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Chapter 5 Maus | Rebecca Smith | YouTubeToText
YouTube Transcript: Chapter 5 Maus
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Video Summary
Summary
Core Theme
This content is a deeply personal and harrowing narrative, primarily a graphic novel excerpt, detailing the author's traumatic childhood experiences during the Holocaust, interwoven with reflections on his strained relationship with his father and the lasting psychological impact of these events.
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holes hello Arty I'm telling you I don't
know what to do with your father he just
climbed onto the roof huh Walla he
insisted on fixing the drain pipe and
got dizzy I don't know how I ever got
him down what time is it now he wants to
climb back up what am I supposed to do
please don't shout why don't you call a
handyman geez Mala it's only 7:30 a.m.
Francois and I were up till 4: you know
we don't get up till hello Arty it's
Papa here I'm telling you Mala makes me
muga I want that maybe you should come
over now to Queens to help me what
you've got to be kidding when I was
young I could do by myself these things
but now darling I need it your help for
the drain pipe um look pop I'll call you
back after I've had some coffee
o maybe I was dreaming was it your
father again uhhuh he wants me to go
help him fix his roof or something shoot
even as a kid I hated helping him around
the house he loved showing off how handy
he was and proving that anything I did
was all wrong he made me completely
neurotic about fixing stuff I mean I
didn't even own a hammer before I moved
into this place one reason I became an
artist was that he thought it was
Impractical just a waste of time it was
an area where I wouldn't have to compete
with him so are you going out to Queens
no way I'd rather feel guilty besides
I'm too busy and he can easily afford to
hire somebody uh hello pop listen about
that drain pipe I don't think I can come
I so never mind
Arty I talked just now to Frank what
lives next door he agreed he would fix
it with me over the weekend that's great
yes of course better it would be fixed
today but at least somebody will help me just
just
great about a week later early afternoon
hia pop what you doing out here in the
garage it is always something here I
must do I'm putting now away my old
Nails the long ones separate from the
short ones plink is the roof all fixed
up yeah Frank came from next door
eventually and together we fixed um do
you need any help with those nails or
anything no such jobs I can do easy by
myself plunk
um is everything okay huh with my life
now you know it can't be everything okay
you go upstairs I'll finish here my job
and in a few minutes I'll come up okay
plink hi Mala oi you scared me already
my nerves are completely shot living
with your father he seemed a little
upset when I saw him downstairs do you
think he's angry that I didn't come help
him last week I don't think so but
keeping this house fixed up is too much
for him now I keep telling him to sell
it and buy a condo in Miami he seems
depressed it could be that comic strict
Pew once made the one about your mother
what lck saw it for the first time a
couple days ago how do you know about
prisoner on the hell Planet my friend
Ruthie has a son in college he reads all
the comics he showed it to her and she
gave me a copy
shoot I knew it would upset your father
so I kept it hidden but somehow he found
it I drew this story years ago it
appeared in an obscure underground comic
book I never thought vadic would see
it prisoner on Hell Planet a case
history in 1968 when I was 20 my mother
killed herself she left no note my
father found her when he got home from
work her wrists slashed in an empty
bottle of peels nearby o got I was
living with my parents as I agreed to do
on my release from the State Mental
Hospital Hospital 3 months before I just
spent the weekend with my girlfriend
Isabella my parents didn't like her I
was late getting home I supposed that if
I'd gotten home when I expected I would
have found her body when I saw the crowd
I had a Pang of fear I suspected the
worst but didn't let myself
know a cousin hurted me away from the
scene come to the doctors your mother is
uh sick he will explain Dr orens lived
nearby sit down Arthur I thought I
should be the one to tell you your
mother killed herself she's dead I could
avoid the truth no longer the doctor's
words clattered inside me I felt
confused I felt angry I felt numb I
didn't exactly feel like crying but I
figured I
should now now boy no let him cry it's
good for
him we went home my father had
completely Fallen apart oi Arty why why
such a tragedy and not even a note I was
expected to comfort him mother mother
somehow the funeral arrangements were
made and for $950 we have a bronze
casket with a bronze-colored velvet and
of course for $2,000 we
can the night was bad my father insisted
we'd sleep on the floor an old Jewish
custom I guess he held me and moaned to
himself all night I was uncomfortable we
were scared the next day the funeral
