I was deeply engrossed by this story, and more emotionally stirred
while reading it than I had ever expected to be. Throughout the book, I often
found myself amazed that such rough and simple drawings, of animals
nonetheless, could be so moving, and portray such a complex topic as the
Holocaust with detail and sincerity. I
believe a lot of the literary magic of this story has to do with the incredible
complexity and honesty in which Spiegelman represents his father Vladek.
Throughout the story, we see Vladek from many different perspectives, and in
both positive and negative lights. To me this made the story extremely
relatable as I reflected on the men in my life, and really made the story feel
a lot more genuine. On top of Spiegelmans’ complex character development, I
felt like the tone and pace of the story felt very balanced, and rhythmic. He
would dip in and out of his father’s account of the war for just long enough
without it getting too heavy, while still maintaining a cohesive and engaging
narrative. His fathers experience throughout the war would have been an
extremely interesting read in and of itself, but the magic that Spiegelman
brings through his craft really brings the whole story to life in a powerful
way.
A Contract With God A powerful work of storytelling. Even with how little it visually showed and verbally explained about that time period, the simple yet effective storytelling techniques shed a powerful light into the world of the thirties. The layout and information on each page stayed true to the essential items needed to convey the story at hand, while the expressions and designs of each character involved were perfectly fitted to that characters particular nature. The flow of the stories themselves was also really interesting. It starts off very regal and true, then gradually starts to slip down into degradation, whizzing past horrible defiling moments, building up into this final orgiastic climax, and then finally ending with one boy “Willie” standing on the edge of his balcony, pausing after being given his new set of family expectations, and reflecting on all that happened over the summer. Blankets I love how expressive and powerful Thompson...
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