Art Spiegelman's graphic noval, Maus I, is a unique work describing a family's story and eventually their survival of the Holocaust. Spiegelman steps outside the normal writing boundaries by putting his piece into comic book form, which in the long run only enhances it. Because of the format, the novel leaves the reader with a lot of room for interpretation. Through his simplistic text and detailed pictures, Spiegelman successfully conveys to his readers two intertwined stories. The first, which is also the most apparent, is Artie's father, Vladek's, story of his survival. The second story is of the complex relationship between Artie and his father. When reading Maus I, one may find themself questioning which character is the protagonist, or hero of the book. The Merrian Webster Encyclopedia of Literature defines protagonist as, "...the main character or lead figure in a novel...it may also be referred to as the 'hero' of a work." This definition is difficult in this case because it is up to the reader to decide who is the main or lead character; and in some opinions there could be both a main character and a lead character. The Merrian Webster Encyclopedia of Literature also adds that "In some literature today it may be difficult to decide who is playing the role of the protagonist. This ambiguity can lead to multiple interpretations of the same work and different ways of appreciating a single piece of literature." Between the two entangled stories in Maus I, it could be argued that either Artie and Vladek is the hero; however the true hero of the work is in fact the work itself.
             When the reader first opens Maus I and engages in its text and art, the scene is set for him or her to be intrigued by Vladek. At this point it is known that he successfully saved himself and his family from the Germans and is now here to share his story with the world. Naturally, because o...