It is not often than we read a book narrated by Death. However, the character of Hans Hubermann fascinates me. When Liesel first arrives at her foster home she would not get out of the car even though Rosa keep telling her to. It surprised me that Hans could coax her out and she could trust him more than another woman. Again, Rosa tries to give Liesel a bath and she refuses to listen to her until Hans convinces her to. I would be more afraid of Hans but the way he and Liesel interact in these scenes tell us that they have an extraordinary relationship that continues through out the novel. From the beginning we get a sense that Hans is not like other German citizens; this becomes more clear when he and his son argue about his membership to the Nazi party. Hans does not support the Nazi's although he has filled out paperwork for membership into the party. Hans Jr. calls his father a coward, leaves the house, and never returns.
Later on in the novel we are introduced to Max who hides in the Hubermanns house. I think that the story of his father and Hans shows the reader why Hans does not really want to be a member of the Nazi party. I think that Hans feels like he would be betraying the Jews if he joined the party because Max's father was a Jew and he saved Hans' life while he was killed in battle.
Hans does not agree with the subjugation of the Jews. Death shows us this when the Hubermanns take Max under their wing and hide him in their basement. Hans also paints over the nasty remarks and racial slurs on the doors of Jewish homes. Another example of Hans' reactions to the mistreatment of Jews is when the Nazis march them through Himmel Street. A frail old man continuously falls down every couple of steps and it is obvious that he is very weak. Hans leaves Liesel's side and offers the man some bread. When an officer sees this he comes over and whips both Hans and the man. This shows that Hans believes that Jews are not bad people and they don't deserve what's happening to them. Because of his actions, the Hubermanns do not want Max in their house anymore incase the Nazis search their house. Three weeks pass and no one comes to search their house and Hans feels aweful for kicking him out for nothing .
I really like Hans. He is gentle with Liesel yet not too sensitive. He keeps secrets with Liesel that neither of them would talk about to Rosa. He is a kind hearted man and always wants the best for everyone. What I like best about Hans is that you never really know what he is going to do next, there's always some surprise around the corner. I am anxious to see what is going to happen with him through the rest of the novel.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Maus I
From the first graphic to the last, this novel kept my attention. It was very interesting to hear and visually see Vladek's experiences during the holocaust. Although the characters in the story are represented by animals, you knew that the events that took place in the novel were real during this time in history. There were many themes that I noticed while reading MausI.
One of the most prominent themes was Vladek's personality and his relationships with other characters in the book. At first, he seems like he is a loving father and husband because he hugs Artie and shows affection towards him when he gets called a rotten egg by his friends. Further on in the novel we learn about his first wife Anja. I feel that most of his story was about protecting her and making sure she would get out safe and alive. He cared about their family and did whatever he could to save their lives. However, when we are drawn back to "current" times with his marriage to Mala, he does not treat her as well. In fact, they hate each other and fight about money constantly. It also seems that he is unhappy with Artie. Every time Artie comes over to talk to his father, Vladek is very cold to him when he first arrives. He blames him for a lot of his troubles, like knocking over his pills and miscounting them, and makes fun of the coat Artie wears. Throughout Vladek's journey to survive he met many people, some were Jews, some were Poles, and some were Germans. Specifically, on pg. 118 Vladek gets stopped by a German officer and is demanded to hand over his I.D. papers. When the officer realizes that he is part of the Spiegelman family, and is related to Haskel, he is let go. This really showed me that it mattered who you knew at this point. However, towards the end of the novel it was interesting to me to see that everybody fought for themselves and did not really care about others, even family.
I thought this novel was very interesting. In my opinion it is a good depiction of the Holocaust. It does not describe in depth what happened in Auschwitz but by retelling Vladek's experience we get a glimpse of the horrors the Jews and many others faced. Every day they lived in fear for their lives and they were constantly on the move to find new hiding places. All in all I thought this novel was good and the graphics really helped to explain the situations and portray the characters feelings throughout Vladek's story.
One of the most prominent themes was Vladek's personality and his relationships with other characters in the book. At first, he seems like he is a loving father and husband because he hugs Artie and shows affection towards him when he gets called a rotten egg by his friends. Further on in the novel we learn about his first wife Anja. I feel that most of his story was about protecting her and making sure she would get out safe and alive. He cared about their family and did whatever he could to save their lives. However, when we are drawn back to "current" times with his marriage to Mala, he does not treat her as well. In fact, they hate each other and fight about money constantly. It also seems that he is unhappy with Artie. Every time Artie comes over to talk to his father, Vladek is very cold to him when he first arrives. He blames him for a lot of his troubles, like knocking over his pills and miscounting them, and makes fun of the coat Artie wears. Throughout Vladek's journey to survive he met many people, some were Jews, some were Poles, and some were Germans. Specifically, on pg. 118 Vladek gets stopped by a German officer and is demanded to hand over his I.D. papers. When the officer realizes that he is part of the Spiegelman family, and is related to Haskel, he is let go. This really showed me that it mattered who you knew at this point. However, towards the end of the novel it was interesting to me to see that everybody fought for themselves and did not really care about others, even family.
I thought this novel was very interesting. In my opinion it is a good depiction of the Holocaust. It does not describe in depth what happened in Auschwitz but by retelling Vladek's experience we get a glimpse of the horrors the Jews and many others faced. Every day they lived in fear for their lives and they were constantly on the move to find new hiding places. All in all I thought this novel was good and the graphics really helped to explain the situations and portray the characters feelings throughout Vladek's story.
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