How the experience of seeing “Prisoner on the Hell Planet” change the reader’s perception

1. How does the experience of seeing “Prisoner on the Hell Planet” change the reader’s perception
   of the absent Spiegelman mother and wife? How is Anja portrayed by father and son elsewhere in
   the story? How important is she to Maus?
2. The common term for those who lived through the Holocaust is “survivor.” How does this term’s
   meaning shift when applied to Vladek, Anja, and Art? How do the depictions in “Prisoner on the
   Hell Planet” influence your interpretation? Is the weakness and vulnerability seen there unexpected?
3. Does “Prisoner on the Hell Planet” reveal new possibilities concerning why Spiegelman wrote
   Maus? Consider how the themes of memory and guilt guide the work. How would our understanding
   of Art be changed if it had been left out?

Sample Solution