The Frog
The representation of a Frenchman as a frog in Maus is very short, just 2 pages. A frog can represent rain, fertility and renewal of life and resurrection.[i] These attributes are shown immediately. The Frenchman befriends Vladek because of his ability to speak English. When he gets a parcel from the Red Cross, (because he isn’t a Jew) he shares his bounty with Vladek during a rain storm. As Vladek said, “He insisted to share with me, and it saved my life”. (Page 253). Due to these foodstuffs, Vladek could barter for new shirts and thereby obtain soup for himself and the Frenchman.
The question then is why was he there? In symbols of the Christian tradition, a frog can represent sin, evil, heretics, worldly pleasure, envy and avarice. These were the characteristics of the Jew that allowed Germany to rid itself of the non Aryan sub humans. According to Dr. Franciszek Piper, a contributor to the Auschwitz-Berkinau memorial, his website states there were over 4,000 French political prisoners at Auschwitz, but they were listed as common criminals.[ii] The Frenchman survived the war and lived in Paris and even though Vladek corresponded with him, he never saw him again. This may seem strange on Vladek’s part, but my experience with my wife’s uncle, who survived Auschwitz, was similar, as he had the same attitude as Vladek. While he was visiting Canada in 1980 he attended an Auschwitz reunion in Ottawa, but immediately returned to Brantford the same day. There really wasn’t anything for him to reminisce about.
In this country Anglophone bigots use the term frog to identify Francophones, and Francophone bigots use the term tête carrée (square head) to describe Anglophones. A tête carrée is only charged $4 for a haircut, a dollar for each side. I have been called both. A component that makes religious violence possible is a process of Othering.[iii] We ‘Other’ each other. In 1867 Canada was formed along religious/language lines, English/French, Protestant/Catholic. At times these divisions have shown their ugly heads. Conscription, separation, bilingualism and big lottery winners come only from Quebec. While living and studying in the Saguenay region of Quebec, locals were surprised and shocked to learn that I was a Montreal Canadiens fan. They thought that since I was from Ontario I had to be a Leafs fan. The Saguenay is a totally French area and the family I lived with couldn't speak any English. Some of their friends expressed surprise that when travelling to Cornwall, Ontario they were spoken to in French. Mon dieu!
When President George Bush made his pitch for war with Iraq, he stated that, “either you are with us or you are with the terrorists”[iv]. In 2003 the French Government pondered vetoing the American resolution to go to war with Iraq. How quickly then did French fries become freedom fries, and there was no more French toast, just freedom toast. Expensive bottles of French wine were poured into the streets. There were appeals to have American soldier's bodies from WW2 brought back to the U.S. from Normandy. Even previous to 9/11, the French were ridiculed on American Television. For example, on the Simpsons episode "'Round Springfield", acting as a substitute French teacher, Groundskeeper Willie tells his pupils: "Bonjourrr you cheese-eating surrender monkeys!", or on the Simpsons episode "Secrets of a Successful Marriage", desperate for reconciliation, Homer pleads to his wife: "Marge, look at me: we've been separated for a day, and I'm as dirty as a Frenchman."
The emotions have now calmed down and now we're on to other rising tides of xenophobia[v] German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently stated, “We feel tied to Christian values. Those who don’t accept them don’t have a place here.” She was referring to the failed policy of multiculturalism, especially with the Turk immigrants (Muslim) in Germany not being able to live side by side with the majority. The growing Latino population in the U.S. is now threatening the dominant white population. By 2050, Whites will make up less than half of the total population. This is creating political hysteria. There is economic uncertainty and blame will fall on a new scapegoat, it always does. And, somewhere out there, as Yeats wrote in his poem “The Second Coming”: "what rough beast, its hour come round at last,/
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born”
[i] J. C. Cooper, An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Traditional Symbols. Thames & Hudson.
[ii] Dr. Franciszek Piper, “Denial of the Holocaust and the genocide in Auschwitz”. June 10, 2008. http://en.auschwitz.org/h/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4&Itemid=4&limit=1&limit
[iii] Edward Said, Orientalism 1978
[iv] George W. Bush, Address to a Joint Session of Congress Following 9/11 Attack, September 20, 2001. http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/gwbush911jointsessionspeech.htm
[v] James Carroll, “The Rising Tides of Xenophobia” October 25, 2010. Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2010/10/25/the_rising_tides_of_xenophobia/
The representation of a Frenchman as a frog in Maus is very short, just 2 pages. A frog can represent rain, fertility and renewal of life and resurrection.[i] These attributes are shown immediately. The Frenchman befriends Vladek because of his ability to speak English. When he gets a parcel from the Red Cross, (because he isn’t a Jew) he shares his bounty with Vladek during a rain storm. As Vladek said, “He insisted to share with me, and it saved my life”. (Page 253). Due to these foodstuffs, Vladek could barter for new shirts and thereby obtain soup for himself and the Frenchman.
