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Chapter 3
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Milkweed, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Identity and Relationships
War, Dehumanization, and Innocence
Ingenuity, Resilience, and Survival
Family
Summary
Analysis
The next morning, Uri brings home a mattress for Stopthief to sleep on. Then, he takes Stopthief out into the city. He goes into a store and emerges with an armload of clothes for Stopthief, and then he leads Stopthief into a bombed-out building. Uri fills a manikin’s leg with water from a broken pipe and scrubs Stopthief so fiercely that Stopthief whimpers in pain—it’s his first bath ever. After Stopthief dresses in his new clothes, he feels like a new person. Back home, Uri takes Stopthief upstairs to what was once a barbershop and gives Stopthief his first haircut.
Uri assumes a fatherly role toward Stopthief—giving him a place to sleep, dressing, bathing, and grooming the younger boy. To do these things, Uri makes use of the resources at hand, even if that means stealing and adapting materials from a bombed-out building. Receiving such attention makes Stopthief feel like a new person, suggesting that he’s never been cared for like this before and that he’s thriving in response.
Themes
Outside, Stopthief and Uri see people rushing around with shovels and sandbags. Uri explains that they’re digging trenches in an attempt to stop the tanks. He and Stopthief jump on the outside of a streetcar and hang onto the window bars as it rattles down the track. One of the boys from the stable, Kuba, is running down the track carrying a lamp. They watch as Kuba drops the lamp and gets chased and cursed at. Uri calls Kuba stupid and warns Stopthief only to take what he needs. After Uri pinches his nose, Stopthief agrees.
Ironically, Uri has a code of ethics for stealing—one that frowns upon taking more than one needs. Kuba’s plight suggests that when someone selfishly takes more than they need, they’re more likely to get themselves into trouble. Uri’s harshness toward Stopthief also hints that his paternal care of the boy isn’t entirely tender, introducing a troubling dynamic in their relationship.
Themes
The other passengers, no longer distracted by the chase, tell Uri and Stopthief to get off—a lady in furs even shuts the window on Uri’s fingers. Before she can do the same to Stopthief, though, there’s an explosion on the track ahead of them; the streetcar stops, and everyone flees. After Stopthief releases Uri’s fingers from the window, Uri runs to the driver’s seat. He figures out the controls, and soon they’re careening through the smoking, deserted city. Eventually, Uri smashes the streetcar into a restaurant, howling with delight. Stopthief keeps laughing and ringing the streetcar’s bell.
Uri and Stopthief have a special bonding experience as they steal the streetcar and share a wild ride through the city while everyone else is hiding from the bombs. This is a madcap example of the orphan boys’ ability to adapt to their environment, making use of what’s at hand not just to get by, but to enjoy life. It’s also an example of how that the orphan boys live a kind of parallel existence to the rest of their society, rejected from using public resources like the streetcar.
Themes
