"This study examines whether the area of settlement of Jewish con-
centration camp survivors has an impact on their mental health. Using the Langner
mental health index, survivors in Israel are compared with an earlier study of survi-
vors in Montreal."
"The suggestion is raised that the
numerous memorials and ceremonies commemorating the Holocaust in Israel in-
crease the salience of the survivors' remembrance of the past."
From this article, I have taken that it is more likely for a survivor to suffer from mental deterioration if they are constantly remembered of the horrific acts done upon them and their people. Maus II attempts to show the story of the holocaust in a less negative light. By utilizing animals to portray the different racial classes, Spiegelman is able to lessen their specific stereotypical aspects. Even though the Germans are still portrayed as the domineering characters in the novel, one is less inclined to make a snap judgment concerning their group as a racial whole. The Jews are mice, the Germans are cats, and so on. The Jews are portrayed as mice because during the holocaust, they somewhat fit the role. They were being chased by cats (Germans) and were simply trying to survive.
I believe this can be used as a lens text because it really shows how the holocaust had such a lasting effect on the world. If even to this day, survivors are still suffering mental degradation and grieving for their lost loved ones, the impact must have been great. Holocaust survivors on different corners of the world, Montreal and Israel, both suffer from decreased mental health due to the fact that they were abused so badly. In the novel, Spiegelman touches on the fact that he has made so much money from the holocaust, as in one scene his desk is held up by the corpses of many of the holocaust victims. This goes to show that not all of the effects of the holocaust were negative, but that profiting financially from the holocaust really goes against respecting the lost lives of many.
