Maus: Vol. I, Ch. 6
LAST ONE! :-)
1. Coming as it does after the concluding episode of Chapter Five, what is the significance of Mala and Art's conversation?
2. What is Mala and Vladek's appraisal of Art's book?
3. How do they get arrested, and what does Vladek say when they arrive at Auschwitz?
4. What happened to Anja's diaries? How does Art react?
5. Having come to the end of Volume One, what do you think is the significance of the volume's subtitle, "My Father Bleeds History"?
Due: MIDNIGHT, Monday, May 21
1. Coming as it does after the concluding episode of Chapter Five, what is the significance of Mala and Art's conversation?
2. What is Mala and Vladek's appraisal of Art's book?
3. How do they get arrested, and what does Vladek say when they arrive at Auschwitz?
4. What happened to Anja's diaries? How does Art react?
5. Having come to the end of Volume One, what do you think is the significance of the volume's subtitle, "My Father Bleeds History"?
Due: MIDNIGHT, Monday, May 21
posted by RJS at
7:21 AM
6 Comments:
Mala, feeling the pressure of her relationship, vents to Art about the conditions of her marriage. She's disdainful of the fact that her husband is incredibly cheap and even wanted her to wear all of Anja's clothes. In turn, Art confides that even though he's portraying his father accurately, he seems like he fits into the racist streotype if the miserly Jew. I think this observation, shared by Mala, is another source of her disdain. But she finds time to compliment Art on his book because "people who usually don't read such stories will be interested". Vlad says that even he is interested although it's his own story, and says his son will be as famous as Walt Disney. This is quite a compliment coming from someone who never approved of his sons comics beforehand.When Vlad and Anja were caught for the last time, their smugglers had given them away and they were apprehended on the train to Hungary and captured. Upon arriving at Auschwitz, Vladek said they knew that from there they would never come out. He and his wife were separated there, and the diaries Anja kept, he destroyed. When Artfound this out he was furious at his father for destroying a piece of history, a piece of the story that would have given the story a completely different POV. But it is true that his father bleeds history in a couple of senses. He's giving away pieces of his life. Very slowly experiences are seeping from him. Also, he lived the whole thing. He is living proof of the Holocaust, and therefore, he and his blood are part of that phenomenon.
By
TheBishop, at Monday, May 14, 2007 8:15:00 PM
Mala and Art's conversation further stresses the relationship problem and also reveals Art's insecurity about portraying his father as the stereotypical stingy Jew. Mala and Vladek seem excited about Art's book, and notice its widespread appeal. Vladek and Anja finally get arrested when they are traveling to Hungary in an obviously set up trap by the Germans. When the couple arrive at Auschwitz, Vladek says that he knew they would not get out again, as he by then knew about the gas chambers. Vladek had destroyed Anja's diaries, which infuriates Art. Yet again, Vladek keeps a strange standard on what is important to him and what is not, though there is some justification in Vladek's extreme emotion after Anja's suicide. As for the subtitle, My Father Bleeds History, perhaps this could be read as meaning that his father is saturated with stories of history which he now leaks out towards the end of his life, allowing him to pass away with his stories intact in story form. I don't know, maybe.
By
Unknown, at Monday, May 21, 2007 7:56:00 PM
4. What happened to Anja's diaries? How does Art react?
5. Having come to the end of Volume One, what do you think is the significance of the volume's subtitle, "My Father Bleeds History"?
The significance of Mala and Art's conversation to the concluding episode shows that Mala cannot do any thing to please Vladek. The reason for this is because Vladek misses Anja and doesn't approve of Mala because he doesn't believe that she is as good as Anja.
They appraise his book because they believe that it will strike interest in them, because even though it is a comic book it tells a story in history which should be told.
Vladek and Anja are arrested on the train on their way into Hungary to escape their treatment in Poland. But the Gestapo recognize Anja and Vladek as Jews and they are immediately sent to Auschwitz. Vladek says that he knew both him and Anja were going to be sent to the gas chambers and die because of the stories which they had heard.
Vladek threw away Anja's diaries because he didn't want to see them when he knew how much he suffered anyways. Art becomes very upset and calls Vladek a murderer because he threw away the only thing that Art could remember by his mother. It would also help him write his book.
By
jackson smith, at Tuesday, May 22, 2007 6:36:00 PM
My father bleeds history means that Vladek is a living symbol of the Holocaust and just by viewing his life the horror of the Holocaust can be seen because he suffered so much.
Sorry abouth the questions at the top of my blog. I did that so I could see them.
By
jackson smith, at Tuesday, May 22, 2007 6:38:00 PM
At the end of chapter 5, Vladek was talking about how he was afraid that Mala only married him for his money and how he wanted to protect his money after he died. The conversation at the begining of chapter 6 shows us that Mala is money conscious because she talks about how she can't ever get any money out of Vladek to buy the things she wants. It teaches us that Vladek is really tight with money, but also that he's found himself in a pickle with Mala.
About Art's book, Mala says that it will be important to people, that it will tell an important story. Vladek tells Art that he will be come as famous as Walt Disney, which is an absurd thing to throw out, but nice of a father to think about his son.
Vladek finds a way for Himself and Anja to be smuggled out to Hungary but runs into trouble on the train and they are found out, put in prison, and later shipped to Aushwitz. In the vans Vladek tries to give Anja food, but she turns it down. Once they get to Aushwitz, he says that it is exactly as horrible as all the stories desribed; that after all their running, they ended up where there were running from anyway.
After Anja kills herself, Vladek becomes extremely depressed and burns the diaries for some sort of closure (which never works as well as it seems it would). Art flips out and calls his dad a murderer.
I think "bleeds history" in the subtitle refers to his father tlaking about the past. Vladek knew so much and experienced so much of an imporant part of history, yet that part was so painful he was 'bleeding' it all out when he was talking about it.
By
TeganLove, at Tuesday, May 22, 2007 10:08:00 PM
In the beginning of Chapter Six, Mala gets a chance to vent her feelings concerning her and Vladek's relationship (very emotional). Vladek had his chance at the end of Chapter Five. Here, Mala again focuses on the fact that Vladek is a cheap, old man. She complains that she never gets any money and that he treats her like a nurse instead of a wife. The importance of this scene is to show not only the conflicting relationship Mala and Vladek have but also the intense emotions involved. But there is one thing that Mala and Vladek agree on and that is that Art's comic will be interesting to all and very successfull.
In this chapter, Vladek and Anja decide to escape to Hungary, so they find a connection to two smugglers. Anja had doubts about the plan to begin with, and her concerns are verified when the smugglers turn them in to the Gestapo. When they arrive at Aushwitz, Vladek says that everyone knew the stories of Auschwitz and that the prisoners would not come out.
Vladek says that after Anja died he destroyed all of her diaries and notebooks out of anger and distraught. Art is furious with his father and cannot believe he would burn such valuable, important things. In a fit of rage, Art calls his own father a murderer.
"My Father Bleeds History" is an appropriate title because Art used his father as the source for every bit of his information for his comic. Also, "bleed" refers to the tragedy of the story and describes the murder and pain Vladek experiences during Hitler's control of Europe.
By
taylor, at Wednesday, May 23, 2007 9:44:00 AM
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