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The World in a Picture

       One of the major recurring themes in the graphic novel, is the concept of inability to understand the circumstances without actually living through them. This is specially shown with various kinds of barriers between Art and Vladek. However, the unfathomable reality transcended from just Nazi brutality and concentration camps, but to also determinants of survival.
      Before we start how many of people know how to perfectly stitch a shoe? Maybe one or two. On page 60 of volume Two we see a graphic of Valdek talking about how he knew the best way to stitch a shoe. This is very interesting because if someone were to say that they are incredibly proficient in stitching shoes, one would ask about their socioeconomic status, because let's be honest, why would you know how to perfectly repair shoes, but in the climate they were in, where factories and every white-collar work was virtually snatched from the Jews, knowing how to sew was a very important quality. In the world where Art was born, being able to sew was not a revered accomplishment. The importance of this skill is emphasised by the proportion of the image of instructions to the dialogue between the kapo and Vlad. The instruction far outweigh the panel with the dialogue; this serves to emphasize the huge impact of the skill in his life, and this conclusion is supported by the claim "...good to know how to do everything". Vlad has lived his life after Auschwitz by that motto, because he realized the importance in seemingly irrelevant tasks. It was his shoe skill that helped him get messages to Anja, and that also earned Anja the favor of her kapo. Valdek tries throughout his narration to Art to convey the importance but Art wouldn't comprehend the importance of Vladek's message because he hasn't seen it in 'action' or in real time. Spiegelman has a very underhand way of blending visual and written rhetoric to convey his messages, and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Comments

  1. Abby Rizk5 October 2019 at 11:39

    I love how you used the example of stitching shoes to compare the lives of Art and Vladek. I never thought of it that way! I also like how you highlighted that seemingly irrelelvant tasks helped Vladek survive.

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  2. Sabrina Song5 October 2019 at 18:36

    Wow this was such a different perspective on the effect of Vladek's skills. I never thought about how Vladek valued his diverse skillset in his current state. His insistence to do things himself, instead of hiring someone, is a reflection of his own abilities that got him through the war!

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