"The Noose Tightens"
(The above picture is taken from Art Spiegelman's novel, Maus, page 83)
My Interpretation:
1. Here, again, Spiegelman uses stripes
to portray a sense of imprisonment. The stripes are diagonal instead of
vertical. This change occurs when the family is pushed out of the “luxury life
[they] had before,” and into the place with minimal space- the almost ghetto. Thinking about it, diagonal lines are tougher to get through than vertical ones of the same width. This could
represent the strengthening of power on the Jews- they're trapped even more. The black holes that
interrupt the diagonal pattern look like barbed wire to me. If you readers
have any other ideas as to why Spiegelman does this, comment because I’m
curious. He does it on the previous page as well, but with snow.
2. This is meant to be a cloud, but the
cloud alludes to the smoke that shows up repeatedly throughout the book. It’s a
dark, heavy presence, fogging up the world the Jews know.
3. Why did Spiegelman overlap these
images? By doing so, he covers up a good quarter of the image behind it. Since the
square is covering the faces of the two dead mice (the tuxedo is mostly
visible), it looks like two dead men, which in reality they are dead men. Maybe this
is supposed to hint at the inhumanity these humans are treated with. Again, comment suggestions as to why Spiegelman does this.
4. The crowd of mice gazing at the hung mice are
level with the hung mice’s feet. This shows the Nazis’ view of the Jews as disrespectful
as the level of feet. If that makes sense. These mice also look like they are
in the same uniform, again alluding to the imprisonment motif. There’s even a
pig among the mice in the crowd. Even the Polish are horrified.
5. “The Noose Tightens.” That’s the
title of the chapter. The noose literally tightens to the point of death.
6. The bottom of the mouse’s shoes are
white, contrasting to the black of everything else. The mouse’s paws are clean-
he’s innocent, just like the Jews.
7. The magnitude of this frame indicates
the magnitude of the moment- it’s a huge moment and a huge act of cruelty.
I love how you interpreted the diagonal stripes as harder to get through than vertical. I have often wondered what makes them significantly different than vertical lines. I also think its very interesting that you noticed the white soles on the shoes, representing purity. Good attention to detail!
ReplyDeleteI really love your interpretation! I especially liked number 2, because I never thought of that cloud in that way.
ReplyDeleteI like the structure of this blog, and how you numbered your interpretations in writing and also on the comic book itself. I also really liked your analysis of the white shoes representing purity.
ReplyDeleteYour explanation was so clear and easy to follow. You broke down the information very well and the labelling definitely helped. Additionally, you observed how all of the panels worked together and related everything to the name of the chapter. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI like how you went further with the whole idea of imprisonment. I've also noticed that the longer the story goes on, the closer together the lines get, and the more lines are drawn; this could symbolize the tightening of the noose as time goes on. I was also wondering about the meaning of the feet level with everyone else, and your explanation is very nice.
ReplyDeleteI love how you structured your blog, numbering every panel really made it easier to understand. I think the reason Spiegelman combined 3 and 7 to portray the "example" he mentioned. Additionally, I really like your analysis for 7, and agree that certain frames are larger for emphasis and highlighting the Nazi's cruelty. Waiting for the next one!
ReplyDeleteThis was very fun to read! I really enjoyed the way you formatted the post by numbering it according to the panels. I found it really interesting how you used the smoke as a reoccurring motif, I have never thought of it in such a way. Good job using their attires as a motif as well because I feel it ties the whole piece together. Can't wait to read your next posts!
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