Jerry Spinelli's Milkweed

The Key to Survival

Set in Warsaw, Poland during World War II, Jerry Spinelli's Milkweed appeals to readers because of its naive perspective on the horrors of the Holocaust and the innocent hope that exists in the protagonist. Nameless and forced to thieve in order to survive, the main character exists only as a dirty orphan until a group of older Jewish boys take him in. Since one's identity in this time period decides their fate, Uri, the group's leader, decides that the main character needs a background and deems him Misha Pilsudski, an orphaned gypsy. As World War II progresses, food becomes increasingly hard to locate and the Germans or "Jackboots" take more and more control, relocating Jewish citizens including Misha into ghettos where

In the few years he spends with the boys before relocation, Misha finds and receives these chocolates multiple times and comes to adore them. However, they become difficult to come by in the barren ghetto; so, when Misha gets one from Uri, he remembers the times when candy was abundant and feels hope for the future. Consequently, these candies represent hope because they remind Misha of the upside to every situation and make him optimistic for a brighter future. This denouncement supports the claim that one needs hope to survive hardship in that Misha overcomes Olek’s death and regains hope when he eats a candy that Uri gives him. A murder clearly distresses all of those who know the victim, thus Misha becomes pessimistic about the future when he discovers Olek hanging in the street. Uri realizes this and knows that buttercream chocolates give Misha hope in times of trouble, so he gifts him one and Misha finds the strength to overcome Olek's death. Misha announces Olek's death to Uri simply and states "'Olec is hanged.' Uri stared at me. He reached into his pocket and handed me something. 'Here.' It was a buttercream with a hazelnut heart (170.)". Immediately after he hears about this murder, Uri gives Misha a candy, which proves that Misha needs the hope that the candy provides to endure the sorrow that

Uri and the group of boys first introduce Misha to the concept of angels in a cemetery and explain that they reside inside everyone. Misha holds this knowledge close to his heart the entire novel and remembers it especially in times of need. The idea of a protective and strong angel inside of him gives Misha optimism that he can make it through the trials of the Warsaw ghetto; as a result, angels symbolize hope. This conclusion substantiates the claim that one needs hope to get through misfortune on one snowy night where the Jackboots force all the Jews to stand in the streets at attention for hours. In order to struggle through this torture, Misha imagines himself as an angel, which proves that one needs hope to survive difficult situations because Misga persevered through this trial with the hope that an angels watches over him. While he stands in the frozen winter night, Misha observes "By now people were falling all over the courtyard, falling and staggering to their feet and falling again. I thought of the stone angel. I pictured the snow falling over it, two crests of snow rising on the tops of the wings. I pretended I was the stone angel. I closed my eyes and pretended as hard as I could, and after a while I was convinced I could feel wings sprouting from my shoulders (98.)" When Misha pictures himself as an angel, it gives him hope that he can