self-control
I was pretty spaced out in those
days oh nobly born in your journey
through the less void remember Unity of all
all
living it was much I had to
learn a friend of the family found me in
the Hallow you cry buddy you cried when
your mother was still alive I felt
nauseous the guilt was
overwhelming the next week we spent in
mour my father's friends all offered me
hostility mixed with their condolences
Arthur we are so sorry it's his fault
the punk they think this is my fault but
for the most part I was left alone with
my thoughts I remembered the last time I
saw her she came into my room it was
late at night I turned away resentful
the way she tightened the umbilical cord
she walked out and closed the door well
mom if you're listening congratulations
you've committed the Perfect Crime you
put me in here shorted my C cut my nerve
endings and cross my wires you murdered
me Mommy and you left me here to take
the wp pipe down Mac some of us are
trying to
sleep gee I'm surprised that vattic read
this when he found it he never reads
comics he doesn't even look at my work
when I stick it under his nose but this
isn't like the other Comics I tell you
when Ruthie showed it to me I thought
I'd faint I was so shocked it was so
personal but very accurate objective I
spent a lot of time helping out here
after his funeral it was just as you
said so Arty I'm ready let's walk now to
the bank together Mal just told me that
you saw my comic the one about Mom yes I
found it when I looked for the things
you asked me last time who I saw the
picture there of mom so I read it and I
cried I I'm sorry it's good you got it
outside your system but for me it
brought in my mind so many memories of
Ana of course I'm thinking always about
her anyway yes you keep photos of her
all around your desk like a shine what
have I to do Mala in the garbage wh but
put them of you also I have a photo on
the desk a don't do me any favors you
see what I have with her always whatever
I do is no good did you find Mom's diary
so far this didn't show up I looked but
I can't find it I've got to have that
another time I'll again look but now
better we go to the bank okay every day
I walk otherwise in my legs the
circulation makes me a cramp it's
something terrible and I can't sleep but
for my heart I must walk slow what
happened to you and Ana after the big
selection at the stadium well for the
first time it was everything quiet then
in 1943 came an order all Jews who are
what are left in swick must now go and
live in an Old Village nearby called
srodula and the polls of srodula we Jews
had to pay to move them to our houses in
swick and here in srodula would be our
ghetto to live here after ever after our
family got a cottage less space than
before but we had at least where to live
many only had the
street each day we were taken to swick
to work in German shops Ana with her
sister Tasha they worked in a clothing
Factory and I went together with my
nephew loik to the wood Workshop every
day the guards marched us about an hour
and a half to work the guards it was
Jews with Big Sticks they acted so just
like the Germans and every night they
marched us back counted us and locked us
in vadic lck hurry home home Anya what
is it Wolf's uncle persus is at our
house from zy yes he's a big shot there
the head of their Jewish Council he
wants wolf Tasha and bi to go live with
him in
zi you've all heard the stories about
awit horrible unbelievable stories they
can't be true one thing is certain as
bad as those things are in the ghetto
being deported is even worse please it's
bad luck to even speak of it look you
wouldn't have much influence here in
Zari I have some influence with the
Germans I can bribe them my 90-year-old
father still lives with me whenever
there's a Roundup an SS man guards him
to keep him safe 90 that was 1943 it
wasn't left any other Jews what had 90
years persus was a really fine man not
so like amoniac Merin the head of our
ghetto who looked only out for himself
persus tried really hard really to help
his Jews I can manage papers to take
wolf Tasha and BBE and maybe little Lona
and row if you let me yes they'd be
better off you see I wanted to send row
someplace safe a year ago with il zaki's
child things are even worse now ltic we
have no choice no we must all stay
together we've made it this far God will
still help us madka be realistic Ana's
mother didn't like to look at the facts
but finally she agreed so persus
arranged and he came again to sadula it
went with him wolf Tasha and bi L's
little sister Lona and our boy sh we
watched until they disappeared from our
eyes it was the last time ever we saw
them but that we couldn't know when
things came worse in our ghetto we said
always thank God the kids are with
persus safe that spring on one day the
Germans took from sadula to awts over
1,000 people most they took were kids
some only two or three years some kids
were screaming and screaming they
couldn't stop so the Germans swinged
them by the legs against the wall and
they never anymore screamed in this way
