52 Comments
Isabella Hernandez
7/21/2019 01:40:49 pm
I believe that each animal is suppose to represent the character that they portray during the war. I’ve noticed that the Jews were mice and that mice are small and often helpless at times. The Germans were the cats and shows that they are considered the higher being in the book and very dangerous during this time. The Americans were the dogs to show and show that they are the protectors as well as the hero’s during the war.
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Kassandra Morales
7/21/2019 04:06:51 pm
I agree with you, I feel like cats and mice don’t get along with each other. The cats are always chasing and trying to get rid of the mice the same way as the Germans try to get rid of the Jews by killing them off.
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Elizabeth Asamoah-Baffour
7/29/2019 01:43:00 pm
I agree with you. I felt like they were showcased as mice because they can easily get caught in a trap or in the Germans hands and be easily killed. I also know that Germans as cats can be predators to mice and chase them until they can most likely kill the mice. Also the Americans being the dogs to protect is very true because dogs can show their true standing and how strong they are.
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Anissa Mayas
8/4/2019 02:25:24 pm
I never thought of it like this and I agree with you that makes a lot of sense. I thought it was it was just a clever way to bring readers into the book so it’s stands out. But what you said makes sense and how cats and mice don’t get along with each other, it makes sense.
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Rozlyn Ross
8/11/2019 08:28:26 pm
I agree that using mice, cats and dogs was a good way to engage readers to the book. Especially because in real life cats do pray on mice
Valentino Lara
8/10/2019 12:39:30 pm
I agree with you Isabella. The characters were represented this way on purpose so the reader can understand how the Jews were attacked at this time. I think it’s a smart way to connect the holocaust to a simple idea.
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Xi Cheng
8/11/2019 01:49:40 pm
I agree with you. In order to enhance the expression effect of the cartoon, the author selected different animals for different countries and races to appear as characters. For example, the author use the mice to represent the Jews. This is because European racial discrimination against jews doomed jews to a tragic fate in wartime. From another perspective, the selection of rats reflects the racial discrimination against jews in Europe.
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Damian Garcia
8/11/2019 03:20:31 pm
I agree with you Isabella because I feel like each animal is suppose to represent the character that they portray during the war.
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Destiny Phillips
8/11/2019 08:28:48 pm
Isabella I totally agree with you.The theory that the Jews were mice in the Germans were cats is a great connection to the story. I feel like the Jews are being hunted by the Germans and are being treated badly so the scenario that they are mice because cats hunt mice is great .
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Julian Pena
8/12/2019 12:36:40 am
Isabella, I love your response to this question, and I agree 100 percent. To add on to what you're saying I also feel like the animal characterization represents the circle of life in our world. In the world we live in the strong and powerful always prey upon the weak, and it always takes something stronger to put them back in their place. The jews were small, so the Germans who hated them took the opportunity to act on their hatred knowing that they were far superior, but the Americans were stronger than the Germans and were able to stop them. This is similar to how a cat looks to kill the mice, but the dog is always able to shoo away the cats.
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Christopher Camarillo
8/24/2019 09:31:46 pm
I agree with you, the characters are represented as animals to portray in them in the war.
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Binh G. Nguyen
9/6/2019 10:38:56 pm
I agree with you, mouse' life are dramatic, escaping and hiding from the other animals. With animals presented in the story of wars instead of humans, help the story became more attractive to represent a story in real life, a story of a survivor after the war
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Bach Tran
7/24/2019 01:23:24 am
I believe the author uses animals to portray the different races and what their characteristic is like during the time when the event took place. The Jews are mice because they are small in number and have to act stealthy to keep their life during this brutal time. Their predator is the Nazis, drawn as cats, who despise the Jews and want to wipe them out. Not all Germans are cats because some remain neutral and supported the mice. The Americans are drawn as dogs to signify that they are the enemy of the Nazis. I think this is a brilliant way to show what happened since humans have a tedency to empathize and relate with animals better, helping to show the characteristics of each character.
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Jocelyne salgado
7/28/2019 04:00:39 pm
I had been thinking about this since the beginning of the first book. I came to the conclusion that they were portrayed as rats, mice because during that time they were little, not in size but as their worth. Jews weren’t cared or valued as the other races , they were used for horrible things and had horrible things done to them. Them being animals in the books show how little importance they had to the world and then place they lived.
