The Gas

       Arguably one of the most infamous parts of history was the Holocaust. The systematic genocide of millions of Jews is most often remembered by the gas chambers that took so many lives. Maus is littered with various motifs from the Holocaust, and one of the most significant was the gas. At the end of the second chapter of the second volume Art uses bug spray on some fly's near him, killing them instantly. The final panel of the chapter shows a fly falling to the ground, which casts an ominous tone over the entire chapter, and section of the book. Spiegelman's use of fly's in a way stands for the life of Jews during this time; from struggling to survive to being killed by a bit of gas, this depressing reality of the Holocaust achieves exactly what Spiegelman wanted. Although gas chambers are well known about, the pictures that go along with the book make it an even more haunting reality.
       In the same chapter on page 70, Valdek goes into detail on the gas chambers, using phrases like "It took 3-30 minutes, depending on how much gas was used" and "The biggest pile of bodies was always by the door." Ill admit that I never truly comprehended the true horror of the gas chambers. In fact Maus changed my entire perception of this time period by showing how horrible it truly was. Spiegelmans use of the bug spray is a subtle but powerful symbol of the experiences of Jews at this time.

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