the Germans treated the little ones that
still had survived a little this I
didn't see with my own eyes but somebody
the next day told me and I I said Thank
God with persus our children are safe so
what happened with to row ah our
beautiful boy we only found out much
later a few months after we sent row to
zasi the Germans decided they could
finish out that ghetto more gunshots
what's going on it's horrible Tasha all
the Gestapo in the ghetto have been
replaced by others from opal they just
shot persus and the rest of the Jewish
Council what they're evacuating zasi
we're all supposed to go to the square
with our baggage right away they're
sending all of us out to aitz oh my God
no I won't go to their gas Chambers and
my children won't go to their guas
Chambers Biba Lona RHA come here quickly
always Tasha carried around her neck
some poison she killed not only herself
but also the three children I'm telling
you it was a tragedy among tra tragedies
he was such a happy beautiful
boy did Tasha's husband survive no on
the train to aitz he tried to escape and
they shot him hardly any survived but
these these things we learned only much
later in our bunkers we heard only
rumors your bunkers yes we had
inula to make for ourselves bunkers
places to hide the Germans started to
grab out anybody if he had papers or no
therefore I arranged for us a very good
hiding spot in our cellar where it was
coal storage show to me your pencil and
I can explain to you such things it's
good to know exactly how was it just in
case side view outer wall ground floor
kitchen coal bin fults bottom piled with
coal removable wood panel allows entry
bin bolted to the floor entrance bunker
ladder Cellar faults outer wall coal in
the kitchen was a coal cabinet maybe 4
foot wide inside and made a hole to go
down to the cellar and there we made a
brick wall filled high with coal behind
this wall we could be a little
safe even when they came with dogs to
smell us out and they knew the Jews were
laying there but still they couldn't
find the dogs run up and down like mad
but in the coal bin was only coal and it
looked full and they couldn't lift it
and the cellar it was only a Cellar is
it safe to go out yet I can't stand all
these worms crawling all over me the
Germans are leaving we had worms there
in that bunker we've got enough food to
stay here a couple days we'd better wait
till things quiet down we survived there
a few actions but others what didn't
have such a good place like what I made
they kept being taken away then in June
they arrested Maniac Marin and all the
other highest big shots of the huden Rat
the Jewish Council around this time we
were put into a different house here
also we made a bunker by the end of July
the Nazis made to liquidate completely
our ghetto it was 10,000 Jews taken away
in one week except to sneak for food we
stayed mostly in the bunker lck thank
God you're safe it's like a battlefield
outside there's hardly anyone left in
soda everyone has been deported or shot
from all the Jews of all snock it was
left maybe 1,000 in the ghetto at least
your bag is full you found a lot of food
yes just a few old turnips and some
books books what's the matter with you
we can't eat books sh all the time we
were hungry we just didn't have what to
eat one night we went to sneak for food
look a stranger we dragged him up to our
bunker what are you doing here I I
didn't know anyone lived here I just
stopped to rest a moment my wife and I
have a starving baby I was out hunting
for scraps he's
lying maybe he's an Informer the safest
thing would be to kill him what had we
to do we took on him pity in the morning
we gave a little food to him and left
him to go to his family huden Rouse the
gapo came that afternoon they took us to
a building in part of stula separated by
wires A Ghetto inside the ghetto and
there we had to sit and wait we were
maybe 200 people together waiting each
Wednesday went Vans to owitz when we
were caught it was then maybe a Thursday
look Ana that's my cousin jakov
spiegelman in the courtyard hey jakov
help jakov help us ladic there's nothing
I can do I made signs to show I could
pay some gold I hid in the chimney of
our bunker when they took us but a few
valuables I had still with me okay don't
worry hasco will come up to help you
hasal spieglan was another cousin
wouldn't they have helped you even if
you couldn't pay I mean you were from
the same family ha you don't understand
at that time it wasn't any more families
it was everybody to take care for
himself the next day came in two girls
carrying food with them hasal a chief of
the Jewish police look vladic I can can
get you and your wife out even your
nephew but your in-laws are too old
they'll never get past the guards please
we'll make it worth your while the two
girls he sent back to the kitchen quick
boy grab this empty pale and carry it
out with me from the window we saw lolc
go my God flaik he must get to Mosa and
get me out to give your cousin this gold
watch this diamond anything of course
I'll do everything I can the day after
Ana and I carried past the two guards
