Milkman Themes

The eponymous Milkman spends much of the novel stalking middle sister, a young woman who is desperate to be left alone. Milkman is often menacing; he corners middle sister in isolated places, makes veiled threats, and perhaps even follows through on some of those threats, though the novel leaves this latter point ambiguous. However, despite his stalking behavior—which is sexually motivated—he never lays a finger on middle sister. By doing so, he does not…

Middle sister grows up during the Troubles, a time of political unrest throughout Northern Ireland. Primarily, Northern Ireland contained two politically active groups, the renouncers and the state defenders. The renouncers were primarily Irish Catholics who wanted to be free from British rule. Meanwhile, the state defenders were largely Protestants who wanted Northern Ireland to remain under British rule in order to maintain the status quo. Although many subgroups formed from these larger powers, everyone…

Gender norms play an important role in middle sister’s society, as men and women are expected to act according to certain standards. Middle sister’s mother, for instance, is a defender of traditional marriage. Throughout the novel, she criticizes middle sister because she believes her daughter is having an affair with Milkman. Along with the other gossips in town, middle sister’s mother attempts to shame middle sister out of what she believes is…