Maus

 Study  Questions  
 
Chapter  One:  The  Sheik    
1. This  is  a  graphic  memoir.  A  graphic  memoir  tells  a  person’s  life  through  text  and  
drawings.  Why  does  Art  Spiegelman  use  mice  instead  of  people  to  portray  the  
characters  in  the  story?  What  do  the  mice  represent?  
2. On  page  11,  Spiegelman  tells  us  that  his  father’s  second  wife  Mala  was  a  survivor  
too,  like  most  of  his  parents’  friends.  Why  does  Spiegelman  call  Mala  a  survivor?  
What  does  he  mean?  
3. What  kind  of  relationship  does  Art  Spiegelman  and  his  father,  Vladek  have?  Use  
specific  pictures  and  text  to  support  your  answer.  
4. Why  is  the  chapter  called  “The  Sheik”?    
5. Why  does  Vladek  choose  Anja  over  Lucia?  What  do  you  think  of  his  choice?  
6. Why  does  Vladek  ask  Art  not  to  write  about  Lucia  in  his  book?  Why  doesn’t  Art  
listen  to  his  father?  Do  you  think  it  is  right  for  Art  to  break  his  promise?  
 
Chapter  Two:  The  Honeymoon  
1. Why  does  Ms.  Stefanska  go  to  jail?  What  role  did  Anja  play  in  Ms.  Stefanska’s  going  
to  jail?  
2. On  page  31,  Vladek  says  that  he  left  Anja  and  their  new  baby  to  go  to  Bielsko  to  run  
his  new  factory  and  find  an  apartment  for  them  to  live  in.  How  does  Anja  respond?  
Have  you  or  members  of  your  family  ever  had  to  separate  in  order  to  start  a  new  
job  or  new  life?  How  did  it  feel  for  the  people  who  moved  on?  How  did  it  feel  for  the  
people  who  were  left  behind?  
3. When  do  Vladek  and  Anja  realize  that  the  war  is  coming?  How  do  they  know?  Use  
specific  pictures  and  text  to  support  your  answer.  
4. What  happens  after  Vladek  and  Anja  return  from  Czechoslovakia?  What  are  they  
afraid  of?  
5. Why  does  Vladek  consider  taking  Anja  and  Richieu  to  the  town  of  Sosnowiec?  Do  
they  eventually  go  to  Sosnowiec?  Where  does  Vladek  go?  
6. Why  doesn’t  Vladek  tell  the  doctor  in  the  hospital  about  his  glass  eye?  What  does  
this  say  about  Vladek’s  character?  
 
 
Chapter  Three:  Prisoner  of  War  
1. On  page  43,  Vladek  tells  Art  that  he  must  finish  the  food  on  his  plate  during  dinner.  
Why  is  Vladek  so  insistent?  
2. How  does  Vladek’s  father  try  to  keep  him  out  of  the  army?  Was  he  successful?  Do  
you  think  Vladek’s  father  made  a  smart  decision?  Explain.  
3. What  does  Vladek  mean  on  page  50,  when  he  says,  “Well  at  least  I  did  something.”  
Do  you  believe  that  he  is  justified  in  feeling  this  way?  Explain.  
4. How  are  the  Jewish  prisoners  of  war  treated?  Do  they  live  under  the  same  
conditions  as  the  other  prisoners?  Explain.  
5. This  image  portrays  a  sign  saying,  “Workers  Needed.”  Why  is  this  sign  posted?  
What  does  Vladek  decide  to  do?  Does  he  plan  to  work?  Explain.  (Page  54,  bottom  
left.)  
 6. How  does  Vladek  survive  the  work  camp?  What  motivated  him?  
7. Why  doesn’t  Vladek  get  off  the  train  in  Sosnowiec?  How  does  he  end  up  in  the  city  
of  Lublin?  How  does  he  eventually  get  to  Sosnowiec?  
8. What  happens  to  Vladek’s  father  while  Vladek  was  away?  How  does  Vladek’s  father  
feel?  
9. Why  does  Vladek  throw  away  Art’s  coat?  What  would  you  have  done  if  you  were  
Art?  
 
Chapter  Four:  The  Noose  Tightens  
1. By  the  time  Vladek  returns  to  Sosnowiec  from  the  prisoner  of  war  camp,  what  has  
happened  to  the  food  supply?  
2. What  happens  to  the  Jewish  businesses?  How  do  Jewish  people  earn  enough  money  
to  live  at  this  time?  
3. On  page  80,  Vladek  says,  “Will  I  walk  slowly,  they  will  take  me…  Will  I  run  they  can  
shoot  me!”  What  does  he  mean?  Who  is  he  talking  about?  Do  you  think  his  feelings  
are  justified?  Explain.  
4. How  does  Vladek’s  friend,  Ilzecki  save  his  son  during  the  war?  How  does  Vladek  try  
to  save  his  son  Richieu?  What  happened?    
5. Why  do  the  Germans  hang  Nahum  Cohn  and  his  son?  What  effect  does  this  hanging  
have  on  other  people?  
6. How  does  Vladek  feel  about  the  hangings?  Why  does  he  feel  this  way?  
7. Who  are  the  Jewish  police?  Why  is  Art  surprised  to  hear  about  the  Jewish  police?  
8. Do  Anja’s  grandparents  go  to  Theresienstadt  in  Czechoslovakia?  What  happens?  
How  does  Vladek  find  out?  
9. What  happens  to  Vladek’s  sister  Fela?  Why  does  Vladek’s  father  join  her?  Explain  
his  thinking.  
10. On  page  93,  Mala  says  that  Vladek  is  more  attached  to  things  than  people.  Why  
might  Mala  say  this?  Do  you  believe  this  is  true?  
 
