The Maus I and Maus II books, written by Art Spiegelman over a thirteen-year period from 1978 to 1991, are books that on the surface are about the Holocaust. The books specifically relate to the author's father's experiences before and after the war, as well as his experiences in Auschwitz. The book also explores the author's very complex relationship between himself and his father and how the Holocaust further complicates this relationship. On a deeper level, the book revolves around the idea of ​​victims, perpetrators and bystanders. The two books are presented in a very interesting way; they are shown in comic book form, which provides Spiegelman with the ability to incorporate numerous ideas and complexities into his work. The comic book form is very useful for telling a complex story like that of Maus. Comics are usually associated with fun and lightheartedness, but Maus is almost the exact opposite. It is a serious history of Holocaust remembrance. Not exactly light reading. Maus definitely works in comedic form for a number of reasons. Firstly, Art Spiegelman is able to create almost peculiar images, which means that when something happens to a character we feel more because we see it happen to him. Secondly, the comic form allows the author to be more precise in details. He is able to add little hints into the illustrations, making the comic readable on many different levels. For example, one person may simply see a sad story, while another may see a completely different story, full of depth and hidden meaning. The comic is also able to show ideas that could not be presented so fully in written form. The section of Maus II where Artie is sitting at his desk debating the purpose of writing the book could... middle of paper... ....and Vladek's suffering, he tries some more. He writes a book in an attempt to acknowledge what his father went through. While a piece of literature may never be able to truly capture the ideas and mindset of the Holocaust, Maus comes very close. From Maus we learn very important lessons, whether this is what Spiegelman intended to achieve is debatable; however, we still learn. First, we learn that art is a very powerful way to communicate any kind of topic; allows multiple levels of depth. We also learn that although we may try to understand the victim's difficulties, one may never truly be able to understand what they have gone through. This idea doesn't necessarily mean that we shouldn't try to relate to victims, which is very important. Finally, Maus teaches us to examine our daily lives to find our personal role in society.