Maus I & II: A Summary
Maus I:
Maus I begins the retelling of the Holocaust story. However, the story is told from the perspective of the author's father during various interviews. Art, son of Vladek and Anja, decides that he will be writing a comic on the his Dad's experience of the Holocaust and to do this he must have meetings with his father in order to get the full details of his story. However, the family dynamic is not the best. Art and and his father do not have the best relationship and there is always a lot of tension between the two of them. Additionally, Art's mother, Anja, committed suicide and Vladek has since been remarried to another survivor named Mala. Vladek tells Art how the story began...
In 1937, Vladek and Anja got married and as a result Vladek entered into a business partnership with Anja's father. Shortly after, Anja gives birth to their first son Richieu, but unfortunately becomes depressed from her birth. In order to fix this, Vladek and Anja travel to to a resort so that she can feel better. When they return, Vladek is taken into the Polish army to defend against an upcoming attack. Vladek is captured, taken to a POW camp, but is then released. When he comes back he realizes how the German's have been taking everything over, including his business. The Jews are eventually rounded up into Ghettos, and some are taken to Auschwitz where they are killed. Art finds out that his mother Anja had diaries that she kept, but he is unable to find them. The relationship between Art and his father continues to grow tense and Vladek feels like his son does not help him around the house. When Vladek continues the story he describes how the Jews continued to be rounded up and how he and Anja decided to send Richieu away to a safer place. We later find out that Richieu died when the Germans invaded and he and his caretaker drank poison rather than to face the Nazis. Vladek tells of how he and Anja went from place to place and bunker to bunker hiding from the Nazis. Finally, Vladek arranged to be smuggled into Hungary, but as they begin to escape they are caught and are taken to Auschwitz. Book I closes as we find out that Vladek burned Anja's diaries and Art calls his father a murderer.
Maus II
Book II opens up with Vladek leaving a message on Art's phone about how he had a heart attack. However, when Art returns the call he finds out that Vladek went to the Catskills mountains. Mala left Vladek from a struggling relationship, and so Art and his friend decide to go to the Catskills to find his father. Then Vladek's story continues to be told. Vladek arrives in Auschwitz and Anja is sent to Birkenau, and to survive Vladek teaches English to one of the guards in exchange for extra food and clothes. Soon Vladek can longer teach the guard and so it is arranged that he will be a tinsmith. The story returns to Art. At this point, Art has published the first book of Maus, but Vladek has passed away. Art is depressed and visits a psychologist with whom he talks about his feelings of guilt and the poor relationship between him and his father. Vladek keeps in touch with Anja through a friend and he also sends her food. Vladek then gets transferred to Birkenau where he again meets Anja. He becomes a shoemaker and by fixing the shoes of Anja's guard, he begins to treat her better. Vladek bribes a guard to prevent Anja's stay at Birkenau and plans to have her sent to Auschwitz. Vladek's condition begins to deteriorate and no longer working as a shoemaker, he endures hard work and stays away from the selections so that his frailty does not have him put in the wrong line to the gassing chambers. The Russian Army is on its way to Aushwitz to liberate the camps, and in reaction to this the Nazi's march Vladek away and then pack them into traincars in order to take them to Dachau. As Art reflects on his father, he remembers how his father returned half-eaten foods to the store; a reaction to his being in the camps. In Dachau, Vladek gets extra food and manages to keep living, until he gets sick with typhus and borders near death. The Nazis announce that all the sick who can walk will go to Switzerland; Vladek manages to recuperate just in time and get on that train. Vladek begins walking to the Swiss border when the war ends and he is marched back to the train where he is told he will be taken to the Americans. When Vladek arrives, he doesn't find any Americans, but instead meets his friend. Together they are eventaully taken to a barn with other Jews. Art takes a moment to talk again about Vladek and how he and Mala are back together. Vladek was taken to the hospital, but left to find a hospital in New York. Vladek goes to the doctor and is sent home with Art. The next time the two meet Art asks to hear about the end of the war. Vladek describes the final details of him leaving the farm and going to a displaced persons camp where he gets official documentation. Vladek and his friend Shivek leave to Hannover since his friend has a brother there. In Hannover, Vladek finds out that Anja is still alive and goes back to Poland where he reunites with Anja. The story ends with Vladek calling his son Richieu and saying that this is enough stories for the time being.
