1. Maus assigns different animals to nationalities and "races." How do you interpret the use of animals as stand-ins for ethnic and national identity? What are the metaphorical/symbolic interpretations of each animal representation? How might the graphic novel be different if Spiegelman had used human characters?
2. At one point, early on in Volume I, Vladek asks Artie not to write about the personal details of his courtship and marriage of Anna--why do you suppose we are provided with the anecdotes that Vladek wishes to keep private? How do you interpret Spiegelman's betrayal of his father's wishes?
3. In class, we discussed some of the characteristics of second generation Holocaust narration; which of the factors we discussed do you see as important to understanding Maus?
4. How is the graphic novel genre different from other Holocaust novels and cinematic representations we have studied? What advantages and limitations do you note that influence your comprehension of the text?
5. Spiegelman has described comics as “a vital and expressive language that talks with its hands.” How does this quote call attention to "handwriting" as a theme in Maus?
6. How do you interpret the difference in tone/coloring of the meta-narrative, "Prisoner of Hell Planet," the short "case history" of Art's mother's suicide? How do you interpret the case history's meaning in relation to the rest of the text? To Art's relationship with Vladek?
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