Chapter 5 Key Plot Elements

Maus Chapter 5 Study Tool

What does Vladek discover about his mother's past?

A comic Art created years ago about his mother's suicide.

How does Vladek feel when remembering his past?

He gets emotional about these memories but continues to share his Holocaust stories.

What does Vladek use to survive and evade the Gestapo?

He uses saved jewelry to pay influential people for hiding and jobs.

What was happening to Jews during the Holocaust according to the notes?

Thousands were being sent to Auschwitz to be killed, and the Ghettos of Poland were nearly empty.

Who does Vladek send Richieu to for safety?

A friend, Anja’s sister Tosha.

What tragic action does Tosha take in response to the Gestapo raid?

She poisons herself, Richieu, and other children to avoid death in gas chambers.

What do Vladek and Anja do as they continue to lose loved ones?

They find a bunker to hide in and starve with other Jewish friends.

What does Vladek show Art after the war?

The valuables he hid during the Holocaust and retrieved after the war.

What does Vladek want to happen to his valuables after he dies?

He wants Art to have them.