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Chapter 6
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Milkman, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Stalking and Surveillance
The Personal vs. the Political
Gossip and Rumors
Gender Norms
Summary
Analysis
The next day, eldest sister shows up at middle sister’s home to let her know that Milkman has been shot and killed. Middle sister does not care about Milkman—in fact, she is happy he is dead—but the satisfied look on her sister’s face enrages her. She cannot believe that eldest sister would take so much joy in Milkman’s death, considering she believes Milkman is middle sister’s lover. To upset eldest sister, middle sister tells her she looks like she is having an orgasm. In response, eldest sister slaps her in the face.
Chapter 7 begins with the novel’s anti-climax. With little explanation, Milkman leaves middle sister’s life as quickly as he came into it. Meanwhile, middle sister’s response to eldest sister is a reference to first brother-in-law’s encounter with the nuns, which she knows will make eldest sister upset.
Themes
Despite her spat with eldest sister, middle sister feels a sense of relief, as all the anxiety she had been feeling finally leaves her body. As information comes out about Milkman’s death in the media, middle sister learns that the state shot several people who they mistook for Milkman before managing to get Milkman himself. Among those victims was real milkman, who is still recovering in the hospital. The Irish Catholic media pounces on the state’s mistake and runs various critical stories about it.
Although middle sister says she does not feel anything following Milkman’s death at the beginning of the novel, that is not entirely true. Middle sister is happy that Milkman is dead because his death allows her to return to her normal life. Meanwhile, real milkman’s injury demonstrates how incompetent the state can be despite their constant surveillance.
Themes
Additionally, following Milkman’s death, the papers reveal that his real name was in fact Milkman. Everyone assumed Milkman was an alias of some sort because it was too bizarre to be a real name. However, Milkman’s official papers state otherwise. Middle sister does not think Milkman is all that strange a name given the number of other people named after occupations, such as Hunter, Carver, and Mason. Although the community has some fun with the detail regarding Milkman’s name, the media does not release anything significant regarding his paramilitary activities.
The name Milkman invokes a sense of communal service and joy—two qualities that could not be further from accurate in this case. Burns uses the name ironically, but also to contrast Milkman with real milkman, who is his opposite. Additionally, the name helps Burns develop the gendered themes in the novel, Milkman appropriately contrasts middle sister’s similarly gendered moniker.
Themes
Because middle sister no longer has to go on a date with Milkman, she decides to go out to her usual club. However, at the club, she runs into Somebody McSomebody, who corners her in the women’s bathroom and pulls a gun on her. Previously, middle sister received notes from Somebody McSomebody where he threatened suicide if she did not accept his advances. Now, she worries that he has changed his mind and decided to kill her instead.
Here, the novel’s first sentence finally comes full circle as Somebody McSomebody’s once clownish behavior suddenly turns violent. Somebody McSomebody comes from a family of mentally unwell people and here he appears similarly unstable. Middle sister knows her rejection of his advances and the deaths of his siblings may have pushed him over the edge and fears that he might pull the trigger.
Themes
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Middle sister manages to get the gun away from Somebody McSomebody for a moment, but he quickly wrestles it back away from her. However, moments later, several other women enter the bathroom, see what is going on, and get the gun away from Somebody McSomebody. As a result of his behavior in the club, Somebody McSomebody gets convicted in a paramilitary court for improper usage of a weapon.
Although this novel is full of men successfully taking advantage of women, here the women finally get one small bit of redemption, as they overpower Somebody McSomebody. The women middle sister refers to as paramilitary groupies are largely responsible for making this happen, meaning middle sister may have misjudged them. Of course, their decision to help middle sister is unavoidably tied to politics, with their loyalty to her presumably tied to her supposed relationship with Milkman. And, of course, had middle sister taken her concerns about Milkman to the “issues” women—the feminists—as third brother-in-law suggested she do, they may have helped her, as well.
Themes
In the meantime, middle sister’s mother and a number of other women from the neighborhood have been paying regular hospital visits to real milkman. The state forces and the renouncers do not know what to do about all the women coming to visit real milkman. At first, each side wants to investigate the women, as they assume real milkman is some sort of asset for the other side. However, they eventually realize that real milkman is simply a well-liked member of the community and decide not to pursue the case.
In its final chapter, the novel leans heavily into the subplot concerning middle sister’s mother and real milkman instead of further elaborating the details of (fake) Milkman’s life and death. This turn away from Milkman toward something more positive—the possibility of romance—is Burns’s way of rejecting the prevailing assumption that middle sister’s community should shun happiness.
