Spiegelman Takes Understanding the Holocaust to Another Level

In Spiegelman's Maus, which could be considered a unique type of memoir (since it's told by the son of the survivor's POV) depicted through graphic novel-esque artwork, we see the holocaust in a different way than it's usually shown. By making this book a graphic novel, it makes reading much easier, especially since the Holocaust is such a heavy topic, this somehow lightens it while still getting the message across. Spiegelman depicts jews as mice and Nazi's as cats, while I think this tactic helps show how each were looked at during this time, I believe it more importantly shows that there was no way for one to be the other or visa-versa.  No matter how similar a mice and cat might act, they will never appear the same--this is a message Spiegelman wants to get across. He shows his dad's "bad sides" which is very different, since many want to believe the only "bad people" (not saying his father is bad, but he's definitely not that great) were the Nazis and the Jews were always pure-hearted and good. By showing this side of his father, he's emphasizing the fact that no matter what, both Nazi's and Jew's are human; they will have similar characteristics. This representation isn't meant to make the horror's of Nazi Germany and the holocaust any less significant, it's just trying to bring a more unbiased view upon the reality of the situation.