Maus

During a vacation in Vermont, Art debates with Françoise about how to depict her, a Frenchwoman who converts to Judaism to please Vladek. Art is against depicting the French as a cute animal and suggests transforming her from a frog to a mouse. After hearing of Vladek having a heart attack, Art finds out that his father is lying about the condition and the real reason for the call is that Mala is leaving him. While driving to Vladek’s bungalow in New York’s Catskill Mountains, Art worries about whether comics are an appropriate medium for depicting the Holocaust, how the event haunted his childhood, and his resentment of Richieu.

Vladek asks Art and Françoise to be with him through the summer, but Art only wants to stay until Labor Day. Vladek’s domineering and frugal behavior gets on Art’s nerves, and he meets a couple who want him to move in with his father. Art records Vladek’s story while walking to the Pines Hotel, which Vladek regularly sneaks into to enjoy the facilities.

At Auschwitz the Nazis strip Vladek and Mandelbaum of their papers and shave their hair before racing them through a cold shower and outfitting them with mismatched uniforms.