Who is misha in milkweed

Janina is a 6-year-old girl at the beginning of the novel. She is prone to tantrums and is used to getting her way.

While Janina is hotheaded and stubborn, she is also kind and generous. Janina cares endlessly for her father, mother, and Misha. At the conclusion of the novel, Misha names his granddaughter Janina. Despite this, Misha is still unable to speak about Janina to his wife or his daughter. Milgrom is kind to Misha even before they are all forced into the ghetto and is the first to welcome the young boy into the family.

Milgrom continues to practice Jewish traditions and tries his best to maintain hope and a sense of normalcy. He encourages the family to celebrate Hanukkah the best that they can and tries to give Mrs. Milgrom a proper burial upon her death. Near the conclusion of the novel, Mr. Milgrom encourages Misha and Janina to leave the ghetto; he is simultaneously angry and relieved when they continue to return back to the room.

One night, Mr. Milgrom is sent to the trains while Misha and Janina are out stealing food. Her health deteriorates quickly upon arriving to the ghetto. Milgrom refuses to move from where she is curled up on the mattress, back turned to face the room, merely staring at the wall. It is implied that Mrs.

While Mr. Milgrom extends their home to Misha, Mrs. Milgrom does not claim Misha as her own. Milgrom dies in the room and is buried by Mr. Milgrom, Janina, and Misha.

Janina and Misha always say that he looks like a chicken. In one instance, Shepsel fights with Janina for a cooked rat. Most notably, Uncle Shepsel begins reading and converting to Lutheranism because he believes it will save him from being treated like a Jew. Uncle Shepsel tries to convert other Jews to Lutheranism as well. Near the conclusion of the novel, Uncle Shepsel is taken to the trains and his book on Lutheranism is left behind.

Kuba is one of the boys who welcomes Misha into the group of orphans. Initially, he gives Misha a hard time by blowing smoke in his face. Kuba helps smuggle food when the boys are in the ghetto. Olek loses his arm to a train. Despite his own misfortune, Olek continues to believe that angels exist to protect people. He frequently expresses his disbelief in things, including angels, mothers, and oranges. Big Henryk is described as a large boy who prefers to wear bank bags over his feet rather than shoes.

It is implied that Big Henryk has a mental disability. Liesel is a young girl who is introduced as a daughter and is adopted by a different family when her mother takes her to live with Mr. She is full of curiosity and takes interest in the boy who lives in her basement. As the war begins to increase in intensity and she loses her family. Milkweed is a book about a boy who is called Gypsy, Stoptheif and Jew. He becomes friends with a group of orphaned Jewish boys and lives with them.

He is given a name and a backstory from Uri, who protects him. The Protagonist of the story Milkweed is the main character named Misha. Many decades later, Misha gives his granddaughter, Wendy, the middle name Janina. In brief, Uri shoots Misha to save him. Near the beginning of the novel, he not only rescues the homeless street urchin but gives him an identity, including a name and a plausible life story.

He is a pharmacist who makes medicine, but he stops working a formal job after restrictions are put on Jews. 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.

Angel imagery is repeated throughout Milkweed. Misha sees his first angel in the form of a statue above a gravestone. The Question and Answer section for Milkweed is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. What did the little girl hide for Misha to find? What does the narrator finally see on the day the sirens go silent? On the day the sirens go silent, the narrator goes outside to see the twisted remains of the buildings and streetcar that once stood tall.

People are fleeing, and Stopthief also sees the Jackboots and Jackboot tanks. Milkweed study guide contains a biography of Jerry Spinelli, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Remember me. Forgot your password? A loaf of bread.