"Pragmatic?  Cheap!! It causes him physical pain to part with even a nickle (131 panel 4)!"

I understand that the "cheap Jewish man" stereotype has been around far before the Holocaust. The Merchant of Venice's Shylock is the perfect example.  However, I think Vladek may have different reasons for his financial insecurity. 

Throughout Maus, it becomes apparent that one of the only reasons why he survived was because of his previous wealth.  Of course resourcefulness, youth, hard work, and luck all played a major role...but the fact that he needed to pay off friends to house Anja and himself certainly affected his trust in humanity.  Not only did the world go crazy around him - even friends and family were expected to pay for their kindness.  The readers first impression of Vladek shows his distrust in friends.  "Friends?  Your friends?  If you lock them together in a room with no food for a week...then you could see what it is, friends (6 panel 2-3)."

Time and time again, Vladek was turned away by friends and family that he had known for years.  When Mrs. Motonowa took Anja and Vladek into her home, it was clear from the beginning that she wasn't risking her life out of the goodness of her heart.  Vledek paid dearly and one day when he paid her a few cents short she wasn't able to find any bread for thier meal that day - even though she was always able to find bread.

Every single valuable pocession he owned became even more precious because it may be just the thing that bought him his life.  A gold watch, a diamond ring...these items weren't just financially valuable anymore - they were a chance for survival - a bribe for life when the goodness of humanity failed.  The people who were persecuted during the Holocaust fought a war without rules of conduct.  There were no "sides" and they had no real weapons to fight back.  For many, the rules became every man for himself. 

Vledek lost his trust in people and in his old age he still acts out his mistrust in actions that his son and modern readers find difficult to understand.  He saved old wire he found in the trash because it could be made useful, he scimps on every penny because he thinks that people only want his money.  A person just can't know how they would respond after experiencing a rejection from a friend who knows that you will die if they don't help you because you can't pay.  How would the value of a dollar change for you?  It is clear that Vledek loves his son and wants him to be finacially secure after he dies.  He makes this clear when he takes him to the bank vault and makes him a key.  He also clearly respected his father-in-law and felt indebted to him for lending and giving him so much money in his youth. 

Vledek has placed his mistrust and fear in humanity into his finances because it is easier to understand and control.  His real anger and fear is something much deeper...something much scarier that hopefully modern readers will never experience. 

Class Comments    

(I read that we were supposed to do this entry in the outline but I didn't know where to post it!)

The Siamese Tail

There once was a snobby cat, a pedigree,

And a most demanding feline.

In all the world there was none

So versed in shrieks and howls,

And many was the meal he would refuse,

Only moist chicken and tuna, lest his owner he would abuse.

He would demand daily belly rubs, thrice a day

And insisted on deep spinal massages,

He had sleek fur, blue eyes, and a belly quite the size.

His owners called him a Siamese, but he knew he was a tiger in disguise!

I wrote this poem for question 4, letter c.  I focused on the image of the Siamese cat's snobbery.  I hope readers will be able to feel the soft pedigree fur, smell the canned tuna fish, and hear his shrieks and howls.  I also wrote adjectives to show what he looked like.

Carissa Liberty Altizer

Dr. Jerz

Writing About Literature, EL 237

October 14, 2009

Portfolio 2: 

 I feel like I'm starting to understand blogging a bit better now.  When I first started, I had no idea how to begin but now I've even mastered putting titles in place of urls.  I think the presentation of Portfolio Two versus Portfolio One is much cleaner and easier to read because of the titles.  I'm starting to feel more comfortable with this program, and that is a big step since this is the first project I have ever worked on outside of Microsoft Office.  I think blogging had the largest impact on me when our class was reading The Quick and the Dead.  Classmate responses and posting my own questions truly helped me to understand and appreciate the book better.  

1. Coverage: I wrote a response for every article, poem, and work of literature that we have read thus far.

What Would William Think? -A look at Shakespeare and feminism

Quit Your Books and Grab Your Hippi Skirts!- Fun take on Wordsworth "The Tables Turned" by comparing it to the average college student's perspective 

Feeling Like a Fool...-What is a foolscap?

Sign Up to be a Lawyer - You'll Make More Money-English, making an argument, and the easy path towards making a lot more money...

Truly Alone Or A Few Feet From Home?-How far from civilization was Robert Frost?  A look into his loneliness. 

The Monkey On Your Back Has Climbed Into Your Brain-Examining Ray's character

The Missing Parent Problem Increases-Do any of William's characters have responsible parents?

Matriarch -Williams quote about the matriarchal elephant hits home

Review Of True Grit by Ron Carlson- My opinion of a book review on Close Range, a book of short stories where Brokeback Mountain was originally found before the movie was made and the book was sold on it's own.

Roberts Ch. 8: The Siamese Tail - Ch 8, Question 4, letter C exercise.  I wrote a poem about my grandparents snobby cat that included imagery and senses.  

2. Depth: These are what I believe to be my best blogging samples.

I feel like every single character in this book has grown up or is living a life without loving, responsible parents.  The only exception to the rule is Alice.  Her grandparents seem very sweet.  They may not be the most observant, but from what we know, they are mature caregivers.  The class picked this up on Friday when we discussed the fact that all three girls are motherless, but now that we have been introduced to more characters, the missing parent problem increases. 

 Even if the parents are present, they don't seem to honestly love or understand their children.  Ray's parents disowned him, King's father feels like his two year old is judging him, Emily's mother doesn't even recognize her own daughter when she wakes up in the morning, and Carter never knows what his daughter is doing.  Every single character in this book is so isolated from the world around them that there doesn't even seem to be a natural bond between child and parent evident in any of these situations. 

I know that this behavior happens all of the time, and it almost seems more common to find broken homes than traditional families; however, it seems unnatural that none of these kids are able to look up to a responsible, caring adult.  I understand that Williams is making a point, but I feel like I have always been constantly surrounded by people who I can call if I need.  I am lucky to have two parents who love me, but even if I didn't, teachers, relatives, co-workers, and friend's parents can easily make an impact in a child's life.  Maybe Williams is choosing not to write about any of these relationships to make the characters personal relationships match the desert setting.  I guess it makes me lucky, but I have a very hard time imagining that a person can be so truly alone.  

Class Comments