114 pages • 3 hours read
Milkweed
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BetaChapters 40-42Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 40 Summary: “Then”
Misha wakes up to a sharp pain in his ear and flies buzzing around him. He finds himself in a ditch. The ringing in his ear does not stop. Blood covers his cheek and his arm. Misha touches his ear, the one with an earlobe that was previously shot off by a Jackboot, and finds there is little left of his ear but a lump.
He looks around for Janina but finds nothing but her shredded shoe. The station is empty, devoid of Jackboots, people, and trains. Misha desperately tries to follow the tracks but faints repeatedly. He finally gets to the edge of the platform and sleeps for a while, still dizzy from the gunshot. After, Misha walks out of the station, away from the ghetto, and follows the train tracks.
Chapter 41 Summary
Misha sees a boy with a dog on the train tracks. While he is initially afraid of the dog, Misha realizes the canine is friendly. Misha notices that the boy wears clothes and shoes and looks healthy. Misha repeatedly asks for water and the boy questions him as to who he is. The boy asks Misha if he is Jewish and Misha says yes, producing his armband as proof. The boy returns with water for Misha.
Misha continues to follow the tracks for days, drinking water from ditches and eating wild berries. His ear is infected, and he continues to hear ringing. He frequently faints, and hallucinates about Buffo, Uri, Himmler, and the merry-go-round. Misha dreams about the orphans marching down the tracks and into ovens. He imagines Mr. Milgrom petting his hair, Kuba laughing, and every day he continues to search for Janina.
The chapter ends with Misha waking to a man standing over him.
Chapter 42 Summary
Misha speaks with the man. Misha tells him that he plans to follow the tracks to the concentration camps. The man asks if Misha is insane and eventually asks Misha to follow him. Misha faints and wakes to find that he is in a cart being pulled by a donkey. The man carries Misha into the barn, where the farmer’s wife gives Misha food and water. The farmer’s wife cleans his wounds. Despite Misha asking if she knows his friends, she ignores him and, instead, gives him a bath. The farmer’s wife burns Misha’s old clothes and Janina’s shoe.
The farmer’s wife comes every day to clean his wounds and give him food and water. Misha plays with one of the mice in the barn; he names it Janina, and it is later eaten by a cat. When the ringing in his ears is finally gone, Misha walks back out to the tracks and tries to follow it. He sees a milkweed pod and puts it into his pocket.
The farmer finds Misha and when he hears that Misha is going to the ovens, knocks him down, puts him back in the cart, and brings him back to the farm. The farmer’s wife comes in later and tells Misha that he must not run away because of a new law that states that children must work on farms. Misha asks if he can go to the ovens after and the farmer’s wife says yes.
Chapters 40-42 Analysis
Misha’s physical state of being, left following the train tracks reflects his mental state and the interiority of his being. Despite knowing what lies in wait at the end of the train tracks, Misha continues to follow them because Janina, his little sister and a vital part of his identity, is there. Janina’s disappearance is embodied in the physical loss of Misha’s ear. The maiming incapacitates Misha, giving physical shape to his abstract mourning for Janina.
Misha’s encounter with the boy and his dog sets a specific tone for the rest of the novel. Due to Misha’s experiences in Warsaw and in the ghetto, Misha should expect violence and cruelty from strangers. Misha fears the dog after getting bitten by the Jackboot’s canine. Misha is afraid and yet he still allows the dog to come close enough to lick him. Likewise, Misha willingly tells the boy that he is a Jew and freely shares information with him. While some might not have given Misha any water as a result, the boy allows Misha to drink. Misha’s interactions with the first people he meets on the road allow readers to understand the protagonist’s mindset. After all that Misha has been through in the ghetto, Misha still maintains a trusting openness with the world.
Misha’s time with the farmer and his wife is a confusing one. His physical and emotional state are in turmoil. Misha is only able to cling to the idea of the ovens. Despite knowing that it is unlikely that he will find his friends and family alive, Misha continues to trudge towards the concentration camps, at a loss for what else to do. When the farmer’s wife tricks Misha into staying on the farm, he does as he is told and stops trying to run away. For the first time in his life, Misha is not a perpetual flurry of movement.
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