Maus- One Man's Death is Another Man's Treasure

On page 41 of Spiegelman's second volume of Maus, Art is writing at a desk and discussing events during the Holocaust in comparison with events in his life. As he is talking, we see flies circling him, until we pan out to a wider view to find that his desk sits atop a pile of dead bodies. We also see part of a human face here, as Art is now only wearing the mask of a mouse. Because his father is now dead, perhaps Art feels separated from his Jewish side. Having not lived through the Holocaust he may feel like a failure in trying to understand- a fake Jew. Living in America and having no living connection to his history may have created this gap; Art never truly understood the lives of Jews during that time period.

On this page Spiegelman juxtaposes the good things happening in his life with all of the horrible events that took place during the Holocaust at a similar time. His desk is placed on top of dead Jews because his success with this comic rests on the tragic deaths of so many. Why should his life be wonderful when so many died in an incomprehensibly horrible way? He states that lately he has been "feeling depressed" (41).  This feeling of loss could be due to the fact that he is riding on the deaths of so many; he gets to live a successful life while even his father is now dead.

His mouse mask is striped, showing that he is trapped in this confusion. His lack of a strong identity has imprisoned him in this life of depression, and trapped him in this hole of loss. This page leaves readers feeling disconnected and full of a sense of ominous sadness.