Unmasking Metaphors

     One of the most ironic parts in my opinion of Maus is how effectively Spiegelman portrayed one of the most tragic moments of human history through the use of animals and not through humans.  We would think the best way to engage a reader is to use the realism of “relatable figures”.  However, the use of animals as metaphors add endless possibilities of exploring the plots, themes, and characters of Maus.

    Some popular themes in cartoons and fairytales is the antagonism between mice and cats.  Spiegelman’s choice of representing the Jews as mice is the perfect metaphor for describing the Holocaust and the relationship between the Jews and the Nazis. The image of a mouse almost replicates what a real mouse would have to live through.  During the Holocaust, the Jews hid in bunkers to hide from the Nazis and sneak out at night to try to find food, which represents mice living in a small hole in a home trying to find food at night.  It is common to think of mice as small, defenseless, and annoying creatures which illustrates the attitude that the Nazi’s had toward the Jews.  The Nazi’s were also portrayed as cats which not only describes the hatred of their race, but their torturous nature toward them such as burning them alive or suffocating them in gas chambers, just like how a real life cat would “play with their food”.  Additionally, the Poles were portrayed as pigs, which represents their neutrality throughout the book to mice and to cats.  While pigs symbolize generosity, trust, and patience, they are often negatively connotated which demonstrates specific negative attitudes Jews have toward the Poles.

    Over multiple times in Maus, real dogs and mice are mixed in with the metaphoric characters.  For example,  the Nazi’s (portrayed as cats) use real dogs attempting to track the Jews.  The presence of these animals highlight how even if the characters are drawn as animals, they all have human characteristics such as their smell that distinguish them from animal nature.

    Sometimes, the reader is shown a human figure wearing a mask to represent their metaphoric animal rather than the animal itself.  For example, when Artie is trying to shoot a movie for his book, he is shown as a human figure wearing a mouse mask.  The reason for this choice is most likely because Spiegelman knows that it is more important to portray the human struggles of his life rather than portraying the struggles a mouse would have, because he doesn’t have those struggles anymore.  However, he still wears a mouse mask because the past is still stuck with him.

    In Maus, the combination of dehumanization and survival throughout the symbolism of animals illustrates the complexity of the Holocaust and human capacity for resistance.