or Hitler. Even though Anja “survived” the holocaust, the experiences of the holocaust have had a direct impact on her own ultimate“survival.”

In another example of a “lack of survival”, Anja’s story of the Holocaust did not survive. In a rage induced evening, Vladek decided to burn the majority of Anja’s diaries. Art is despondent when he learns of this at the end of book 1, and vehemently scolds his father for the destruction. In a way,his mother’s memories were further erased as the physical document was purged. In this case, there is not only a lack of physical survival of Anja, but also a lack of survival for her thoughts and memories.

As initially stated, the act of survival is to continually exist despite potentially difficult conditions. This is a basic principle of human nature. However, Mr. Spiegelman introduces the notion that physical survival can be an entirely different entity than emotional survival. The reader can easily discern how Vladek, the “storyteller” and his mother are profoundly affected in their emotional survival despite their physical existence. Their personalities and emotional states actually do not “survive” or remain intact throughout the story. Ultimately, the Holocaust can be blamed for both the murder of countless physical lives as well as emotional ones.