Textual Analysis/Critique of Maus II

No history book can compare to the personal trauma in Maus II in the way that it relays the story of the Holocaust in an emotional and authentic way. Statistics and names don't reveal the hardships that Holocaust survivors and victims had to endure and succumb to. Art Spiegelman's journey through his father's past in Maus II, forces him to realize what an incredible impact it had on the people in that generation, and what …

…a little prior knowledge of the Holocaust to understand it, making it an easy, effective read for middle school students. History books also can't provide what Maus does, some insight into what it would be like to survive something as horrible as the Holocaust and live to discuss it with your only surviving family member. Art Spiegelman's creation is a lasting testament to not only his father's hardships, but more than 2 generations of Jewish survivors.