Milkweed - Theme Essay The Holocaust is a name given to the execution of approximately 6 million Jews by the Nazi party during World War II. The novel “Milkweed '' By Jerry Spinelli is about this tragic event that occurred during World War II. Although it focuses on the darker topic of the Holocaust, the theme of this novel is hope. This is extremely relevant and important to the story because as the theme develops throughout the book, many different characters and events are introduced to help and support the people in the ghetto. This symbolizes the persistence of human nature and the willingness to stay alive even in the harshest situations. This theme is heavily supported throughout the novel. The largest supporting detail of the theme being hope is on page 143, when the author stated, “‘Look.’ A milkweed plant was growing by a heap of rubble” (Spinelli 143). This is extremely meaningful towards the theme not only because the milkweed is …show more content…
The cow represents a possible existence that seems real to everyone. Multiple people report hearing the cow, which could be symbolism for the characters acknowledging that they still have a tangible desire to continue staying alive and to not give up or surrender. This cow may also represent the people’s desire to believe in something to have faith in. This is supported by when the author explains that “The cow had become something to believe in or not to believe in” (Spinelli 115). The cow also symbolizes the ghetto’s hunger, as illustrated by the author, “the cow seemed to materialize from the very hunger of the people” (Spinelli 115). The cow is eventually found in the ghetto, but it was burned alive by the Nazis. This could have been a real cow all along, or it could have been symbolism for the Nazis crushing the Jews’ hope and beliefs. This shows itself numerous times throughout the novel, depicting the author’s desire to show the struggle the Jews went