Masks

In Maus, we see that there are two different characters that show up. One is a human wearing a mask and the other the actual animal. Why doesn't Art Spiegelman use the same type of characters throughout Maus? One reason is that he wanted to portray different types of identity. 

Masks are all about identity in the comic but the difference between the animal masks worn by humans and the actual animals is their ability to control their identity. The idea surrounding the mask is that it's removable. In volume 2, chapter 2, they are humans wearing masks. This means that they could take off their masks, or in other words strip off their identity, anytime they wanted too. They had the ability to since they have freedom to do that and nobody had the right of controlling them. This was not the case during the Holocaust. The Jews or whoever was placed in their concentration camps were at the Nazis' mercy. They had nowhere to go and were trapped. Their freedom was compromised and they didn't have the ability to change identities or change who they were because the Nazis didn't let them. The Nazis controlled the Jews completely and did not allow them to change. This is why they are portrayed as actual animals, since they cannot strip off their identity because of their lack of freedom to do so. 

Similarly, masks can be related to everyday life. My friend once said that everybody has MPD (Multiple Personality Disorder). I asked him how and he said, "I act differently around different people". In a sense, it is absolutely true. Everybody seemly changes their attitude towards different kinds of people. For example, I would be a bit quiet and reserved around people I don't quite know well yet. Here, I would be wearing a mask to contain my true self. I could take off this mask and strip off the outer shell of my personality and show them how I'm really am like but like many, I'm too wary of other people's judgment. On the other hands, I'm mask-free when it comes to my best friend. I don't have to be contained by judgment but instead have a sense of complete freedom. 

This, on the side note, contrasts with the Jews. They feel a complete sense of dominance by the Nazis and entrapment when they are drawn to be “mask-free”.

POV

One of the key elements apparent in every comic is the use of perspective or in other terms, how the artist utilizes the point of view on his scenes. Perspectives aren’t just there for visual aesthetics. They are there to help the artist to convey and emphasize the words associated with the scene. I chose page 51 of Maus I to explain the importance of perspective.

                          

On the second panel, it zooms up on the officer’s face. We can clearly see his discontent of the Jews on his face and his hands are up in a threatening manner. From this angle, or camera shot, this expression and gesture amplifies the officer’s speech. If it was an angle where we couldn’t see his face, the readers couldn’t experience the pure malice in his words. 

On the third panel, the perceptive shown here carries out the words. The picture lets the reader connect “put down all your valuables!” with the action. If the perspective was still on the officer, we wouldn’t have seen the mice rummage through their clothing pulling out valuables and the command “put down all your valuables!” (Maus I) would just fly over our heads.

 Finally, the sixth panel shows a close-up of two hands, or rather one grabbing the other. This close-up emphasizes the situation at hand. If the camera shot wasn’t zoomed in on Vladek’s hand, the readers would have little understanding when the cat said “you never worked a day in your life!” (Maus I).

                         

  

This use of perspective relates to the types of techniques presented in “Show and Tell”. The point of view develops word-picture combinations even further, creating a synergistic relationship that immerses the reader into the story line. 

Pics

A comic is simply pictures associated with words, but in society it is viewed so differently. Comics are usually paired up with children and the younger generation. In reality, comics are for men, women, young, and old. Society doesn’t really fully accept that concept though because it’s been imprinted into our minds that comics are pictures, and pictures are for children. 

To test this, I interviewed my dad on his views on comics and what kind of people he associated it with.

I asked, “Do you think comics are for children?”

He replied, “Yes, of course.” He said yes because he thinks that since children are still developing, they need assistance with comprehension so the pictures, attached with the words, help them with understanding what is going on.

“Then do you think adults can read these comics?”

Unsurprisingly, he said no. I asked why and he said since adult brains are more developed, they don’t need pictures to go along with the words. They are able to understand what the sentences are trying to portray without the need of any visual assistance. After his response, I thought back to the time in middle school where I bought my first Calvin and Hobbes comic and I remembered how my dad looked at it a bit of a disapproving look. Now I know why he had that look. 

To some degree, it is true. As the brain develops, we develop better critical thinking and comprehension skills. As a little kid, words overwhelmed me and I couldn’t understand without having pictures to help tell the story. Also, while working with the kindergarteners at an elementary school, I was given a book to read to them. I opened it and just saw just about every page had pictures and there was only a sentence of words per two pages.

As Michelle Lebbos said in 1^st hour on Friday (I’m pretty sure), it’s ironic that the pictures used in comics or picture book are used in the same purpose for adults but in text. Why use 1000 words to describe something that you can just show in a picture?* Michelle made a very good point. I think that comics can be just as meaningful and complex as a paragraph long detailed description. Comics are beautifully crafted in a way that pictures and words coexist in harmony. So go out there and read a comic or more specifically, have fun reading Maus. J

 *If you are reading this Michelle, I'm sorry if I botched up your explanation.

Watar

                In David Foster Wallace’s speech, he starts off with a little story about some fishies. The fishes are so used to the water that it becomes such an insignificant part of their lives. They are ignorant of something that is so vital to them since all they are thinking is themselves. What if we replace the fishes with humans? The “water” would be our surroundings, or rather life not revolved around us. It is human nature that we think about ourselves more than other people. Naturally, we put ourselves on a higher priority than others. Wallace’s example of waiting in grocery line perfectly reflects on our self-centered nature. If I was in his scenario, it would go something like this. So I’m done shopping but there’s this really long line. All I want to do is just get this over.  I would most likely get pissed at the people in front of me for buying so many items and taking up my precious time. Right there, I’m only thinking about my immediate needs. But if we step back and take a look at the whole picture, we might see that the lady in the front with a whole cart of grocery is using the last of her EBT card to last her throughout the month, or the parents trying to buy enough food for their daughter’s first birthday party. I have also been in this scenario but switched. Instead of being angry at the people for “ruining” my day, I was actually the person being an inconvenience to others. This happened during rush hour in downtown Chicago. We were going as tourists so we were unaccustomed to the busy and frantic traffic that Troy didn’t have. We made many sudden turns and I could just hear the horns blaring at us. At the moment, I wasn’t thinking about myself; I was thinking about what others thought of me. Self-centered me quickly became self-conscious. Our minds mold in whatever situation we are in. Back in the grocery line, I finally get to the front of the line, but now I can feel the irritated looks I am getting from the people behind me. The looks I used to give. It’s all about the perspective you find yourself in.