Maus Misery

In recent years, Art Spiegelman's Maus has been viewed as a breakthrough in the use of comics to create something of literary merit. While comics are often seen by intellectuals as disposable content that remains outside the literary canon, comics like Maus have proven otherwise. In Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics, McCloud points out the flaws in generalizing comics as something for "little kids", and goes in depth to describe the details and complexities in comics that give it literary merit.

In the second chapter of his graphic novel, McCloud describes the use of "Icons" to communicate ideas in various ways. McCloud goes in depth to point out various levels of abstraction in these Icons and the repercussions it has on readers. On page 36, McCloud says that "when you look at a photo or a realistic drawing of a face, you see it as the face of another. But when you enter the world of cartoon you see yourself", this type of abstraction is utilized extensively throughout Maus in order for readers to relate easier with characters. McCloud also points out that artists frequently use a combination of both detail and abstraction in a juxtaposed way to point out details or emphasize certain subjects. In page 72 of Maus II, this strategy is used specifically in the bottom panel. While most of the page uses a simplistic mouse face, Spiegelman uses the entire bottom row to create a much more grotesque, detailed image of mice being burned alive. The detailed eyes, where in other panels are simply dots along with open mouths and drawn teeth force the reader to react differently to this panel. The mice no longer seem cute or lively, but in genuine pain and torment.