Chapter  Five:  Mouse  Holes  
1. How  does  Art  respond  to  his  father  when  Vladek  calls  to  ask  for  help  with  fixing  the  
drainpipe?  
2. What  is  “Prisoner  on  the  Hell  Planet”?  How  is  this  comic  different  from  Maus?  How  
is  it  similar?  
3. What  happens  to  Richieu  in  the  Ghetto  in  Zawiercie?  Why?  
4. Why  does  Vladek  build  a  bunker?  Does  this  bunker  help  the  family  survive?  Explain.  
5. Vladek  lets  his  cousin  know  that  he  can  pay  him  for  his  help.  Why?  Does  it  matter?  
6. On  page  116,  Vladek  refers  to  Haskel  as  a  “kombinator.”  What  is  a  “kombinator”?  
Why  does  Vladek  call  Haskel  a  “kombinator”?  Do  you  agree  with  him?  Why  or  why  
not?  
7. Why  does  Anja’s  nephew  Luke  refuse  to  go  to  the  hidden  bunker?  Does  he  make  a  
smart  decision?  Why  or  why  not?  
8. Why  does  Art  Spiegelman  portray  the  paths  as  a  swastika?  How  does  this  image  
express  Vladek  and  Anja’s  situation?    
9. Why  does  Vladek  keep  the  14  karat  gold  cigarette  case  and  lady’s  powder  case  from  
Srodula,  Poland?  
10. Vladek  questions  why  he  ever  remarried  after  Anja’s  death.  Why  do  you  think  he  
married  Mala?  Do  you  think  Vladek  and  Mala  have  a  good  marriage?  Explain.  
 
Chapter  Six:  Mouse  Trap  
1. Why  does  Art  worry  about  the  way  he’s  portraying  his  father,  Vladek  in  the  book?  
Should  Art  worry  about  this?  Explain.  
2. Is  Vladek  happy  about  Art’s  book?  Explain.  Why  would  Vladek  compare  Art  to  Walt  
Disney?  
3. How  does  Janina,  the  governess  react  when  Vladek  and  Anja  come  to  her  for  help?  
Why?  
4. Why  does  Vladek  ride  in  the  official  streetcar  with  the  Germans,  rather  than  in  the  
second  car  with  the  Poles?  
5. Do  you  think  Mrs.  Motonowa  is  justified  in  throwing  out  Vladek  and  Anja?  Explain.  
6. Why  does  Vladek  consider  going  to  Hungary  with  Anja?  
7. How  does  Vladek  escape  from  the  children  who  were  playing  on  the  street  and  
screaming,  “A  Jew!!!”  
8. Why  do  the  Jews  speak  in  Yiddish  in  front  of  the  Polish  smugglers?  Was  this  a  good  
idea?  Explain.  
9. What  do  you  think  happened  to  Abraham?  Why  do  you  think  he  sent  a  letter  from  
Hungary  in  Yiddish  telling  Vladek  and  Mandelbaum  that  everything  was  okay  and  
that  they  should  come  to  Hungary?  
10. What  happens  to  Anja’s  diaries?  Why  does  this  upset  Art?  Why  does  Art  call  his  
father  a  “murderer”?  Explain  his  response.  
 
 
After  Reading  
1. How  do  you  think  Vladek  and  Anja  survive  Auschwitz?  
2. Why  do  you  think  Anja  kills  herself?  
3. Explain  what  you  believe  will  happen  to  Vladek  and  Mala’s  marriage?    
4. What  will  happen  with  Vladek  and  Art’s  relationship?  Why?  
5. Why  did  Spiegelman  write  this  book?  Why  did  he  call  it  Maus?    
6. Why  did  Spiegelman  portray  his  father’s  story  as  a  comic  strip?  
7. Maus  portrays  the  Holocaust  or  a  genocide.  A  genocide  is  a  deliberate  and  
systematic  destruction  of  a  racial,  political,  or  cultural  group.  Do  you  know  of  any  
recent  genocides?  How  are  these  genocides  similar  to  the  Holocaust?  How  are  they  
different?  
8. What  would  you  have  done  if  you  were  a  Jew  living  in  Poland  during  the  Second  
World  War?  What  would  you  have  done  if  you  were  a  Pole?  A  German?  Why?  
9. How  did  people  survive  in  Poland  during  the  Second  World  War?  How  do  you  think  
these  survivors  felt  after  the  war?  Why?  
10. In  Maus,  Art  interviews  Vladek  about  the  Holocaust.  How  reliable  do  you  think  
Vladek’s  memory  is?  Why?  
11. What  happens  to  people  who  live  under  a  terror  regime  for  a  long  period  of  time?  
Should  people  adapt  to  a  terror  regime?  Explain.