Maus I begins the retelling of the Holocaust story. However, the story is told from the perspective of the author's father during various interviews. Art, son of Vladek and Anja, decides that he will be writing a comic on the his Dad's experience of the Holocaust and to do this he must have meetings with his father in order to get the full details of his story. However, the family dynamic is not the best. Art and and his father do not have the best relationship and there is always a lot of tension between the two of them. Additionally, Art's mother, Anja, committed suicide and Vladek has since been remarried to another survivor named Mala. Vladek tells Art how the story began...
In 1937, Vladek and Anja got married and as a result Vladek entered into a business partnership with Anja's father. Shortly after, Anja gives birth to their first son Richieu, but unfortunately becomes depressed from her birth. In order to fix this, Vladek and Anja travel to to a resort so that she can feel better. When they return, Vladek is taken into the Polish army to defend against an upcoming attack. Vladek is captured, taken to a POW camp, but is then released. When he comes back he realizes how the German's have been taking everything over, including his business. The Jews are eventually rounded up into Ghettos, and some are taken to Auschwitz where they are killed. Art finds out that his mother Anja had diaries that she kept, but he is unable to find them. The relationship between Art and his father continues to grow tense and Vladek feels like his son does not help him around the house. When Vladek continues the story he describes how the Jews continued to be rounded up and how he and Anja decided to send Richieu away to a safer place. We later find out that Richieu died when the Germans invaded and he and his caretaker drank poison rather than to face the Nazis. Vladek tells of how he and Anja went from place to place and bunker to bunker hiding from the Nazis. Finally, Vladek arranged to be smuggled into Hungary, but as they begin to escape they are caught and are taken to Auschwitz. Book I closes as we find out that Vladek burned Anja's diaries and Art calls his father a murderer.
Maus II
Book II opens up with Vladek leaving a message on Art's phone about how he had a heart attack. However, when Art returns the call he finds out that Vladek went to the Catskills mountains. Mala left Vladek from a struggling relationship, and so Art and his friend decide to go to the Catskills to find his father. Then Vladek's story continues to be told. Vladek arrives in Auschwitz and Anja is sent to Birkenau, and to survive Vladek teaches English to one of the guards in exchange for extra food and clothes. Soon Vladek can longer teach the guard and so it is arranged that he will be a tinsmith. The story returns to Art. At this point, Art has published the first book of Maus, but Vladek has passed away. Art is depressed and visits a psychologist with whom he talks about his feelings of guilt and the poor relationship between him and his father. Vladek keeps in touch with Anja through a friend and he also sends her food. Vladek then gets transferred to Birkenau where he again meets Anja. He becomes a shoemaker and by fixing the shoes of Anja's guard, he begins to treat her better. Vladek bribes a guard to prevent Anja's stay at Birkenau and plans to have her sent to Auschwitz. Vladek's condition begins to deteriorate and no longer working as a shoemaker, he endures hard work and stays away from the selections so that his frailty does not have him put in the wrong line to the gassing chambers. The Russian Army is on its way to Aushwitz to liberate the camps, and in reaction to this the Nazi's march Vladek away and then pack them into traincars in order to take them to Dachau. As Art reflects on his father, he remembers how his father returned half-eaten foods to the store; a reaction to his being in the camps. In Dachau, Vladek gets extra food and manages to keep living, until he gets sick with typhus and borders near death. The Nazis announce that all the sick who can walk will go to Switzerland; Vladek manages to recuperate just in time and get on that train. Vladek begins walking to the Swiss border when the war ends and he is marched back to the train where he is told he will be taken to the Americans. When Vladek arrives, he doesn't find any Americans, but instead meets his friend. Together they are eventaully taken to a barn with other Jews. Art takes a moment to talk again about Vladek and how he and Mala are back together. Vladek was taken to the hospital, but left to find a hospital in New York. Vladek goes to the doctor and is sent home with Art. The next time the two meet Art asks to hear about the end of the war. Vladek describes the final details of him leaving the farm and going to a displaced persons camp where he gets official documentation. Vladek and his friend Shivek leave to Hannover since his friend has a brother there. In Hannover, Vladek finds out that Anja is still alive and goes back to Poland where he reunites with Anja. The story ends with Vladek calling his son Richieu and saying that this is enough stories for the time being.