Milkweed

In Chapter 11, the staple commodity of Misha and Uri’s diet, bread, has become harder to come by in Warsaw. Misha is no longer able to steal bread from women in the street. In a last-ditch effort, Misha enters a bakery marked with the star of David and tries to trick the owner into giving him some bread rolls. He is chased out of the bakery and Misha goes to Uri, telling him that there is no longer any bread. Misha begins getting bolder with his raids for food, entering shops and large, wealthy homes. Misha explains how he follows the children of wealthy families into their homes, acting like he belongs there, and gets them to tell him where food is stored.

Misha recalls a night when he walks into a home and finds himself stared at by a family having dinner. Misha steals their roasted bird and runs away before the family members are even out of their seats. Misha claims that “always be the first to move” is his first rule of life (52). Uri begins tying Misha to his own wrist at night, so the young boy will not deliver food to Janina. Soon after, the trees in Warsaw begin getting chopped down. Coal is in short supply and people are forced to use wood instead.

Uri finds coal and brings the fuel to Doctor Korczak, to help the orphans. Soon after, Misha does the same, digging in rubble and ruined buildings for “black pearls” (53). Misha is seemingly enthralled with Doctor Korczak’s white mustache and the orphans that the physician cares for. Doctor Korczak invites Misha inside, where he is scrubbed clean by a nurse, the black coal dust that caked his skin flaking away. Doctor Korczak and Misha speak for a while after, exchanging names, and Misha continues to deny that he is an orphan. He tells the doctor the life story that Uri previously makes up for him.

Doctor Korczak has the orphans line up in rows and thank him all at once. Misha is decidedly uncomfortable but Doctor Korczak shakes his hand, thanks him for his help, and encourages Misha to visit them again.

Misha continues to bring coal to Doctor Korczak and food to Janina’s back step. Eventually, Misha begins to notice that there are no longer gifts waiting for him in return anymore. Misha decides to explore further and knocks on the door, calling for Janina. A man who looks like a Jackboot greets him instead. The Jackboot snatches the sack of coal out of Misha’s hands and questions him, demanding to know if he is Jewish. When the Jackboot discovers that Misha is a Gypsy, the man slaps Misha and upturns his beer on the boy. Misha snatches the sack of coal back and slams it into the man’s foot before he runs away.

Misha recounts a time where he wakes in the stable to find a stranger sleeping in another stall. The man is homeless and as Misha continues to question him about his former life, the man reveals that he used to live in a big house with his books. The man is suspicious when Misha asks if he is Jewish, worried that Misha was told to ask this by someone else. The man continues to insist that he is not Jewish while Misha offers him a bratwurst. When Misha returns with the bratwurst, the man is gone.

Uri has a variety of rules for Misha for when they walk the streets. Uri insists that Misha has to be invisible and that he should never look guilty. Misha is curious as to what the definition of guilty is, and insists that he is not guilty. Misha uses a shard of mirror to practice his facial expressions. In his attempt to not look guilty and appear confident, Misha gets hit by a car as he crosses the road. Uri drags him off the street while kicking his rear, much to the amusement of passersby in the street. Misha claims that he has never seen Uri so angry at him, as the older boy continues to punch him and call him stupid. Misha thinks that he will never disobey Uri again.