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
Last year, Mrs. Milgrom wouldn’t let Misha celebrate Hanukkah with the family—but this year, Mr. Milgrom says that he will be included. Mr. Milgrom tells Misha the history of Hanukkah: how the Jewish people, many centuries ago, defeated their Greek oppressors despite being very outnumbered, and their limited oil supply miraculously lasted for eight nights. Mr. Milgrom explains that it’s up to them, as Jews, to celebrate themselves and to never forget how to be happy.
Misha may not be ethnically Jewish, but Mr. Milgrom’s inclusion of him in the Hanukkah celebration suggests that his membership in their family is what ultimately matters. His description of Hanukkah suggests that, no matter what people’s external circumstances, they cannot allow their oppressors to rob them of their dignity.
Themes
Misha asks Mr. Milgrom—whom he now calls “Tata”—what “happy” means. Mr. Milgrom compares happiness to the taste of an orange, but Misha has never eaten one. Then, he compares it to being warm after having been cold—but he explains that happiness is inside a person. Misha looks at Janina sitting sadly on the floor. She hasn’t been happy since the day of the burning cow.
To Mr. Milgrom, happiness is something that can’t be dependent upon a person’s external circumstances—rather, it must be cultivated from within. However, it’s clear from Janina’s despondency that one’s situation can severely hamper a person’s capacity to experience happiness.
Themes
As Mr. Milgrom takes a silver candleholder and lights the first of eight candles, the other residents stay on their side of the room. The little twins come to look, however. Even as they hear gunshots and screams in the street, Mr. Milgrom prays and sings over the flames. Then, he makes Misha, Janina, and the twins join him in dancing in a circle. Janina remains slumped and reluctant, but Misha imitates Mr. Milgrom’s smile as best he can.
The family celebrates in defiance of the oppression, suffering, and sadness all around them. Their celebration reaffirms their bonds with one another, as well as reminding them of the fact that they cannot be reduced to mere victims, no matter what the Nazis inflict upon them.
Themes
Mr. Milgrom gives both children the gift of a new comb. Misha happily combs his tangled and lice-ridden hair, but Janina refuses to open her present, so Misha combs her hair for her. She doesn’t smile, but she doesn’t stop him.
Mr. Milgrom’s gifts reaffirm that he acknowledges both children as equally his. Misha also tries to comfort his sister in the only way he can think of, again exhibiting kindness as a means of resisting the Nazis’ dehumanization.
Themes
Get the entire Milkweed LitChart as a printable PDF.
On the second day of Hanukkah, the candleholder has been stolen. Misha isn’t surprised—he knows that the other family probably took it in order to trade it for money or food. Misha is used to the idea that “things exist to be stolen.” Mr. Milgrom doesn’t make a fuss about the theft; he lights a tiny candle stub and gives Misha the job of being the menorah. They and the twins sing songs, but Janina won’t get up from the floor. Hanukkah continues in this way. Eventually, the candle burns away, so Mr. Milgrom says that their own hearts will be the flames.
From his own experiences, Misha understands what would motivate someone to steal, especially in desperate circumstances like these. Given that people in the ghetto often go without basic necessities like food, it makes sense that “things exist to be stolen” and traded or sold within this world. Mr. Milgrom refuses to be deterred by the loss of the candleholder—according to him, the real source of resilience and happiness lies within a person, not in material objects.
Themes
Janina stops going smuggling at night; she even stops complaining. Misha combs her hair for her every day, but he can’t make her smile. Then, he has an idea to find Janina a pickled egg—her favorite. So, the night before the last day of Hanukkah, he goes on a mission. He finds some pickle spears in somebody’s pantry, then finally finds one egg sitting on a shoemaker’s workbench. He races home, dodging Jackboots at one point.
In the wake of her mother’s death and the destruction of the cow, Janina’s capacity for resilience is declining rapidly. Despite not knowing what a picked egg is, Misha’s smuggling mission is an act of great love for his sister.
Themes
As Misha rushes home, he trips over a body hidden in the snow and cracks the egg—but the egg doesn’t break. Misha thinks this is a miracle. When he gets home, he shows the egg and pickles to Mr. Milgrom, explaining that he wanted to make Janina happy. Mr. Milgrom looks at Misha for a long time. He says that the egg isn’t the miracle—Misha is. When Janina wakes up, she doesn’t care that Misha hasn’t brought her a real pickled egg. Ecstatically, she savors the hard-boiled egg and then hugs Misha. As Misha falls asleep, he feels Janina combing his hair.
Misha’s resourceful, daring act to bring Janina her favorite food restores her spirits and also demonstrates his brotherly devotion to her. From simply surviving on the streets to helping others avoid starvation, Misha has used his thieving skills in various ways—and now, his goal is just to make his sister happy.
Themes
