Line Illuminator- Sophia S.

I liked Maus overall but I think the ending was very rushed and forced. I feel like it should have been spaced out a little more. I know there is a second book, but even though I think that we should have gotten better closure. But the book itself was really good, and me very worried at times to know if they are going to survive or not. Because I obviously know that Vladek is going to survive but it still makes me very worried for the character. That is why Art Spiegelman is such a good writer because if a writer can make you have that much empathy for a character you know that they are doing their job well.

"I swear, sometimes I think he married me because I'm the same size as Anja!"(pg.131). Even though this is not a very significant quote I think it had a deeper meaning to it. Throughout the book we exceprince Vladek's survival story. But even though it is his story it is also Anja's too. Even though she killed herself in the end it was after the war. We get to experience the love and adventure that Anja and Vladek share. How much he sacrificed for her and cared for her. In the beginning it was more Vladek's story and then in the last chapter it was literally them against the world. You can tell from when he was married to Anja and she was alive how happy he was, even at a time of war to be with her. And then you get to the present time when he is married to Mala and they are living perfect lives that both of them are in an unhappy marriage. Past Vladek had empathy and cared for people that he did not even know. Then when Anja died he was sad that I don't think he even had time to grieve for her. So when he met Mala he saw Anja and I think he married her because of that. That is why I chose this quote just because it shows how Vladek shows grief and that he is not the same person as he used to be.

This is Vladek and Anja right before the war.
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"Don't worry... we won't betray you!"(pg. 139) This moment is when Mrs. Kawka took in Vladek and Anja for the night. But before that Vladek and an agreement with Mrs. Kawka. If Polish Police come and find them they have to give themselves up. I think this line really describes how WWII was at the time. Instead of people keeping their promises and people not betraying their allies it was more about surviving. And when you are trying to survive you can do things that you thought you could never do. This moment brought me back when Vladek was hiding out with a few family and friends in a barn and a stranger wanted to hide out with them. Vladek being the kind person he is let him stay. But when the police come the stranger blurted out where they were hiding and betrayed them. I think that Vladek tried to stay to his true self most of time. I think that you need a motive to keep yourself from going mad and only think about surviving. I mean he lost his child and his family, he only had Anja left. And that is all he needed. She was his motive to keep going and trying to get freedom so they could live their lives again and have kids again. Which it seems like they did but we left off of them being taken away to the concentration camps, so I guess we will never know. But when Anja died he lost his motive and now he is a grumpy man. So I think we all have a motive to keep ourselves from being the person that we do not want to be, at a time of war and survival.

This is how Jews had to live like during the war.
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