the empty pales hasal took from me
father-in-law's Jewels but finally he
didn't help them on Wednesday the Vans
came Ana and I saw her father at the
window he was tearing his hair and
crying he was a millionaire but even
this didn't save him his life so mom's
parents died in awit no what else right
away they went to get the gas hasal was
happy to take from father-in-law the
jewels but the risk to save them this he
was not so happy to take always hasco
was such a guy a combinator a what a guy
guy what makes comona a schemer a crook
what did you pick up telephone wire this
is very hard to find inside it's little
wires it's good for tying things you
always pick up trash can't you just buy
wire why always do you want to buy when
you can find anyway this wire they don't
have it in any stores I'll give to you
some wire you'll see how useful it is no
thanks just tell me what happened with
has there are only about a thousand Jews
left here most work at the Brun Shoe
Shop hasco was a very big man in the
ghetto then when sadula was finishing
I'll register you both there and good
afternoon Sergeant how are you ER
spiegelman hasco played very often cards
with the gapo we'll see you tonight yes
naturally I was just I just hope you
won't be as lucky as last time he lost
to them big amounts of money so they
would like him milock take care of
cousin vladic gladly hasell had two
brothers pach and milock
pach was known as also a combinator but
Malak he was a fine fellow Ben here can
you can show you how to resold the
German boots we'll Reserve this
workbench for you you don't have to sit
here all the time but whenever the
German commission comes to inspect just
sit there and look busy from time to
time I had other jobs also to do around
the ghetto yes that reminds me something
now remember this guy what I told you
gave us out our bunker well you should
know I buried him hey this is the rat
that turned my family over to the gapo
he was shot hasell had arranged he would
be killed but if he's dead why are his
eyes still wide open he was struggling
to survive it happened I was on the work
detail so I buried him hasal is alive
still in Poland with a Polish woman a
judge who kept him hidden
when ah my heart Arty quick take from my
pocket a nitrat pill here you okay h
I I'll be fine now I have only to catch
my breath still for a minute let's sit
on that stoop just relax don't talk for
a while I made too fast our walking
thank god with the nitrat it's
completely over right away what was I
telling you you sure you're okay well
you were saying that has will surviv the
war yes even a few years ago I sent him
packages gifts why he sounds like a
rotten guy yes I don't know why I know
only that I sent you know one time I was
in the ghetto walking around halt Jew
give me your ID ID papers I'm going to
blow your brains out ah I see you are a
member of the illustrious Spelman family
go on your way then and give Haskell my
regards such friends hasell had I told
has and malok later about this you were
very lucky vladic they call him the
shooter every day he kills some poor Jew
just for fun hey aren't you going over
to pachas to buy some cake cake for
years we didn't see any cake hardly even
bread we saw it's impossible he's joking
cake but cousin pach was really selling
cake everyone who could afford it stood
in line to buy a piece it looks
delicious how did you manage it pach
when people are sent to aitz my men
search their houses pasach was like
hasal part of the Jewish police they
find a little flow here a few grams of
sugar there I saved it he was younger
from has school but also a combinator
you know what a cook my Rifka is try it
only 75 zotes a slice I had still
savings so I got for Ana meat and some
cake but the whole ghetto we were so
sick later you can't imagine some of the
flower pach found it wasn't really flour
only laundry soap what he put in the
cake by mistake we were all of us sick
like dogs before the war pistach had one
had a resort hotel in zakopane in those
days he always he also in those days
also he found always schemes all guests
had to pay big Polish taxes So Bach took
bribes to not register them if an
inspector came the guests had to hide
themselves away one time his wife made
not enough desserts to give to everybody
so pasach ran into the dining room and
yelled inspectors are coming it was no
inspector of course but 40% of the
guests ran fast from the room pach had
enough desserts left over even for the
next day come are you ready to walk
again yes it's too dirty to sit but
really if I didn't have my nitrat it
could have been just now something
terrible malach spiegelman he survived
the war with his wife and child and they
moved to Australia about five years ago
he got a big heart attack and last year
he got on the street a seizure like what
I had just now but he didn't have have
with him his pills his wife ran to find
a drugstore when she came back malok was
dead no so life goes but I must finish
quick to tell you the rest about sadula
because we will come soon over to the
bank by the end of 1943 the Vans went
