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Maus: An Analysis (Novel by Art Spiegelman)readessay.com/maus-an-analysis-novel-by-art-spiegelman

Maus: An Analysis

Maus; My Father Bleeds is a graphic history-based novel that spreads the horizon of

imagining, the Holocaust with the intent to describe the event which is unimaginable due

to the facts that how a real human being treated other real human beings. The book was

first disregarded as children’s entertainment comic book with elements of humor

suspense horror and action-adventure. Maus has described the real nature of enigma by

casting Holocaust heroes as animals referring as cat, Mice, pigs, and dogs. In an

interview, Spiegelman said that to use these nonentities was a way to allow people to read

the history storybook with the new perspective when the first time the comic book

appeared the words “NAZI” and “JEWS” were never brought to sight (Afridi). Therefore,

the major purpose of this paper is to talk about how German hate Jews and how it related

to the Arab and Muslims, whereas analyzing the text of the comic novel “Maus: A

Survivor’s Tale,” as a major focus of this paper.

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German hate the Jews and how it related to Arab and Muslims

The Muslims were in denial about the Holocaust and Nazi Armies barbarism and as the

word spread about the denial of a Holocaust from Muslim majority countries, some

Muslims and Jews struggle to keep alive their connections and history with one another.

However, in Arab and Jews anti-Semitism still looming largely which has a negative

impact on the positives that people of two different religions share. From the past seven

decades, numerous Muslim and Arab academic researchers, professionals, and media

perpetually labeled the Holocaust as a deceiving story of facts. The Jewish Holocaust—a

historical lie,’ and the ‘greatest Zionist lie history had ever come through’ are some of the

numerous expressions that take place in Arab dialogue of denial of a Holocaust (Afridi).

The Arab and Muslim roles in the Holocaust field have grown among Holocaust and

religion studies. Muslim rulers’ historical entanglement broadens and particularized the

carnage of Jews. In the period of the Holocaust 6 million Jews were killed. That time was

complicated for Jews and Muslims in light of both Nazi and governments deciding

according to their vision, however, till the time it is very less known where Muslims and

Jews collaborated and suffered in anti-Semitic time. The words Holocaust and Islam are

rarely used with each other, because of social and political images of the Holocaust and

Muslims.

One of the reasons for these is the denial and revitalization of the Holocaust on different

forums. During the 1930’s, Britain’s determination for the establishment of land for Jews

has taken place the Balfour Declaration of 1917 was under immense pressure upon the

Arab’s opposition face to Jewish migration towards Palestine. To spread propaganda in

Arabs by Fascists and Nazi’s is considered to be an organized program to make it obvious

so that they could ensure alliances and support with Arabs. Through the use of religion,

they broadcast their agenda and influence Arabs to make them realize about the

increasing number of Jews migrating to Palestine (Afridi).

Arabs were already resentful due to the alliances of Europeans with Jews and broadcasted

the agenda that Jews will become more powerful with having Europeans at their side and

Fascists, Nazi’s and Italian Vichy manipulation strategies worked in favor of Germans.

Furthermore, during 1950s to 1980s, the tension increases between Jews and Arabs due

to the migration of Jews from the Arab states to Europe, the United States of America and

Israel worsened the situation and created violent memories for Arabs.

The story of this comic novel tells a story of a survivor, Spiegelman a young who

mercilessly treated his wife and may marry her for financial benefits, which first seen as a

stubborn, greedy, enraged old-aged man. He was not a saint and what happens to him

after is more horrible in itself. And the specific nature of the book tells a background story

in its own, even in the slightest details. Readers of Maus get to know the insights of the

Ghetto black market, the structure of bogus-walled bunkers, and activities of the town

square, where Jews were waiting for deportation (SPIEGELMAN).

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Historically, the effect of a Holocaust in Arab lands was minimal but, well-known

evidence, and it plays a vital role in the politics of Israel/Palestine. In the perspective of

Muslims Holocaust was related to war and Jews portrayed it with huge exaggeration to

gain sympathy for existence and to grab land for the expansion of Israel. History

demonstrates Muslims and Jews were slowly separating from seventeenth-century due to

European colonization in Arab and African countries. Jews remained the diminishing

minority in the Arab and Islamic world. Travelers stuck to their camps during the journey

have seen poverty and excessive disease in quarters of Jews in the region.

The Muslims were economically and technologically weakened due to colonial rules and

not in a position to provide strength to the diminishing curve of Jews, so they looked to

Europe to provide a livelihood. Spiegelman used animals to allow readers to surpass the

misogyny of what humans are capable of doing and on the other hand, what humans are

capable of surviving and at the same time forcing them to confront it more openly. His

figure of Mice which represented Jewish’s is a stinging answer to Hitler’s statement that

The Jews are without any doubt a race, but they cannot be considered as human. His

Nazis which described as Cats remind us of German brutality was on its bottom with no

more understanding than the subtle barbarism of Cats playing with their Mice targets.

(Kluth).

A history of cooperation and tolerance between Jews and Muslims is suppressed hugely

by the political use of religion and geopolitical influence to use them for their political

gain. Religion and Politics are used to gain short-term benefits and denial of each other

tragedies and colonialism of European and West countries are considered major reasons

among other for the huge anti-Semitism growth in the Muslim world which further

worsened the situation between the two traditions. Hence, it would not be wrong to say

that the element of hate, certainly, has changed Germans, Jews, Muslims, and the Arab

world and other countries and their people as well, whereas demoralizing their relations.

Therefore, German hate towards Jews is also linked with Muslims and the Arab World as

well.

Works Cited

Afridi, Mehnaz M. “The Role of Muslims and the Holocaust .” oxfordhandbooks (2014).

Kluth, Andreas. “Germans, Jews, Muslims and the paradox of tolerance.” 6 4 2018.

global.handelsblatt.com. 13 10 2018.

SPIEGELMAN, ART. Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale. Auschwitz: PANTHEON BOOKS, 1980.