Maus: A Survivor’s Tale Jamal Logan 110618450
The Deer
Throughout the novel, the author; Spiegelman, chose to show the different races and nationalities in the world as different animals. For instance, the author chose to the frog to represent the French, possibly displaying their high class lifestyle. He also chose the pig to represent the Poles, to maybe show their greed. Another example of Spiegelman’s depictions is when he chose to represent the Swedes as deer.
At this point in the novel, the war has ended, the Jews were saved by the Americans and the main character Vladek Spiegelman had gotten a job as a travelling salesman. He then went to Sweden and started selling stockings and nylon. This is then, where the deer comes into play. The Swedes are seen as friendly people in the book who are focused on making their businesses better or maximizing profits. Deer are known for being a shy, harmless creature that scares easy and man would kill them along with decapitating them to mount them as a trophy of victory.
During hunting season anyone would take the chance to kill a deer, in order to bring back a trophy or to prove their dominance over the animal. This was the case in Maus with the Nazis and the Jews; for example, the Germans would take any chance they could to kill the Jews just for their own amusement. Throughout the war, the Swedish didn’t really play a major role. They didn’t interfere with the war or the Holocaust and they were seen as the neutral party during the war. In my opinion Spiegelman portrayed and compared the Swedes to deer because they were either too scared or too nervous to join in on the war; which may be while they chose to be the neutral party. Or Spiegelman could’ve used deer to represent the Swedes because they are a kind group of people who are very civilized and during both the war and the Holocaust, they didn’t cause harm to others as opposed to other races, like the Germans.
According to J.C. Cooper’s; An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols, the deer is usually associated with the Tree of Life and resembles swiftness. The deer also represents the conflict of opposites; for example, good versus evil or light versus darkness. This could be related Maus, because when you think of the Holocaust and opposites, some might think of the Nazis versus the Jews. The deer can also resemble Christ Himself or a messenger of God. Usually you would see this situation in movies where Christ moves with deer because deer are often seen as pure and gentle animals, who can’t harm anyone.
References:
1. Spiegelman, Art. "Chapter 5: The Second Honeymoon." The Complete Maus: Maus I -- A Survivor's Tale; Maus II -- And Here My Troubles Began. New York: Pantheon, 1997. 284-85. Print.
2. Cooper, J. C. "Deer." An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols: With 210 Illustrations. London, England: Thames and Hudson, 1978. 50. Print.
3. Cooper, J. C. "Stag." An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols: With 210 Illustrations. London, England: Thames and Hudson, 1978. 158. Print.
The Deer
Throughout the novel, the author; Spiegelman, chose to show the different races and nationalities in the world as different animals. For instance, the author chose to the frog to represent the French, possibly displaying their high class lifestyle. He also chose the pig to represent the Poles, to maybe show their greed. Another example of Spiegelman’s depictions is when he chose to represent the Swedes as deer.
At this point in the novel, the war has ended, the Jews were saved by the Americans and the main character Vladek Spiegelman had gotten a job as a travelling salesman. He then went to Sweden and started selling stockings and nylon. This is then, where the deer comes into play. The Swedes are seen as friendly people in the book who are focused on making their businesses better or maximizing profits. Deer are known for being a shy, harmless creature that scares easy and man would kill them along with decapitating them to mount them as a trophy of victory.
During hunting season anyone would take the chance to kill a deer, in order to bring back a trophy or to prove their dominance over the animal. This was the case in Maus with the Nazis and the Jews; for example, the Germans would take any chance they could to kill the Jews just for their own amusement. Throughout the war, the Swedish didn’t really play a major role. They didn’t interfere with the war or the Holocaust and they were seen as the neutral party during the war. In my opinion Spiegelman portrayed and compared the Swedes to deer because they were either too scared or too nervous to join in on the war; which may be while they chose to be the neutral party. Or Spiegelman could’ve used deer to represent the Swedes because they are a kind group of people who are very civilized and during both the war and the Holocaust, they didn’t cause harm to others as opposed to other races, like the Germans.
According to J.C. Cooper’s; An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols, the deer is usually associated with the Tree of Life and resembles swiftness. The deer also represents the conflict of opposites; for example, good versus evil or light versus darkness. This could be related Maus, because when you think of the Holocaust and opposites, some might think of the Nazis versus the Jews. The deer can also resemble Christ Himself or a messenger of God. Usually you would see this situation in movies where Christ moves with deer because deer are often seen as pure and gentle animals, who can’t harm anyone.
References:
1. Spiegelman, Art. "Chapter 5: The Second Honeymoon." The Complete Maus: Maus I -- A Survivor's Tale; Maus II -- And Here My Troubles Began. New York: Pantheon, 1997. 284-85. Print.
2. Cooper, J. C. "Deer." An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols: With 210 Illustrations. London, England: Thames and Hudson, 1978. 50. Print.
3. Cooper, J. C. "Stag." An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols: With 210 Illustrations. London, England: Thames and Hudson, 1978. 158. Print.