Dehumanization Of Racism In Maus By Speigelman

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Racism in Speigelmans, Maus, is quite often found to be the major underlying theme to many other problems encountered in the novel. Speigelman’s novel that bobs in and out of the Holocaust and exchanges with Vladek, show just what the dehumanization was like during the time and how exactly it shaped his father. Vladek, who had gone through the Holocaust, has seen and dealt with this discrimination first hand, but yet after the war he himself is quite racist towards those who are not deemed equal in his eyes. This brings Spiegleman to look more and more into racism during and after the Holocaust. He critiques it within his story to show how dehumanization is not only unjust but yet also helps to show the structural chaste system in society.…show more content…
Vladek states that he “saw with [his] own eyes, the swastika”, and that “everybody from the train got very excited and frightened”. (Maus I, 32) Before this, the swastika and the Nazis were just a name and symbol as they didn’t impose that physical feeling upon the Jewish people. Though this all changes when the Nazi flag is not only stationed in the “center of town” but also physically in the middle of the page (Maus I, 32). The flag represents the beginning of a new chapter where the Nazis will become the center of attention. The rise of the Nazis to the center of European power in affect will lead to the rise of the racism against Jews. Several panels showcase this racism, as Jews are made to hold signs that read “I am a filthy Jew”, they are sensessly beaten for no reason at all, and the Nazis will even clear out dominantly Jewish cities until they are “Jew Free” (Maus I, 33). Another thing is physically in these panels that contain Jewish discrimination, there is a Nazi Symbol. Whether it is the main focus of the background or even snuck into a corner in a panel, the Nazis are behind everything (Maus I, 33). Also, as the Nazis climb in society, to become the main power in Europe, they decimate against they Jews immensely and this puts the Jews lower in the caste system. So discrimination directly affects societal structure in the world. With the introduction of the physical presence of the Nazis, the Jews become highly discriminated against, which directly affects their place in

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