Contrary to popular belief graphic novels are able to address issues of gender, race, or religion. One work stands out as a groundbreaking and classic piece that tackles one of the most significant and most diabolical events in history. Art Spiegelman’s Maus focuses on the Holocaust through his story of his Jewish dad who survived it. This graphic novel explores the theme religion, and more specifically Judaism. James Sturm’s America is God, Gold, & Golems also features this issue on Judaism. Sturm’s story The Golem’s Mighty Swing is similar in that it depicts the Jewish plight in 1920’s America. Both works have a similar theme: religion. They both demonstrate how the Jewish people, despite being mistreated, still persevere despite any obstacles. However, both portrayals of Jews differ.
Although Art Spiegelman’s portrayal of the Jews of Maus attracted a lot of criticism and attention, it is an important symbolic element to his novel. Spiegelman depicts Jewish characters, who are portrayed as mice. These creatures, most people believe, are disgusting vermin. The portrayal of Jews as vermin during Hitler’s reign was a major propaganda tool. Spiegelman said that one of the reasons he chose mice was because of their ability to exterminate the Jews. Uh, and extermination is the act of killing vermin…and this is not only a Nazis-only notion” (“Art”)
Spiegelman’s drawing of Spiegelman as he writes the graphic novel and talks to the psychiatrist (Spiegelman, 201 and 204) shows that mice are masks. It is a subtle way that Spiegelman uses to show the characters’ real faces.
The Nazi Germany considered the Jews to be mice in this image. Although the image may seem harsh, disapproving, or even unkind to Holocaust survivors, it is actually exactly what the artist wanted. The graphic artist is able to invoke these emotions in the reader with his visual depictions of horrific acts on mice, and not humans. The Nazis thought that the Jews were inferior to humans and could be infected by the Arian race. One feels empathy for the characters of mice as though they were human. Spiegelman stated that he wanted to portray the mice as human beings by “turning this notion about the subhuman back on itsself and letting them stand on their hind feet and insist on humanity” (“Art”).
Spiegelman’s ability for the story and art to convey humanity to characters as simple as mice is evident in his drawings of concentration camps. Left-hand side shows the characters’ anguish. The contrast between the white flames and burnt bodies of these characters creates an atmosphere of terror. Despite the fact that the characters are vermin, the reader feels a feeling of sadness for them. The picture to the right shows the terror in the expression of the terrified mouse as he holds a gun in one eye.
James Sturm’s graphic novella The Golem’s Mighty Swing also touches on the theme religion, and specifically Jewish identity. The Stars of David represent a Jewish team of baseball players who travel around playing for minor leagues in order to make small profits. They are not animals; they are just ordinary Americans. They are certainly a spectacle. Many townspeople visit the games to mock and abuse them, hoping to see their local heroes crush them. This story’s third frame shows three children looking over the fence while another asks, “Jews are here yet?” (Sturm88). The reader immediately gets the impression that people come to the games only to watch “real live Jews play baseball”. One frame shows a woman who is elderly and never attends ball games. The elderly lady is clearly expressing the views of many of the characters in the film about baseball and Jews.
Henry Bell, also known as Herschl Bloom, is the Jew’s true hero. Fishkin, another team member, describes the Golem in spiritual terms. The Golem was an ancient Jewish creation. He could be described as a creature that man created to serve as a companion, protector or servant. But only God can give a creature a spirit and eventually golems will become destroyers (Sturm 119). This explanation is essential to the story. It not only prefigures the future, but it also reveals how the team will handle it. Because of the nature of the beast, the Jews are well aware that creating a Golem is a sure way to ruin and destruction. They create the beast to make money, to have success and to play more games. However, it causes people to hate Stars of David and leads to their team’s dissolution.
Although there are some differences between Spiegelman and Sturm’s representations of characters, the treatment that the non-Jewish characters, such as the non-Jews, give them is the same. Maus depicts Jews being cast out of society, persecuted because they believe in certain things, tortured in large numbers, and stereotyped. Through propaganda and the creation of ghettos, the reader sees how Jews are excluded from normal society. Sturm’s characters feel the same way, although not entirely. They are different from other baseball teams in America because they created their own team of Jewish athletes. It is possible to assume that Jews were accepted as individuals in different places (the manager of Stars of David, Zion Lion), but these players held their beliefs apart. They created a team that was entirely Jewish, which the public could view as an enemy, both in the sense of an opposing team and as a threat to the community.
