Maus

On page 136, volume 1, Vladek is describing how he and Anna were trying to find a place to hide so that the Nazis wouldn’t take them away to concentration camps. In the first couple panels, Anna and Vladek go to Janina’s house because she had promised them before that she would help them when needed. However, her promises changed after the Nazis took over because she feared the safety of her own family. These panels contribute to Art’s recurring theme that fear of the Nazis forced the Jews and other people to completely change their values, promises and beliefs, in an attempt to stay safe. This contributes to the portrayal of power the Nazis held over the citizens; they had the power to alter  people’s fundamental beliefs and values. When Janina refused to help Vladek and Anja, they panicked a bit but decided to disguise themselves to avoid trouble. In the next panel, Anja and Vladek are shown holding masks to represent disguise. Vladek says, “I was a little safe. I had a coat and boots, so like a Gestapo wore when he was not in service. But Anja-her appearance-you could see more easy she was Jewish. I was afraid for her” (Spiegelman 136). Art illustrates this by showing Vladek with the mask on, fully disguised and unrecognizable, while Anja is illustrated with a mask but with her mouse tail still showing. This reinforces Art’s argument of how the Jews tried to hide who they were to keep themselves safe. However, even though they did this, many Jews were still recognizable to the Nazis and tortured nevertheless. No matter how hard the Jews tried to please the Nazis and assimilate themselves with the other non-Jew citizens, they were still ultimately caught.