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Ryan Sarau-Young
7/30/2019 01:26:47 pm
The reason that the author portrayed the characters as animals is a more as a message. The message stating that the use of animals in a serious tone is a paradox. Common for comic strips, especially during the 50's-90's, was the use of animals are characters to show, "child-like wonder." Maus exploits this, by saying that even though this topic has been explained since we were children, we can still find new portions of a similar story as adults. Another usage of this "trope" is Fitz the Cat by Robert Crumb,which shows the paradox in a new text.
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Minh Le
8/1/2019 09:31:54 pm
I think the different animal species represented the races and their characteristics during the war. The Jews were mice, which are usually small and sneaky, just like how Jews were considered lesser than Germans and were forced to live in constant vigilance during the war. Germans were cats, which are natural mice predators. Also, portraying the races as such might have given the author less work not having to explain every single frame and coming up with different facial features, and made it easier for readers to tell the characters apart.
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Marco Nova
8/6/2019 08:07:53 pm
The characters were portrayed as animals such as mice, cat, dog, etc because different types of animals have different type of relationships and power compared to others. For example cats hate mice and mice scramble for their lives once they're threatened. Cats and dogs fight sometimes but rarely get along. You wouldn't be able to see these things if the characters were human. This was clever.
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Orlando Ramirez
8/8/2019 12:35:14 am
I agree with you and it does not only depict the relationship they have with each other but also how much power they have. For example the Jews were picked as mice for being looked at as small and powerless at the time. They couldn’t really fight back against the Nazis just like mice do not usually attack cats but just run or hide. I agree with you and think it was a clever way to do this.
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Elias Lopez
8/11/2019 03:44:16 pm
Yes Marco, I agree. I too feel like if they were humans many people wouldn’t see the correlation between the races. But using animals, it makes it easier for the audience to see how the Germans hated the Jews such as cat and mouse.
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Darius Little
8/6/2019 09:50:26 pm
I think that characters in Maus I and Maus II were depicted as animals to show the barbaric nature of war and people, to become more invest in the characters. People usually associate war with barbarians and people usually associate barbarians with an animalistic nature, but it also uses cute animals like cats and mice. People will usually be more attracted and more engaged with something with a cute and more approachable so it's more devestating when something terrible like war happen. And only adds to the fact that these characters had lives ruined because of this war.
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Nikya warren
8/9/2019 04:26:20 pm
Yes Darius I totally agree with you. I feel like for example how cats prey on mice the Nazis preyed on the Jews in a sense. The animals are used to me in a more metaphorical sense.
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Noel Lopez
8/11/2019 01:19:05 pm
I agree Darius. That is an interesting way to put it. I think that if the comic had real people rather than animals the message wouldn’t have been delivered as well as it is with the mice and cats etc.
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Isaac Velez
8/8/2019 10:20:19 pm
I think the characters in the book were portrayed as animals instead of humans is because it was used to represent the dominance of the Germans against the Jews. Like in reality cats are a predator, and the mouse are the prey.
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Randhy Perez
8/9/2019 03:04:42 pm
I agree, its kind of like a food chain. The dog represents America which is on top and the rest aren't as superior as America.
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Isaiah Davis
8/9/2019 08:29:48 pm
Yes, I agree with you Issac I really think that the author was going for when he made the characters like that. At that time it was like the Jews were going preyed on but the Germans. And that is why I think the animals they picked were perfect for this book.
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Mellanie Palacios
8/11/2019 11:10:47 pm
I agree that it was used as a representation to show the advantage that the Germans had by portraying them as the cat, which is the predator to the mice that were representing the Jews. I think that simply shows how helpless they were and it’s a metaphor to show the real situation and suffering that the Jews had to endure.
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Jessica Robinson
8/9/2019 01:34:52 pm
Around this time, this wasn’t the first of a race to be compared to an animal. Black people were often compared to monkey-like creatures or gorillas. So, I do not find it weird that Spiegelman portrayed a category of people to an animal, it was just a metaphor, it was symbolism. Every animal in this book has a different representation. The traits of a mice, they are: undercover-like, small, light in weight, sensible. The Jewish were represented as mice because they were incapable, their amount was small relative to other groups. Sensible because of their prudence, assuming that they knew a little of what they were incapable of, they knew to be cautious. The Germans were represented as cats (not all are cats), but the ones are drawn as that did not support the Jews (mice). Cat + mouse = unhealthy and violent relationship, also oppression. Nazis were noble, cats are a well thought version for this group. The Americans were represented as dogs for the end, so the American dogs come and chase away the cats, rescuing the Jews (mice). Animals weren’t just picked randomly to represent a group, Spiegelman has to consider the traits and one to one relationships. I think Spiegelman was digging deeper in a metaphor that might’ve already been created, and possibly he wanted children to be at least a little interested, saying that this is drawn in animation.
