Lessons I Learned
Maus is a non-fiction book, so I got to live the life of a real person for a short amount of time. One thing I found about the book was that it was incredibly insightful. One thing I had learned was that there is always a reason behind a person's actions. Vladek is portrayed as a stingy old man. But the reason he acts that way is because during the Holocaust, everyone had to save what they had. Because he was so used to keeping everything he had, it made him go crazy if anything had gone to waste.
Another lesson learned from the story is that a person's past will always haunt them. Vladek and Artie both have pasts that they wish they could just forget. Vladek has the memories of the Holocaust following him around and all the people he's lost. Both of them also have the loss of Anja, Artie's mother and Vladek's wife. And Artie has the guilt of never being able to understand his father; and Image Credit Here even though they both have different pasts, it still follows them both around.
What I Liked
I personally enjoyed the book tremendously. What I liked the most was that the author showed his process on how his book was written. Throughout the book the author draws himself talking to his father and asking him questions. He allows the reader to see his relationship with his father, his wife, and step-mother. Not only was I given a feel of the author's relationships with people, I also could see the difference of the characters from the past to the future. That gave me the capability to compare and contrast personalities, and see why the characters were the way they were portrayed.
Another thing I enjoyed about the book was that I was able to see what it was like to live in the Holocaust. Even though it was a terrible and traumatic experience, seeing it is different than just reading about it. People have their own stories and books, but I loved the way the author drew things in detail, and emphasized what he thought was important.
Overall Thoughts
Overall I thought it was a great book, and really enjoyed reading it. I liked how I was able to see the process of how it was written, and being able to see how the Holocaust effected different generations. Even though there are many books on the Holocaust and many survivors' stories, this one will always be the best to me. Not only did it really capture me from the beginning, but it also made me appreciate comics. Because of this book, I now know how much time and effort is put into graphic novels.
Maus is a non-fiction book, so I got to live the life of a real person for a short amount of time. One thing I found about the book was that it was incredibly insightful. One thing I had learned was that there is always a reason behind a person's actions. Vladek is portrayed as a stingy old man. But the reason he acts that way is because during the Holocaust, everyone had to save what they had. Because he was so used to keeping everything he had, it made him go crazy if anything had gone to waste.
Another lesson learned from the story is that a person's past will always haunt them. Vladek and Artie both have pasts that they wish they could just forget. Vladek has the memories of the Holocaust following him around and all the people he's lost. Both of them also have the loss of Anja, Artie's mother and Vladek's wife. And Artie has the guilt of never being able to understand his father; and Image Credit Here even though they both have different pasts, it still follows them both around.
What I Liked
I personally enjoyed the book tremendously. What I liked the most was that the author showed his process on how his book was written. Throughout the book the author draws himself talking to his father and asking him questions. He allows the reader to see his relationship with his father, his wife, and step-mother. Not only was I given a feel of the author's relationships with people, I also could see the difference of the characters from the past to the future. That gave me the capability to compare and contrast personalities, and see why the characters were the way they were portrayed.
Another thing I enjoyed about the book was that I was able to see what it was like to live in the Holocaust. Even though it was a terrible and traumatic experience, seeing it is different than just reading about it. People have their own stories and books, but I loved the way the author drew things in detail, and emphasized what he thought was important.
Overall Thoughts
Overall I thought it was a great book, and really enjoyed reading it. I liked how I was able to see the process of how it was written, and being able to see how the Holocaust effected different generations. Even though there are many books on the Holocaust and many survivors' stories, this one will always be the best to me. Not only did it really capture me from the beginning, but it also made me appreciate comics. Because of this book, I now know how much time and effort is put into graphic novels.