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Maus Chapter 3 | Rebecca Smith | YouTubeToText
YouTube Transcript: Maus Chapter 3
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Summary
Core Theme
This is a deeply personal and harrowing account of survival during World War II, detailing the narrator's experiences as a Jewish prisoner of war and his eventual escape and return to family, contrasted with the strained relationship he has with his daughter in the present day.
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war I visited my father more often in
order to get more information about his
past have some more green beans Ary yes
look you don't eat anything no thanks
I've had enough so finish at least
what's on your plate okay okay you know
Mala when I was little if I didn't eat
everything mom served pop and I would
argue till I ran to my room crying you
should know it's impossible to argue
with your father
mom would offer to cook something I
liked better but pop just wanted to
leave the leftover food around until I
ate it sometimes he'd even save it to
serve again and again until I'd eat it
or starve yes so it has to be always you
must eat all what is on your plate ah
flaik fortunately for me mom would
eventually feed me something I liked and
throw away the old food when you weren't
looking yes Anya was too easy with you
always hm thanks for the dinner Mala it was
was
delicious the chicken was I thought too
dry come we'll talk better in the living
room okay I'll get my notebook I tell
you with Mala I don't know what to do
she please pop I'd rather not hear all
that again tell me about 1939 when you were
were drafted
drafted
1939 yes we were given Army trainings
for a few days and then by the start of
September we were on the frontier here
we were all digged into trenches near a
river on the other side it was
Germans it was everything quiet until
near morning wait a minute they only
trained you for a few days before
sending you into combat well the first
time I went into the army for 18 months
when I was 21 then every four years I
went to luin for a month to train you
know my father tried to keep all his
children out of the army because when he
was young he had then to go into the
Russian Army and there they took you for
25 years to Siberia my father pulled out
14 of his teeth to escape if you missed
12 teeth they left you
go so when my brother Marcus got 21
years father put him on a starvation
diet always Marcus was so sickly and so
thin and when he went for the Army
examination they didn't take him a year
later when it came my turn my father
wanted to make me the same thing it was something
something
terrible 3 months before the examination
he started with me wake up vtic you're
sleeping too much only 3 hours a night
stop vattic you mustn't eat so much but
I'm hungry okay have one more Herring
for three months I ate only salted
Herring and no water to lose weight and
a few days before the exam no sleep and
no food good boy just a little more C
coffee only a gallon of coffee a day for my
my
heart and when finally I went for my
medical examination here's a healthy one
um no there seems to be something wrong
with him build yourself up for a year
young man and we'll review your case
again the next year father wanted I
would again do the same thing but I
begged him and went in 1922 to the Army
but let's get back to 193 9 yes you see
how you mix me up in 1939 we were on the
frontier digged into trenches by a river
it was quiet until near morning then I
heard shooting in both sides an officer
sneaked over to me dig in deeper you'll
get killed your gun is cold why aren't
you shooting I didn't see at what to
shoot kapun kapun kapun but I dig deeper
and started to
shoot then bullets came in my direction
Bing I dug deeper in my trench but I
stopped to shoot why should I kill
anyone but when I looked in my gun I saw
a tree and the tree was actually moving
I must be seeing things how can a tree
run well if it moved I had to shoot Bing
ah it held up a hand to show it was hurt
to surrender but I kept shooting and
shooting until finally the tree stopped
moving who knows otherwise he could have shot
shot
me after two hours of fighting the Nazis
overcame our side of the river get up
give me your gun it's hot you were
shooting at us my commander made me
shoot I only fired in the air I answered
in German and his partner stopped him
from beating me they marched me to where
it was more like me war
prisoners and all from us what were
weren't injured they marched over to
their side of the river to look for dead soldiers
soldiers
attention all prisoners will carry our
dead and wounded to the waiting Red Cross
Cross
trucks you where do you think you're
going I I thought I saw a body over by
the river I knew where the one I shot
would be laying yes here
here
every his blood ran out carry him over
to the trucks with the others his name
was Yan and I knew that I had killed him
and I said to myself well well at least
I did
something they took us to a place near
nurmberg where it was many War Prisoners
the Jews they made to stand separate
it's all your fault this war we should
hang you right here on this spot of
course nobody of us said a word put down
all your valuables he came up to me I
had maybe 300 lotes why so much money
Jew many others had only only five or
six lotes do you expect to do some
business here show me your hands you
have never worked a day in your life
like you Arty my hands were always very
delicate well Jew don't worry we'll find
work for you and they
did another German took four or five
from us to the stable see this mess it
better be spotless clean in one hour
understand it was impossible to do it in
one hour we really worked very hard hard