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Yareli Santoyo
8/11/2019 06:21:49 pm
I agree with you completely I feel like Spiegelman obviously conveyed that the Jews were the mice since they were less superior, and the Nazis as cats since they obviously are more dominate than the mice. And the Americans were portrayed as dogs since they are more dominate than the mice and cats. I feel like Spiegelman used animals instead of humans so that we can obviously distinguish who was in what group.
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Ariana Nelson
8/12/2019 12:36:46 am
I totally agree with you that cats and mice don't make healthy relationship, therefore the Jews and Germans didn't get along. The Americans which were the dogs had to help the mice (Jews) out from the cats (Germans).
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Isaiah Davis
8/9/2019 08:24:42 pm
I think in Maus 1 and 2 the characters were portrayed as animals (mice, cats etc.) because in the beginning of Maus 1 there is a quote from Adolf Hitler (German Ruler) that says “ The Jews are undoubtedly a race, but they are not human.” To me I think the author took that quote and made it that the Jews are not human but also that everyone else aren’t human as well because all humans are actually equal.
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Lizette Gallegos
8/9/2019 10:31:52 pm
The first thing I noticed when I opened up the book Maus was the characters. I questioned why were these characters mice and not another animal. However, it has came to me and made be believe that the significance of the characters being portrayed as mice is because no one likes mice. They are small creatures that people believe to have no importance. Mice are also creatures people find quite disturbing and filthy. As the mice are being portrayed as Jews, I believe the author's main point here is to convey the message of Jews being insignificant to the German people as the German people were portrayed as bigger more useful animals such as a pig which the majority of people believe pigs are significant. To add on to that, I believe that the author did a great job with choosing these characters for this story.
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Jailyn Adames
8/10/2019 11:38:22 am
As most of my fellow classmates have stated, I feel that the characters are represented as these animals based on their worth during that time period. The Jews are portrayed as the mice because hey are helpless and small. The Germans are cats because cats target mice in real life so they are attacking the Jews in the story. It was a smart way for the author to make the reader understand how much the Jews had to endure.
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Alejandra Sotelo
8/10/2019 09:04:51 pm
I noticed that their is an important message/meaning on to why the characters are represented by animals. The Polish are represented as pigs. The Jews are represented as mice and the Germans as cats. Cats are predators of mice which makes sense since the germans did not like the jews. Also, the mice are seen as filthy and unclean just how the Aryans thought and viewed the Jews. The bigger the animal the bigger the power they had in the story.( thats my opinion)
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Rafael Garduno
8/10/2019 09:44:17 pm
Does anyone else think this novel is similar to Animal Farm, and the symbolism they both have are kind of similar?
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Samuel Barrera
8/10/2019 09:53:23 pm
I think the characters were portrayed as mice and cats because there is a very distinct relationship between them. Cats always want to get rid of or exterminate mice. Also mice are considered small and insignificant. The author might have assigned animals to different groups to make characters traits more clear. I think having the characters portray different animals had a significant impact on how we imagined the plot.
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Alexandre Martinez
8/11/2019 11:30:22 am
The characters are portrayed as two types of animals to show the difference between them. We all know that a cat is superior and a mouse is inferior. That show us the mice are going to have a bad time. If they were portrayed as humans it would show that everyone is equal to one another. At that point of time was not the case.
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Xi Cheng
8/11/2019 01:41:53 pm
I think the author use different animals to represent and replace different kinds of people, to make the readers understand the book and the idea better. Images are much more visual than words, so one of the best ways to show a crime is to use graphic graphics. For a reader, reading cartoons like "rat, cat" is more than reading the cold and bloody direct text description. And Although the content of this novel does not seem so "interesting", the reader will feel fancy to this writting methods.
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Alani Waites
8/11/2019 02:29:59 pm
I think the author used different animals to show where that group is on the food chain. The most obvious example being cats and mice. Cats are always chasing and killing mice. Also. cats have been described as 'psychopaths' they enjoy watching their prey suffer and I think that comes to light here. Putting the 'mice' in gas chambers, burning them, beating them, etc. makes them suffer a slow death and the 'cats' just sit back and watch enjoying it.