Themes
After one of middle sister’s mother’s visits to the hospital, she comes home and complains about her figure. She is in love with real milkman and wants him to fall in love with her. However, she feels her body has not held up over the years, and therefore she does not believe he will find her attractive. Middle sister does her best to cheer her mother up and remind her that she is an attractive woman.
Although middle sister is under a great deal of stress, and her mother has never been much help with her romantic life, she does her best to be a positive influence in her mother’s life. Middle sister’s mother finds herself thinking about aspects of herself, particularly her body, which she has not had to consider for years, possibly decades.
Themes
However, middle sister’s mother tells middle sister that it does not matter anyway because she has decided to let nuclear boy’s mother—who is also Somebody McSomebody’s mother—have real milkman. She came to this decision after the other women in the community told her that nuclear boy’s mother is most deserving of real milkman’s affection because she has suffered the most from political causes.
Although this moment is played for laughs, middle sister’s mother’s suggestion provides commentary on the fetishization of tragedy and grief that exists in the community. Only a community completely consumed by violence would suggest such a standard for selecting romantic partners.
Themes
Middle sister reminds her mother that real milkman is responsible for choosing his romantic partner, not the community. Additionally, she tells her mother that the other women in the community are just trying to deceive her. They know middle sister’s mother is the person who is most likely to win real milkman’s heart, so they are trying to get her out of the way.
Here, middle sister encourages her mother to reject the broader community in favor of her own happiness. It is the type of advice that middle sister’s mother would never give to her daughters because it does not align with her traditional mindset. However, she makes an exception for herself.
Themes
Over the next few days, middle sister’s mother realizes middle sister is right and is furious with the other women for trying to fool her. Still, she lacks the confidence in herself to believe that real milkman could be interested in her. Out of ideas, middle sister calls eldest sister and asks her to come over. Although there is still a lot of tension between middle sister and eldest sister, they momentarily set their differences aside to help their mother. Ultimately, eldest sister’s visit is a success, as afterward their mother appears to have regained her confidence. She regularly goes to see real milkman, bringing him food and tending to his injuries. She also spends a lot of time looking in the mirror and tending to her appearance.
Although middle sister and eldest sister do not resolve their differences, they come together long enough to make a substantial difference in their mother’s life. It is the only time in the novel where multiple members of middle sisters family are united toward a common goal. However, the novel characteristically refrains from elaborating on the relationship between real milkman and middle sister’s mother’s relationship. Once middle sister’s mother is content to visit real milkman regularly, Burns moves away from their relationship to refocus the narrative on middle sister.
Themes
Because Milkman is dead, middle sister finally feels as though she can start running again. Rather than call third brother-in-law, who she feels will be difficult to talk to on the phone, middle sister simply walks over to his house at the time he usually begins his runs. There, she finds him stretching outside. Without saying a word, she walks up next to him and begins stretching herself.
Middle sister’s return to running represents the return of her vitality, as she is finally free of the oppressive gaze of Milkman. The final scene of the novel plays out almost the exact same way as middle sister’s first run with third brother-in-law, except Milkman is no longer on middle sister’s mind.
Themes
Third brother-in-law tells middle sister that he thought she had given up running permanently. Middle sister assures him that she only stopped running because she was recovering from being poisoned. Now, she is ready to get back to her old routine. As they have this conversation, third sister and her friends come outside to make fun of middle sister and third brother-in-law for stretching and preparing for a long run. As usual, middle sister and third brother-in-law ignore them. Middle sister and third brother-in-law also have a playful argument over how long they will run. Third brother-in-law suggests extremely long distances, while middle sister insists on comparably short ones.
Again, the scene plays out identically to the similar scene in Chapter 2. Although third sister and her friends make fun of middle sister and third brother-in-law, it comes from a lighthearted place. Middle sister no longer feels like a pariah in the community and can accept it for the good-natured teasing that it is. Similarly, middle sister and third brother-in-law ritualistic bickering over the length of the run signals a return to normal.
Themes
Middle sister and third brother-in-law’s conversation does momentarily turn serious, as they discuss what happened with Somebody McSomebody. Middle sister is still sporting a black eye from the encounter, which is immediately noticeable to third brother-in-law. Middle sister appreciates his concern but assures him that she is fine. Then, the two of them begin their run. As usual, they run through the parks and reservoirs area, the same place middle sister had her second encounter with Milkman. However, rather than feeling stressed, as she has since meeting Milkman, middle sister almost laughs with joy, as she once again feels free to move through the area.
Middle sister’s quick dismissal regarding Somebody McSomebody demonstrates her desire to move on from the events of the past. However, her black eye is a reminder that she still has literal and metaphorical wounds in need of healing. Still, the novel’s ending has a triumphant feel to it as well. Even though much goes unexplained, middle sister feels like she has her life back.
Themes
