In a world of obsessive power, manipulation, hatred, and the desire to wipe out a single population, no one survives untarnished . The Holocaust was a horrific event led by Adolf Hitler that resulted in the persecution, torment, and suffering of millions of Jews throughout Europe. Vladek Spiegelman survived merciless torture at the largest concentration camp of World War II, Auschwitz. His son, Art Spiegelman, tells two stories at once in his book Maus: one of his father's experiences during the Holocaust and another of his current adversities with his father. Spiegelman's book is different from many others of its kind. Written in graphic novel format, Maus allows readers to visualize Spiegelman's feelings, giving new meaning to the famous maxim "a picture is worth a thousand words." Spiegelman is not simply writing another historical account of the Holocaust. Instead, he writes about his father's experience during the Holocaust as an attempt not only to describe the life of a Jew during this period, but also to better understand the relationship he had with his father. By writing two separate stories in one, Spiegelman is able to depict the lives of his father and other Jews during the Holocaust. Spiegelman struggles to give an accurate depiction of life during the Holocaust because he never experienced it personally. He is able to give a more honest approach to this horrible story by replacing humans with animals. The facts of the Holocaust may be easier to accept if there is no human face attached to the terror. He depicts Jews as mice and Nazis as cats. The relationship between cats and mice is known as constant chasing and chasing, which symbolizes the relationship between Jews and...... middle of paper ...... survivors often felt indebted to their parents and were looking for ways to honor those who survived and remember those who died. The children of survivors will forever be unable to understand the full extent of what their parents went through. While telling his father about a stolen box, Spiegelman has a revelation. "Did you leave the box in the barracks?" How could he not be caught? “I didn’t think about it…” “But everyone was starving!” Sigh, I guess I just don't understand. » “Yes… About Auschwitz, no one can understand. » (Spiegelman, 224). It is difficult, if not impossible, to fully understand the magnitude of the Holocaust and its impact not just on one generation, but on many subsequent generations. Questions remain. Questions will always remain. “No one can understand. » Works citedSpiegelman, Art. The complete Maus. New York: Pantheon, 1997. Print.