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Damian Garcia
8/11/2019 03:17:32 pm
I feel like they were portrayed as mice to make the book more interesting for there audience. Most books come out as humans and dogs but mostly not mice. In my opinion I like the fact they portrayed there book as mice because it makes the book open out more and make it more interesting.
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Elias Lopez
8/11/2019 03:29:18 pm
I think Art portrayed the different races as different animals. I like how the cats(Germans) hated the mice(Jews) just like they did in the holocaust. It shows how the Germans saw the Jews as inferior to the them. I also like the fact that it wasn’t just those races as animals. If I’m not mistaken the Poles were pigs and the Americans dogs. One thing I picked up on was the fact that the Germans and Americans were rivals just like how dogs and cats hate each other. Most people pay attention to the cat and mouse subject but there are other relations in the novel as well.
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Donta Givens
8/11/2019 04:06:37 pm
I think it’s to represent what different people in different nations are seen as. The Jews are mice because they are weak and helpless and seen to the Germans aka the cats as things to get rid of and kill. Also I think they were made mice in relation to how mice hide in their mice holes and how they Jews have to hide out from the Germans. I guess Americans are dogs because we are like dogs to the government doing everything the government tells us to do and obeying commands like dogs. I don’t understand the Polish being pigs or the French being frogs though.
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Jabril Muhammad
8/11/2019 05:30:52 pm
I think the book used animals besides humans because it actually gives you a good representation of how the Jews were treated. I like how the mice were the Jews and the Germans were the cats which we knew automatically that the mice were going to be hunted just like the Jews in real life.
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Alexia Train
8/11/2019 11:10:57 pm
I was wondering the same thing in the beginning. But i realized that each animals had to represent difference between them, like race. This was to make the reader follow and differentiate them.
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Abby Gabriel
8/12/2019 01:10:03 am
I would say to differentiate people knowing where they came from or what they are and how they where portrayed.
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Gia Aponte
8/12/2019 08:04:51 pm
I believe the Jews and germans being potraying as animal was determing their worth during WWII. The jews we're very helpless against the jews and they'll be hunted down as mices by the germans which they were potray as cats.
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Isabella Toler
8/14/2019 11:41:22 am
I think that since it was a very hard and dramatic and sad event at the time, they wanted to be different and use mice instead of humans. I personally enjoyed looking at the mice and i just think that the author wanted to give the readers something different than of what we are used to which is humans. The mice helped tell a great story.
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Pedro Martinez
8/14/2019 09:42:28 pm
The cats were the Germans because cats chase and hunt mice. The mice were the Jews because they were being hunted by the Germans. The Americans were the dogs which are known as protectors. The Americans fought against the Germans like cats and dogs to protect the Jews.
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nghia nguyen
8/18/2019 12:19:09 pm
Since it’s a comic book, there are no limits to the imaginary. Author can use mice instead of humans. I think because its the Holocaust, the author don’t want to use humans as of it will be too realistic to young reader. Also, the Jews in this book are mice, represent a lower division in the society, and the Nazis, were represent as cat, as a higher, supreme power at the time. And you already know, cat “eats” mouse
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Dorien
8/20/2019 03:45:37 pm
I think the characters were portrayed as animals to show the superiority of the countries and people in the war. Like nazis and Jews were cats and mice , but the Americans were dogs which are superior to both cats and mice. It could also be just to make the book seem more interesting since the story of nazis and Jews are well known .
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Mitzi Flores
8/20/2019 09:22:41 pm
I think the illustrator decided to make the Jews mice, the Nazi’s cats because in this situation the Jews were the victims and the Nazi’s were the ones going around trying to get rid of the Jews just how a cat would be getting of the mice in the home they’re in.
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Jazlynn Gaytan
8/30/2019 10:51:53 pm
I believe the characters were portrayed as certain types of animals to categorize them by their power. The Jews were the mice as if they were small and hopeless. The Germans were the cat meaning they were always on the Jews and destroying them. The American were the dogs as the heroes. I feel as if it focused on at the time who was in control and who would be in the highest and each role connected somehow some way.
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Deiter
8/31/2019 02:21:52 pm
The characters were made to look as animals to represent the different cultures that all the people had. Jews were mice being hunted by the Nazis, who were portrayed as cats.
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