The Holocaust Depiction in Art Spieglman's Maus and Roman Polanski's The Pianist

In both scenarios, the book Maus by Art Spieglman and the movie, The Pianist by Roman Polanski depict different facts on the function of Jews and Germans in the Holocaust. From the Holocaust, it is possible to conclude that the Nazis were the slayers. The movie and the book provide a grey country that exists between victims and slayers in the world of both the saviors and the bystanders. From the Pianist, bystanders are seen as a major function. People who stood along watching errors were present in the movie. They watched errors taking over out of fear of being killed by the Nazis.

Both the movie and the book depict the endurance of race murder. In the scene of the snatcher who made attempts of stealing a woman’s nutrient, the woman cried out loud for help. Unfortunately, no help came from the street. The atmosphere set by the Nazis would not allow the bystanders to assist even if they were in a position to. The book Maus by Art Spieglman, recounts the event in which Wladyslaw meets a lady who begs for a drink to quench the thirst of her dying son. However, it was sad that no one could offer her any help since people had been left with nothing. Just as illustrated in the scene that follows, where the family of Szpillman spends its last twenty zlotys (Polish currency) on a caramel. The caramel was then split across the family members.

Bystander are clearly shown in the book Maus. A character who goes by the name Artie is surprised when his father tells of the struggles he had to go through to get out of the ghetto. He talks about how his cousin could not help out in spite of being in a good state. The issue of families turning against each other comes as a shock to Archie. However, to Vladek this is not a surprise. He understands exactly what happens when acts of humanity are eroded. He goes on to explain that everybody ought to look after themselves. Additionally, the Confederates have also been discussed in the film and the book. The Pianist and Maus are typical narratives that depict forces turning against their neighbors. People turning against their neighbors as well as against their families is a survival act.

Furthermore from Maus, the non-Jews have been portrayed as dogs and they are therefore seen as disgusting people. At the Pianist terminal, the officer acts as a savior to Wladyslaw by assisting him. The book and the movie show a sense of compassion. It is a sincere form of compassion shown at the time when evil prevails. From the book Maus, compassion is shown by a woman who stands along the streets secretly giving food to the Jews. She even goes further ahead into letting people in her home while she so well knew what consequences would follow. From the movie “The Pianist”, compassion is witnessed when Wladyslaw is pulled off by a Jewish police officer and urges him to run without stopping. Generally, there are so many instances in which both the book and the movie compare.