but an hour later so not finished yet
this will cost you your soup you lazy
bastards somehow we did make the job in
only an hour and a half but look what
you do Arty huh you're dropping on the
carpet cigarette ashes you want it
should be like a stable in here oops
sorry clean it yes otherwise I have to
do it Mala could let it sit like this
for a week and never touch it and she
knows how with my sicknesses it's hard
for me to do such things okay okay it's
clean so we lived and worked a few weeks
in the stable until they took us to an
even bigger prisoner of war camp the
Polish prisoners get heated cabins yes
and we're just left to freeze in these
tents it was terrible cold that Autumn
all over Europe it was so freezing that
birds fell from trees to keep warm we
had only our summer uniforms and a thin
blanket at least if they gave us enough
to eat the other prisoners get two meals
a day we Jews get only a crust of bread
and a little soup good morning vladic
where are you going to bathe in the
river you've gone crazy I'll be clean
and I'll feel warm all day by
comparison many others got frostbite
wounds in the wounds was pus and in the
pus was
lice every day I bathe and did
gymnastics to keep strong and every day
we prayed I was very religious and it
wasn't else to do often we play chess to
keep our minds busy and make the time go
I had a set made from stones and bread
clums crumbs and one time a week we
could write letters through the
International Red
Cross only in German and very careful
and through this it came a package
chocolate bars cigarettes Jam
it was so treasuring for me this package
I had a sign my family was safe and
because I never smoked I had cigarettes
to trade for food and so things went for
maybe six weeks then look there's an announcement
announcement
outside workers needed War prisoners May
volunteer for labor assignments to
replace German Workers called to the
front housing and abundant food will be
supplied it's a trick never volunteer if
we have to die let's die here no I
didn't agree I'm not going to die and I
won't die here I want to be treated like
a human
being when my comrades saw I was going
they too
registered we were right away sent to a
big German company we were taken to nice
wooden houses we got soup we got bread
look a stove and real beds with sheets
and pillows and for a whole day we only
rested and got back our
strength ah it seems like years since
I've felt warm or been in bed yes funny
isn't it it's only a little over two
months since we were
drafted I worried I'm worried though
vladic who knows what kind of work
they'll give us it doesn't matter
anything is better than rotting in those
tents I
suppose the next day we were given
shovels and picss things what we had
never held in our hands
before and the work was really very hard
we had to move mountains the hills were
maybe 3 or four yards High we had to
make it level some complained those what
were too old or weak for such work I I
can't take it anymore worthless Jew if
you're unhappy go back to the p camp
it's okay we'll help you when no one is
looking he tried to help but what you
think some went back to the tents to
freeze and to starve but but what
happened to them I don't know still 80%
stayed there was enough to eat and a
warm bed it was better to stay I always
went to sleep exhausted and one night I
had a dream don't worry a voice was
talking to me it was I think my dead
grandfather don't worry my child it was
so real this voice you will come out of
this place free on the day of pares
truma I woke up right away and when I
went to sleep again it was pares truma pares
pares
truma so what's pares truma each week on
Saturday we read a section from the
Torah this is so-called a par and one
week each year it is para's
truma before work a few from us prayed
it was a rabbi there with us one moment
Rabbi when will we read pares truma
pares truma in the middle of febru story
almost 3 months from now why three
months and every day for us was a year I
told him my dream let's hope it's true
I'm afraid we'll never get out of
here so we worked day after day we
survived week after week the same until
one time look soldiers it came very many
gapo and wormed attention line up on the
road in two rows immediately we were not
at ease we didn't know what they could
do with us I stood always in the second
line ltic I didn't want they should see
me much someone sneaked next to me Rabbi
do you know what day it is Saturday of
course but do you know what a Saturday
it's paraa
Struma they marched us to the main
Courtyard and lined Us by alphabet at
tables name and rank speak man vadic
Corporal destination upon release
swick this the Germans did very good to
my wife and child always they did
everything very systematic very well
sign this release form and it was all
done in one day you mean your pares
truma dream actually came true yes this
is for me a very important date I
checked later on a calendar it was this
paraa on the week I got married to Ana
19 after the war on the week you were
born and so it came out to be this paraa
you sang on the Saturday of your
barmitzvah the next morning each from us
got a red cross package and they loaded
us on a train to Poland during the
journey I sat with the rabbi so my son
now I see you are a roo
Holan one who sees what the future will
bring hey this train seems to be passing
Sask when they didn't stop the train I
became very worried you see the Nazis
divided Poland into pie pieces
protectorate and Reich with a guarded border
border
between the train went completely past
my part of Poland the Reich and stopped
only in the
protectorate those with papers for cocow
out and when it stopped in Warsaw the
rabbi got out I'll write to you but I
never heard again from him it came such
