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A review by readingthroughthelists
Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began by Art Spiegelman
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
The strained bonds between parent and child, already present in Vol. 1, come to the forefront in Maus: Vol. II. Watching Art’s struggle to show patience and understanding with his miserly, contentious, and prejudiced father moved me greatly, almost as much as hearing about the horrors of the Holocaust.
Art’s portrayal of his father is sharp but not unsympathetic, even in the moments when Vladek is shown to be deeply prejudiced and even racist, as if he had learned nothing from all he suffered. Maus: Vol. II serves as a reminder that there are no perfect victims; all survivors have their traumas, their petty cruelties, their vices. And yet they are the ones who made it home, who defied the odds and survived…don’t they also deserve their happy endings?
Art’s portrayal of his father is sharp but not unsympathetic, even in the moments when Vladek is shown to be deeply prejudiced and even racist, as if he had learned nothing from all he suffered. Maus: Vol. II serves as a reminder that there are no perfect victims; all survivors have their traumas, their petty cruelties, their vices. And yet they are the ones who made it home, who defied the odds and survived…don’t they also deserve their happy endings?
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Racism