The cow is another embodiment of hope and survival in Spinelli’s Milkweed. The creature is also a physical manifestation of people’s hunger.

The milkweed of the novel’s title symbolizes the resilience of the human soul in the barren environment of the ghetto and the survival of the soul beyond it.

It was described as staying green year round and unchanging. Milkweed was also shown to withstand harsh growing conditions. This is why milkweed is the most important symbol in the entire story. It represents endurance which is what Misha uses to survive.

Milkweed addresses the themes of survival, caring for others, and existence itself. Anna Rich wrote “Misha . . . survives the Warsaw ghetto, where hangings, beatings, and murders are daily occurrences”.

Happy endings are not something he believes in, and he misses Janina and his family dearly. One day, he goes back to Warsaw and finds out that after he left the ghetto, there had been a huge Jewish uprising. Also, at the end of the chapter, he runs into one of the Nazis he knew in the ghetto, Buffo.

The Jackboots shot at Misha because they thought he was a Jew, and Jews aren’t allowed out past their curfew. Even though Misha isn’t a Jew, Uri told him that if they shoot at him, he is a Jew (45).

Chapter 20: What did Mr. Milgrom give Misha when the soldiers arrived? Mr. Milgrom gave Misha an armband so Misha would look like the others and not get hurt or killed.

What’s more, having that identity gives Misha the desire to connect with other people—something that has been a more incidental aspect of his identity in the past. Instead of coincidentally falling in with fellow thieves, he now desires connection that’s based on sharing who he truly is.