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Geek Love And Maus: A Survivor's Tale

Decent Essays

The Tortured and the Torturer “Authority allows two roles: the torturer and the tortured. Twists people into joyless mannequins that fear and hate, while culture plunges into the abyss” (Alan Moore). In “Geek Love,” Arturo, also known as Aqua Boy, was the torturer. In “Maus: A Survivor’s Tale,” the Nazi regime was the torturer. The antagonists in both novels use fear and manipulation to gain authority over the people. The authors of “Geek Love” and “Maus: A Survivor’s Tale” emphasize that authority is problematic and should be challenged. Authority is corrupt and problematic; authority is greedy; authority puts down those who resist. In “Geek Love,” Arty, and Elly and Iphy fight for power. The Binewski children fight for the power by bringing …show more content…

He was not the one to decide whether or not he lived; the Nazi guards killed the Jews when they felt like it. Vladek uses his skills to work while at the concentration camps to survive. He survived longer because he was bilingual; when he first got to the camps, Vladek was spared his life because he was able to speak both English and Polish. The Kapo acknowledged Vladek by his name, not by his number, because the Kapo wanted to learn English, so he was privileged with food, clothing, and a skilled job (Spiegelman 2: 32). He was of use to the Nazis, so his life was spared. Vladek is not the only character in “Maus: A Survivor’s Tale” to struggle with personal autonomy. Artie Spiegelman, the author and son of Vladek Spiegelman, struggled with personal autonomy. Although Artie was able to write the comic novel that he wanted to on his father, he was not satisfied. Vladek always told him that he “couldn’t do anything as well as he [Vladek] could” (Spiegelman 2:44). Artie could never break free from his father. Even after his death, Artie felt guilty for his accomplishment. He didn’t feel like he made Vladek proud because his father did not approve of his choice in creating comics. Artie felt jealousy towards Richieu, his brother who died during the war, because Richieu was the perfect child in his parents’ eyes. Artie Spiegelman didn’t feel free because he didn’t feel …show more content…

Those who helped refused to commit these immoral acts against the Jews challenged the authority of the Nazi regime; they resisted the commands of the Nazis. Those who fought against social injustice were thought highly of and were seen as brave heroes because they were able to do what others couldn’t, which was to stand up for what they believed in. Recently, there has been an influx of protests in the U.S. due to the court decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson for shooting Michael Brown, a black teen from St. Louis, to death (As Verdict Looms in Ferguson). Those who are protesting the court decision are fighting against social injustice; they are protesting because there has been a pattern of police brutality. In most cases, these protesters have been thought highly of because they are standing up for a repetitive problem. They are standing up against corruption. They are standing up to bring

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