survived and the train was a long way
past snock they took me up up very far
maybe 300 miles until we came to Lublin
there they unloaded all of us from the
Reich in Lublin they took us to Big
tents and there we sat eventually came
some people to see us from the Jewish
authorities why are we being kept here
it's a very bad situation just before
you arrived there was another group of
released War
prisoners two days ago the Nazis marched
them to a forest and they shot all of
them they killed 600 people we were the next
next
party I thought you were released as a
prisoner of war exactly so International
laws protected us a little as Pol Pol
War prisoners but a Jew of the Reich
anyone could kill us in the streets I
was very frightened then we heard
something to give us a little hope we've
bribed the Germans to release prisoners
into the homes of local Jews who will
claim you as
relatives my name's Spielman there's a
friend of my family named Orbach in
Lublin I met him when I was here for army
army
training fine we'll try to register you
as his cousin that night I went out from
the tent I had to
urinate and a guard began shooting at me
I ran quickly inside and thought all
night different things what could happen to
us then as soon as it was light spiegelman
spiegelman
spiegelman vadic Orbach I am glad to see
you and in 10 minutes I was free Orbach
was a friend from my uncle he had two
beautiful daughters near my age I'm
sorry we can't offer you a better meal
vladic but the Jews of lubling get very
few food coupons one moment girls I have
a gift for each of you oh my god
chocolate these I saved from Red Cross
package always I saved just in case
eventually when I came again to sck we
sent them food packages we were for a
little while a little better off and
they wrote back very happy how it helped
to survive them then they wrote that the
Germans were keeping the packages and
then they stop to write finished with
orbox I stayed a few days recuperating
but I was Restless how could I manage to
sneak across the border to my family
trains were still going from
protectorate to Reich only one needed
legal papers of course this I didn't
have but anyway I got on a train in the
direction I wanted I approached the
train man a pole may I talk for a moment
sure Soldier I still had on my army
uniform and I didn't let know I was a
Jew you're a pole like me so I can trust
you the sinking Nazis had me in a war
prison I just escaped the poles were
very bitter on the Germans so it was
good to speak bad of them I'm trying to
get to snock back to my family don't
worry when we get to the Border hide in
here and so the train man helped me come
back to my side of
Poland I walked first over to my parents
house what I thought I might never see
again OA Vault it's vadic my son thank
God you're safe and in spite of
everything you look healthy I am strong
mother but you look sick it's because I
was worried about you but it wasn't only
this she was sick of Cancer and a month
or two later she died she never knew how
terrible everything would soon be and
father your beard what happened you
shaved it off it's growing back now he
was very religious so like a rabbi and
of course he always had a big beard in
September the German soldiers grabbed
many Jews in the street they made us
sing prayers while they laughed and beat
us and before letting us go they cut off
our beards and now the demons have taken
my Seltzer Factory they enough I must
bring vladic home to Ana before curfew
at 7 it was a rule all Jews had to be in
their homes and light out for my parents
to swick was only a short ride go in and
say you just got a letter from me saying
I'd be home in a week I stood at the
door listening don't joke if vadic was
coming home he'd have written us too
surprise oh my God vattic I grabbed my
son he was two and a half years reach
you he started screaming why do you cry
my boy I'm your father
the buttons your metal buttons daddy
they're cold and I don't need to tell
you how big the joy was in our
house even though everything was really
tough and it was really tough we were
happy only to be together not so like it
was with now with me and Mala I tell you
if Ana could be alive now it would be
everything different with me Mala makes
me crazy only she talks about money
always about my will please pop you
always tell me the same thing there's
nothing I can do but I haven't with whom
else to talk and it's for you I watch
out my money geez let's talk about it
next time I'll call you besides it's
getting late I ought to get home before
curfew H Hey where's my coat I know I
put it in here Mala did you put my coat
someplace no are you going now I'll make
you some coffee no thanks I'm not
thirsty and you make the worst coffee
I've ever tasted but I still have that
bag of espresso you once left here but
that was over six months ago that coffee
is completely stale so maybe some tea no
thanks just my coat oh Dad have you seen
my coat anywhere yes I threw it out what you're
you're
kidding give it back it's too late when
you were sitting first down to dinner I
Threw It Outside by now the garbage men
took it away such an old shabby coat
it's a shame my son would wear such a
coat but I like it I have for you a
warmer one I got at Alexander's a new
jacket and I can give you my old one
it's still like new here just try it on
a minute oh great a nagahide
windbreaker and it's too big ah it looks
on you like a million dollars look dad
you can't do this to me I'm over 30
years old I choose my own clothes after
you wear it a little you'll see how good
it looks come I'll walk you downstairs
so don't forget Arty you call me this
week and we can talk you really threw
out my coat I can't believe it I just I
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