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Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Milkweed, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Identity and Relationships
War, Dehumanization, and Innocence
Ingenuity, Resilience, and Survival
Family
Summary
Analysis
The following day, Enos tells Misha (who can’t read) that the sign that had hung around Olek’s neck said, “I was a smuggler.” The orphan kids sit in the rubble, not saying anything. The day after this, Misha visits the orphanage and sings a song with the children. Then, he wanders through the snow, singing his song.
Misha’s visit to the orphanage is a kind of search for his innocence, which has taken a huge blow after Olek’s death. He knows that Olek’s fate could be his too, so he hangs onto whatever scrap of happiness he can in order to find resilience.
Themes
As Misha is walking around, he’s surprised to see Uncle Shepsel, who rarely goes outside the apartment. He’s smiling, and he playfully tousles Misha’s hair. Then, as Uncle Shepsel’s expression turns confused, he asks Misha, “Every night you go […] Why do you come back?” Misha doesn’t know what to say, and after a while, Uncle Shepsel wanders off.
Misha and Uncle Shepsel are opposites when it comes to their attitudes about family. Where Misha identifies with the Milgroms despite the fact that he doesn’t have to, Uncle Shepsel is willing to abandon those he’s actually related to. The years Misha spent as an orphan have likely made him more grateful than the average person to have an adoptive family that loves him—Misha’s lonely childhood means that, unlike Uncle Shepsel, he now deeply values love and loyalty.
Themes
When Misha gets back to the Milgroms’ room, he finds Janina crying in Mr. Milgrom’s arms: Mrs. Milgrom has died. Misha had always wanted to call Mrs. Milgrom “Mother,” but she never let him. Now, he calls Mr. Milgrom “Tata,” and Mr. Milgrom embraces him, too. They sit up all night with Mrs. Milgrom’s body.
Misha shares in Mr. Milgrom and Janina’s sadness, further cementing his role within the family despite the fact that Mrs. Milgrom never completely accepted him the way that Mr. Milgrom has.
Themes
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The next day, the undertaker comes. Mr. Milgrom pays him with a bottle of pills he’s been saving for the occasion. The undertaker puts Mrs. Milgrom’s body on a wagon, and they all walk slowly to the cemetery, where Mr. Milgrom pays the guard with another bottle of pills. Just as Mrs. Milgrom’s body is being laid in the grave, bombs begin to fall on the other side of the wall. Everyone runs except the Milgroms. Mr. Milgrom tells Misha and Janina to cover their eyes, and he tucks them into the grave beside Mrs. Milgrom. As they huddle there, Janina pulls a milkweed pod from her pocket. She blows into it, and several puffs sail out of the grave and into the sky.
The sadness of life in the ghetto is quietly underscored by the tragic fact that Mr. Milgrom has been hoarding his pills to ensure that his wife could receive a proper burial. However, the family is denied a peaceful funeral by a fresh onslaught of violence. In the midst of this, Janina’s milkweed symbolizes her belief in angels, the endurance of her mother’s spirit, and the hope that life will endure even these darkest of circumstances.
Themes
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