Maus I Chapter 4-6

Maus I Chapters 4-6 Summary

I found these three chapters of Maus to be more confusing than the previous chapters for several reasons. First of all, there are several more characters that are introduced into the story and it is very difficult at times to keep track of who is a member of which family. Also, I found it difficult to see how and why some Jews were hauled off to concentration camps while others are allowed to walk around almost like free men. But I saw even greater, more passionate, and especially more emotional moments in both Vladek’s story and the relationship between Vladek and Artie.

Chapter four starts off with several family members gathered to show how some of the problems are developing for the Jews. For example, it is getting harder and harder for them to freely purchase necessities like food because of restrictions placed on the Jews by the Nazis. The family members also discuss the options of where they should flee to, and if they should even flee, if things became even worse. In the chapter, Vladek mentions a scenario of seeing four of his friends hanging in the town square as being of the most painful sights in his life. He says that it still makes him cry to think of it presently. The first familial deaths occur though in chapter four when Anja’s grandparents are forced out of their home and sent directly to the gas chambers. Following this, Vladek tells of how all Jews are forced to get their papers updated and how some Jews are allowed to go free, while the majority are sent to Auschwitz. We see as the readers just how unhappy the marriage between Mala and Vladek as simple searching for some journals leads to Mala once again pointing out the flaws of her husband.

Chapter Five is very similar to Chapter four in that once again, Vladek and Anja are fleeing from the Germans looking for new hiding places in different areas. We see just how miserable Vladek is without Anja when he finds a comic book written by Artie that describes his Anja’s suicide and how both he and his father took it. Vladek continues to describe how he and his family moved from place to place, always hiding from the Nazis. He tells how he is forced to separate himself from his son, Richieu, so that the children can be safe but this does not do any good as his guardian, Tosha, forces herself and the children to take poison so that they would not have to die in Auschwitz. The family continues to deteriorate as Anja’s parents are not spared either and shipped off to the concentration camps where they too are gassed.

Chapter six is very similar to the other chapters as we see Vladek and Anja continuing to hide and flee from the Nazis. Fortunately for them, some kind Poles take them in to protect them from being discovered. But of course, they all will readily kick them out if they fear being convicted of conspiring with the Jews by the Nazis. While all of this is occurring, however, Vladek continuously expresses his desire to flee to Hungary so that they can hopefully escape the Nazi threat for good. Anja is fearful of this though, but after a lot of convincing from Vladek they decide to try to escape to Hungary by train. Sure enough, Anja’s fears are affirmed as they are captured by the Nazis on the train and shipped off the Auschwitz.

It is easy to see how these three chapters have an even greater impact than the first three chapters do. The fear that Vladek and his family have to live in is a constant theme on almost every single comic frame. Also the brutality of the Nazi soldiers is more clearly manifested in the way they so readily slaughter the Jews, something that we do not see so commonly in the first three chapters. But most of all we see the relationship between Artie, Vladek, and Mala continue to evolve. It seems as if Artie has to keep playing the mediator role as he listens to Artie complain about Mala and vice-versa. Maus really shows strong emotion in every single page. I find myself beginning to have connections and empathy for each individual character; something I know will continue to evolve the more I read.