How Symbolism Can Shape a Story: A Review of Maus by Art Spiegelman

An image from the graphic novel Maus by Art Spiegelman. The image is a black and white illustration by Spiegelman that depicts Auschwitz prisoners lined up together, represented by mice. Photo Creds: Goodreads

Harper Costin, Staff Writer for The Powderhorn

Art Spiegelman’s Maus does not read like a traditional history book, nor does it ask to be consumed comfortably. Instead, the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel places readers inside the fragmented, often painful act of remembering the Holocaust. Through its unconventional format and stark political symbolism, Maus challenges not only how history is told, but who is trusted to engage with it, a question that has made the book a frequent target of bans in school libraries.

At the center of Maus is Spiegelman’s relationship with his father Vladek, a Holocaust survivor. The story moves between past and present, showing both Vladek’s experience in Nazi-occupied Europe and the lasting psychological effects of that trauma on his family. This structure makes the book inherently political while also having comedic and comforting moments as we hear about Vladek's stories of his personal life without relation to the war. Rather than presenting the effects of the Holocaust as having a closed ending, Maus argues that trauma ripples across generations, shaping behavior, relationships, and identity long after the violence ends. This perspective deepens the readers emotional connection to the characters the meet throughout our story and provides context to the choices they make. 

Spiegelman’s most striking choice is his use of animals to represent different groups: Jews are mice, Nazis are cats, and Poles are pigs. The symbolism is striking and memorable. Cats hunt mice, mirroring the power imbalance between the Nazis and Jewish communities during the Holocaust. Yet the metaphor goes deeper than predator and prey. The mice are not drawn as helpless or simplistic figures; they are anxious, resourceful, flawed people trying to survive. By stripping characters of individualized facial features, Spiegelman shows the other perspective that the Nazis see them as nothing more than their Jewish identity. 

The depiction of Poles as pigs has been more controversial. Rather than offering a flattering portrayal, Spiegelman highlights the moral conflicts of individuals caught between fear, complicity, and resistance. The symbolism of the pig represents how typically these bystanders put their own comfort over protecting their Jewish peers. The animal allegory underscores how war reduces people to categories, a political critique of systems that thrive on dehumanization.

• Despite its critical acclaim, Maus has repeatedly been challenged and banned from school curriculums and libraries. The book is available in the Watauga High School library, and many English teachers at Watauga praise the story. Critics of these bans argue that removing Maus ignores its educational value and misunderstands its purpose. The book can be used to bridge the gap between desensitizing and contextualizing history, and specifically the events which occurred during the Holocaust. .

  
  

Maus ultimately leaves its readers with the challenge of taking the steps to remember, even when remembering is uncomfortable. Its political themes, innovative symbolism, and contested place in schools make it more than a memoir. They make it a test of whether education prioritizes critical thinking over avoidance. In our high school library, Maus is not just a book on a shelf; it is an opportunity to confront history with nuance, empathy, and honesty.