I have a particular interest in children, and when I read
page 149 of “MAUS” I became increasingly intrigued. There were three particular
phrases I took note of when reading this page.
Notice what the children are crying
at the sight of Vladek “Help! Mommy! A Jew!!”. This word choice reminds me of
what a child would say if they were being chased by a dog, bear or any other
large animal. I can remember several instances when I was younger and I would
run and scream “Help! Mommy! A Bee!!” and each time I yelled that I feared for
my safety. I can imagine these kids brainwashed into comparing a Jew to a bee
and genuinely fearing for the safety.
I also
observed what the MOTHERS were teaching
their children “Be careful! A Jew will catch you to a bag and eat you”. The mothers
were teaching their children to be fearful of Jews and to run away at the first
sight of one. This also means, that the mother had to teach her children
specifically what a Jew “looks” like and how to pick one out in a crowd. Which
I find to be challenging since I didn't even know Jews had a specific “look”.
It’s
interesting to me though, how easy it was for Vladek to fool the family into
thinking he was also German. By simply shouting “Hail Hitler” Vladek convinced
the family he was one of them, and therefore not a Jew. Though, I am not
surprised at this outcome considering how witty Vladek is, but I am surprised
how easily the changed their mind about Vladek being a Jew.
This page demonstrated the public view on Jews in this time
period. Because of all that was going on, people had become afraid of the Jews.
Throughout the war the Jews had become dehumanized and were thought of as
animals. This influenced the innocent children. Their parents taught them to think
negatively and to be afraid of Jews. As a child, you don't know the difference between right and wrong until your parents teach you. These children learned that Jews were wrong and that it was right to run from them and to be afraid of them. I feel as though this section is very
historically accurate as to what was developing during the war, and especially
how people were feeling.
I was drawn to this scene as well because it tells a story that we don't always think about - that people feared Jews. It captures the fear of both sides, Vladek's fear of not being recognized as a Jew and the German children's fear that Jews would hurt them.
ReplyDeleteIt also shows us another way I'm sure many Jews tried to survive - show respect and honor to Hitler, the man who was making their lives a living hell.
I also found this scene very interesting. It is almost sickening that that is something that young children learn by someone who should be teaching otherwise. I thought that when the mothers so suddenly changed their minds about Vladek it was a bit surreal. Vladek hardly said two words and suddenly the moms were apologizing for their children's ill behaviors. It is crazy that someone confessing their love for Hitler can change someone's view on another person so quickly. Within minutes Vladek went from being potentially killed to being social with the women. It makes me sick that Jews would go so far as respecting Hitler, the very man who was wrecking their lives.
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