Religion and Maus
One thing I've never really been able to comprehend about Jews during the Holocaust is how they were able to stay so faithful. While there were people who did turn their backs on their religious beliefs, there are/were many people who didn't. I'm currently writing this blog from church after worshiping someone I no longer believe in. Growing up my parents were devout Christians, and I've always gone to church. However, a couple of years ago I started to question my own beliefs and no longer consider myself Christian. I can't comprehend how these people, who were prosecuted for their beliefs only became more firm in them. I'm not saying they never questioned it, but overall they still had faith. In Maus, Vladek loses nearly his entire family. Some were lost through direct means and some through the aftermath of the Holocaust like Anja. And yet he always is faithful and always considers himself Jewish. It didn't matter what happened to him, who was murdered right in front of his eyes, he's always thankful for Yahweh. He even uses the tattoo branded on him as a source of hope.
Overall, I guess I'm trying to say that I have a lot of respect for the Jews who were victims of the Holocaust for staying true to their beliefs when all else seemed lost.
This is an interesting thought, that I never thought about. But now that you brought it to my attention, it is really admirable that the Jews manages to stay devout during prosecutions for those same beliefs. I enjoyed the personal stories sprinkled through out as well.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting how you wrote about your beliefs and compared it to the book and how Jews have stayed faithful to their beliefs even through tough times.
ReplyDeleteWhen you said, “I’m not saying…had faith” it gave me a sense of deja vu which strengthened the soft academic tone of your piece. I really like how you tied the topics in the book to yourself and with a sensitive topic like faith I think you did a really good job not being offensive. Aly Matuza
ReplyDeleteI like how you came through your own experiences and emotions and correlated it to the Jewish people during the holocaust.
ReplyDeleteI could see a few reasons for doubling down on your religion after facing persecution - the first being just that. Some religions, such as Christianity, teach that hardship and judgement for being a part of the religion is to be expected. Additionally, the Jews were in the unique position where all of them were being persecuted as one, which created a strong sense of community and togetherness to reinforce their beliefs. And finally, religion, for so many, is a source of hope; that no matter how bad things get in this life, there is a God and a place beyond that is good. The Jews, specifically the character you've described, didn't view their suffering as coming from God; it was coming from man. That, I believe, is why they were able to have faith; because they weren't being hurt by their religion, their God, or by those who stood for Him.
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