The Golem’s Mighty Swing has multiple instances of this notion that Jews are a threat to the community. The All-American team is visiting Putnam, and an editorial is published highlighting the danger that these Jews pose to their community. The editorial, entitled “What is at stake?” continues to state:
“The Jews are a greater threat than any threat the Putnam All-Americans can face. These long-nosed, thick-lipped, dirty sheenies don’t stand for America. Not for baseball. They will take all the money and then move on. We must win. Our nation is the field. The soul and health of our country are at stake.” (Sturm137)
This editorial is explicitly racist, derogatory, and stereotypical propaganda. The opposing team beats a player at the local bar before the game starts, thus removing him from the game. Sturm’s portrayal highlights the victimized character, the battered, disfigured body and depressed expression on the face of the Jews beaten. The teammates’ outrage can be seen in their facial expressions while tending to their brother (Sturm 140). The game’s mob mentality can be attributed to the acceptance by the masses of Hitler’s persecution. A crowd even pulled a player in to pull at a fly ball from the stands, causing him to be injured and ripping his glove and hat off.
The game’s climax is when The Golem, the pitcher, strikes the local favorite in his head following the fly ball incident. The MightyGolem is able stop the mob from rioting because they are still scared of this creature. The scene in the dugout shows how Sturm’s art sets the mood and inspires a religious feeling. Here’s the Zion Lion. He bows his head and prays to God for his fellow Zion Lions. The figure looks like a Messiah because of the contrast between the soft lighting and his dark beard. The light-colored negative space creates a light around the Zion Lion, almost like a halo (Sturm171). As they pray for their safety, the scene becomes tense. However, in the next page, a major rainstorm cancels game. The dramatic scene is heart-wrenching and uplifting.
This scene is very similar in terms of religion to Maus’ portrayal. The Jews find themselves in extreme situations. They are forced to hide, starve, or live in the terrible environment of the concentration camp camps. But they still believe in God and continue to pray for His help. The Jewish people of Maus have survived through many trials and tribulations. They are a team and always look out for one another. They will help one another when they need it. They don’t leave their teammate if he doesn’t show up for work after an hour. Instead, they wait and care for him until he does.
Maus and James Sturm’s graphic novels America: Gods, Golds, and Golems explore the theme of religion in a unique way that is only possible with comic books. Although there are differences, both works have many similarities in their portrayal of Jews and the depiction of those who persecute them. They also show how Jewish people overcome these trials. Both artists’ artwork evokes feelings of pity and emotion. Both authors demonstrated that graphic novels can be used to tackle serious issues like religion. They are truly different from “comic books”.
Sources
Tabachnick, S. E. (2004). Art Spiegelman’s Maus and its religious significance. The Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies recently published a volume (22(4)) focusing on a variety of topics related to Jewish Studies. The journal contains thirteen articles that cover a wide range of issues, from religious practices to historical events. The journal provides an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Jewish history, culture, and religion, offering readers a comprehensive view of the important aspects of Jewish life. (https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/17/article/170723/summary)
Mandaville, A. (2009). Tailing violence: Comics Narratives and Genders in Art Spiegelman’s Maus. A study published in Pacific Coast Philology in 2009 examined the effects of language on a variety of topics, including cognitive development, communication, and social interactions. The findings, which were published in an article entitled “The Role of Language in Human Interactions,” revealed that language has a substantial impact on how individuals think, communicate, and interact with one another. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/25699568)
Brackett, J. M. (2015). Comics and religion. Religion Compass, 9(12), 493-500. (https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/rec3.12167)
Novalis, J. G. (2017). The Polyphonic Survivor. Dialogism & Heteroglossia. Art Spiegelman’s Maus. Liberty U. (https://www.proquest.com/openview/4a787c44163764de638df2275ddcc758/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750)
Ayers, E. (2020). “Does it make you feel better? Reclaiming Holocaust Narratives. Delegating responsibility in Spiegelman’s Maaus. The Seattle University Undergraduate Research Journal (SUURJ) published their fourth volume, first issue in 2020, containing twelve articles. (https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/suurj/vol4/iss1/12/)
