Thomaz- Connection Captain- Maus

While reading Maus by Art Spiegelman, I was able to connect a part of the book with the movie I watched called The Book Thief. The movie is about Liesel, a girl who is adopted by a family because her mother is a Communist and is escaping from Germany (for more information about the plot click here). It takes place during World War II. Her adoptive father, Hans, is later sent to the German army because he protested against the police saying not to take away a Jewish friend of his and his name is written down by the officers. In Maus, it is Vladek, Artie's father, who is taken away to the army and kept by the german's as a war prisoner.

The two situations may seem very different because Vladek was fighting against the german's and Hans is fighting for the germans, but it shows the immense power of the german's during World War II. In Maus, Vladek was captured by the Nazis and kept as a war prisoner for months working and working the entire time. Vladek and the other war prisoners always did what they were told because they were afraid they might get killed. In The Book Thief, Hans talked back to the Nazi officials and got his name on the list of people that were going to defend the Nazi army during the war. He was then told to present himself to the army immediately. This demonstrates how the Nazi had total control of the people and how they could get what they wanted without people protesting against it.

Hans with Liesel when he returns from the Army
Source

Vladek as a prisoner