English 102
Maus Thesis Topics and Ideas
Here’s what you all wrote on the cards in class today. I’m writing down what I read. I’m not
saying I always understand what’s written, or that they are all good ideas, though some may be. I
do think, however, that they are good for stimulating your brain for more ideas, and maybe
you’ll see one here you’d like to adapt to use for your essay’s thesis.
I have edited the writing a bit, for clarity, and for the most part I have not reproduced duplicate
ideas.
I do have one warning: A lot of people want to say that Vladek survived because of his
cleverness. I think it’s fair to say that his cleverness contributed to his survival. But luck was a
huge, huge part of it. Millions of healthy, smart, and clever people died. I suspect people are
attached to saying we can cause our own survival because we hate to let go of the idea that we’re
in control of our fate. We like to think we can do something about our circumstances. But a huge
part of this book shows that we can’t. You could turn the idea around: In this book about
cleverness and resourcefulness, the writer shows that it can help you only up to a point, but
sometimes you’re at the mercy of luck and history.
Topic....idea
1. Survival…The methods of survival graduate. Surviving in hiding and out in the open.
2. Fear…Fear drives Vladek’s behavior after the Holocaust—fear Mala will leave, fear he
will need the objects he hoards.
3. Anja’s suicide…Not everyone can take the pressures that come with war and survival;
thus some who have survived commit suicide.
4. Vladek’s resourcefulness…the author shows the advantages of Vladek’s way of using
scraps.
5. Will to live…leads a person to be resourceful.
6. Vladek’s resourcefulness and ability to live in the moment…are primarily responsible for
his survival.
7. Anti-Semitism…during those times anti-Semitism has already been an issue in Europe,
but what allowed Germany to go overboard and commit the worst crime in modern
history? [Hm, this question implies that a small amout of anti-Semitism is acceptable.
Also there are a lot of other terrible crimes in modern—and ancient history. How does
one decide which is the worsts?]
8. Friendships…Vladek’s friendly and attractive demeanor helped him create friends in high
places, which consequently led to his survival.
9. Friendships…In these books, Vladek (and the other Jews) can never tell who will be a
friend and who will betray them. Even the closest ties are questioned.
10. Father and son relationship…hardship can bring people together.
11. Father and son relationship…hardship can cause conflict in a relationship.
12. Father and son relationship…It changes over the course of the books: Though Artie still
has a hard time getting along with his father, he does understand him better.
13. Murder…kills everyone involved. Violence stays with you even if you are not the true
victim.
14. Love…contributes to survival.
15. Love…With love, one might be able to do a lot of hard things, even the hardest ones.
16. Past and present…what happened in the past impacts the present.
17. Past and present…history repeats itself.
18. The lasting effects of war…It changes every individual for the worse. You never come
out of the survival mode once you’ve gone into it. It hurts the people you know even
afterwards.
19. Memory…Your memories can educate people. Even if we burn all things related to war,
the memories can’t be erased easily.
20. Survival…to survive in the face of evil one must abandon all morals and dignity.
21. Power…you can manipulate it to your advantage.