Milkweed

Chapter 23 begins with a screaming Janina, desperate to race out of the apartment in an attempt to kick Himmler. Mr. Milgrom and Uncle Shepsel hold her back while Misha races out of the apartment and begins asking passersby of Himmler’s whereabouts. The directions lead Misha to a parade of oncoming automobiles, and Misha notes that only Flops are looking at the parade.

Misha asks around, desperate to find Himmler, before he spots what he calls the “most magnificent Jackboot [he] had ever seen” (86). The man’s uniform is adorned with silver eagles and though Misha continues to call out Himmler’s name, the Jackboot does not turn in recognition. Misha continues to run from car to car, calling out Himmler’s name before, eventually, an unimpressive man with thick glasses and a mustache turns towards him. Misha wonders at how ordinary and common Himmler looks but soon begins to call out again, asking to see Himmler’s boots.

As Misha desperately tries to keep up with Himmler’s car, he accidentally runs straight into a Flop, the scent of mint making Misha realize whom he has run into. Misha describes Buffo as the worst Flop of them all, a fat man who kills Jewish children with his bare hands by suffocating them against his big belly. Misha recalls how children would run away at the scent of mint, and how Buffo was the Flop that all the boys were the most afraid of. Buffo hates Misha the most out of all the children because Misha taunts him and runs away before Buffo can catch him.

When Buffo realizes that Misha is the one responsible for all the taunts, he steps on Misha’s shoe, pinning him to ground as he drags him forward to smother him with his belly. Misha struggles violently, finally pulling himself free of the shoe and Buffo’s grip, and escaping into the crowd. Misha throws his remaining shoe away, resolving that once winter returns, he will simply steal another pair. When Misha tells the boys about his run-in with Buffo, Uri smacks him, and tells him firmly not to bait the Flop again. 

Misha fixates on the impossible idea that a cow roams the ghetto. Children in the ghetto so desperately need milk that the myth of a cow living in the ghetto takes life. Even Doctor Korczak, the orphans’ caretaker, urges Misha to find the cow. Misha continues to bring food to the orphans but upon receiving Doctor Korczak’s stern request, he begins searching the streets for a cow that cannot possibly exist.

Janina claims that she has heard the cow’s mooing but Uncle Shepsel does not believe her. Shepsel has been preoccupied with reading about the Lutheran religion. Shepsel claims that he is no longer a Jew and is now a Lutheran. He believes that this will gain him freedom from the ghetto. Mr. Milgrom says that Shepsel cannot simply stop being Jewish.

When Misha tells the boys of his quest to find the cow, most of the boys laugh at him, telling him that the animal does not exist. Later, Misha tells the boys of his encounter with the Jackboots. He tells them that Himmler does not exist, describing the ordinary-looking man he saw. Uri confirms that the man is in fact Himmler and Misha recalls that it is only then that he begins to lose respect for Jackboots, and no longer wants to be one.