The question then is why was he there? In symbols of the Christian tradition, a frog can represent sin, evil, heretics, worldly pleasure, envy and avarice. These were the characteristics of the Jew that allowed Germany to rid itself of the non Aryan sub humans. According to Dr. Franciszek Piper, a contributor to the Auschwitz-Berkinau memorial, his website states there were over 4,000 French political prisoners at Auschwitz, but they were listed as common criminals.[ii] The Frenchman survived the war and lived in Paris and even though Vladek corresponded with him, he never saw him again. This may seem strange on Vladek’s part, but my experience with my wife’s uncle, who survived Auschwitz, was similar, as he had the same attitude as Vladek. While he was visiting Canada in 1980 he attended an Auschwitz reunion in Ottawa, but immediately returned to Brantford the same day. There really wasn’t anything for him to reminisce about.
In this country Anglophone bigots use the term frog to identify Francophones, and Francophone bigots use the term tête carrée (square head) to describe Anglophones. A tête carrée is only charged $4 for a haircut, a dollar for each side. I have been called both. A component that makes religious violence possible is a process of Othering.[iii] We ‘Other’ each other. In 1867 Canada was formed along religious/language lines, English/French, Protestant/Catholic. At times these divisions have shown their ugly heads. Conscription, separation, bilingualism and big lottery winners come only from Quebec. While living and studying in the Saguenay region of Quebec, locals were surprised and shocked to learn that I was a Montreal Canadiens fan. They thought that since I was from Ontario I had to be a Leafs fan. The Saguenay is a totally French area and the family I lived with couldn't speak any English. Some of their friends expressed surprise that when travelling to Cornwall, Ontario they were spoken to in French. Mon dieu!
When President George Bush made his pitch for war with Iraq, he stated that, “either you are with us or you are with the terrorists”[iv]. In 2003 the French Government pondered vetoing the American resolution to go to war with Iraq. How quickly then did French fries become freedom fries, and there was no more French toast, just freedom toast. Expensive bottles of French wine were poured into the streets. There were appeals to have American soldier's bodies from WW2 brought back to the U.S. from Normandy. Even previous to 9/11, the French were ridiculed on American Television. For example, on the Simpsons episode "'Round Springfield", acting as a substitute French teacher, Groundskeeper Willie tells his pupils: "Bonjourrr you cheese-eating surrender monkeys!", or on the Simpsons episode "Secrets of a Successful Marriage", desperate for reconciliation, Homer pleads to his wife: "Marge, look at me: we've been separated for a day, and I'm as dirty as a Frenchman."
The emotions have now calmed down and now we're on to other rising tides of xenophobia[v] German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently stated, “We feel tied to Christian values. Those who don’t accept them don’t have a place here.” She was referring to the failed policy of multiculturalism, especially with the Turk immigrants (Muslim) in Germany not being able to live side by side with the majority. The growing Latino population in the U.S. is now threatening the dominant white population. By 2050, Whites will make up less than half of the total population. This is creating political hysteria. There is economic uncertainty and blame will fall on a new scapegoat, it always does. And, somewhere out there, as Yeats wrote in his poem “The Second Coming”: "what rough beast, its hour come round at last,/
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born”
[i] J. C. Cooper, An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Traditional Symbols. Thames & Hudson.
[ii] Dr. Franciszek Piper, “Denial of the Holocaust and the genocide in Auschwitz”. June 10, 2008. http://en.auschwitz.org/h/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4&Itemid=4&limit=1&limit
[iii] Edward Said, Orientalism 1978
[iv] George W. Bush, Address to a Joint Session of Congress Following 9/11 Attack, September 20, 2001. http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/gwbush911jointsessionspeech.htm
[v] James Carroll, “The Rising Tides of Xenophobia” October 25, 2010. Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2010/10/25/the_rising_tides_of_xenophobia/