every Wednesday with more and more and
more people from sadula to awit until it
was very few left it could be our turn
soon a ladic let's hope not malok hcll
heard that any day now they intend to
deport everyone that still left here
malach took me to the shoe shop it was
early and nobody was there hasco made
plans to smuggle himself out of the
ghetto pach and I have plan also he
moved a few shoes from a pile high to
the ceiling and took me inside a tunnel
don't tell anyone about this except Ana
and your nephew we came out to a bunker
be prepared to bring them on a moment's notice
notice
incredible everything was ready here so
15 or 16 people could hide but when Ana
and I approached to discuss this bunker
with lck no thanks forget it but Malo
organized everything I'm sick of hiding
our nephew was then only 15 he was
working as an electrician always lolik
was a little muga I'm a skilled worker
whoever wherever they take me I'll be
okay you're crazy you're going straight
to the ovens and he did get put in into
one of the next transports to owitz Ana
became completely hysterical the whole
family is gone Grandma and Grandpa Papa
Mama Tasha bi
myelle now they'll take loik it was also
around this time we heard first the bad
news from Zari about Tasha and Rasha oh
God let me die too come on Ana get up
why are you pulling me vladic let me
alone I don't want to live no darling to
die it's easy but you have to struggle
for life until the last moment we must
struggle together I need you and you'll
see that together we'll survive this
always I told her the ghetto finished
out so like malok said about 12 from us
ran into his bunker with him his wife
and his three-year-old baby boy guca
you've got to keep the baby quiet I'm
hungry hush we'll have to keep him under
blankets until he calms down in a bunker
in another part from the Sho shop lay
pasach and some others it was nothing to
do all day but to lie and to starve the
whole day and night Ana SAT writing in
her notebook there I've managed managed
to dig a small hole in the stone wall I
can see soldiers all around were guards
to find any who remained hiding what
little food we had soon it was gone
quiet we're all starving at night we
sneaked out to look for what to eat but
it was nothing to find here Ana chew on
this you found food never any of us had
been so hungry like that no it's only
wood but chewing it feels a little like
eating food after time pach came over to
us from his bunker maybe you fools are
willing to lie here until you starve to
death but not me I contacted one of the
guards it will cost a fortune but he's
agreed to look the other way our group
will mix in with the polls when they
walk past rajula on the way to work
tomorrow if you want to chip in you can
come with us many from our bunker said
yes Malak and I we said no to this idea
we didn't trust the Germans one guy from
our bunker of of ram came to me he said
tell me when you will go to vladic then
I'll know it's safe he and his
girlfriend wanted to pay me to advise
they had still two watches and some
diamond ring I didn't want to take they
needed these to live but I took only the
small watch and next morning very early
the group walked out they gave over the
money and went past the guard I stood
secret behind a corner I heard loud
shooting and I didn't go see what
happened I only ran very fast back to
our bunker only a few of us remained
there haven't been any lights in the
guard house for two nights I think it's
safe a little before Dawn we went out
from sadula they're gone woo the ghetto
is empty ahead of time we organized
ourselves good clothes and ID papers we
mix with the polls going to work we'll
be hiding at this address when you find
a safe place try to contact us vadic
good luck maluk we went all in different
directions that guy of ram his woman had
friends to keep them and Friends kept
them until of Ram's money finished Ana
and I didn't have anywhere to go we
walked in the direction of Sask but
where to go it was nowhere we had to
hide can I help you Mr spiegelman yes I
have here my son Arty I want to sign him
a key so he can go also to my safety box
and in case something bad happens to me
you must run right away over here
therefore I arranged you this key take
everything from the safe otherwise it
can go only to taxes or Mala will grab
it please pop talking about your estate
makes me uncomfortable you're now old
enough so we must think of these things
why don't you just enjoy your savings
while you still can I'll keep in my desk
your copy of the key you only would lose
it look see what I have here the
cigarette case and the lady's powder
case it's 14 karat gold uh-huh these
things I had with me then in sadula in
the chandelier bunker really how can I
possibly still have them when the
Gestapo found us I dropped quick a few
things into the chimney if they found
the rest of my Jewels at least these
might remain after I came from the camps
in 1945 I sneaked back to sadula and at
night while the people inside slept I
dig these things out from the bottom of the
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