MAUS Study Guide
MAUS study guide contains a biography of Art Spiegelman, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.
Note: Maus jumps back and forth often between the past and the present. To facilitate these transitions in this summary, the Holocaust narrative is written in normal font, while all other narratives are written in italics.
Book I: My Father Bleeds History
As the book opens, it is 1978, and Art Spiegelman arrives in Rego Park, NY, to dine with his father, Vladek, a Holocaust survivor. It is immediately apparent that the two men are not particularly close. Art's mother, Anja, killed herself in 1968, and Vladek is now remarried to a woman named Mala, herself a survivor. The couple does not get along, and there does not appear to be much love in their relationship. Vladek, constantly fearful that Mala will steal his money, is intensely stingy and…
Read the full MAUS Summary
- MAUS Summary
- About MAUS
- Character List
- Glossary of Terms
- Major Themes
- Summary and Analysis of Book I, Chapter 1
- Summary and Analysis of Book I, Chapter 2
- Summary and Analysis of Book I, Chapter 3
- Summary and Analysis of Book I, Chapter 4
- Summary and Analysis of Book I, Chapter 5
- Summary and Analysis of Book I, Chapter 6
- Summary and Analysis of Book II, Chapter 1
- Summary and Analysis of Book II, Chapter 2
- Summary and Analysis of Book II, Chapter 3
- Summary and Analysis of Book II, Chapter 4
- Summary and Analysis of Book II, Chapter 5
- Questions of Genre in Maus
- Related Links on MAUS
- Suggested Essay Questions
- Test Yourself! - Quiz 1
- Test Yourself! - Quiz 2
- Test Yourself! - Quiz 3
- Test Yourself! - Quiz 4
- Author of ClassicNote and Sources



