Identity in Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli Essay Example

Identity, a simple yet complex concept of what one believes themselves to be. In the novel Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli, Misha the main character has trouble finding what he believes in and how to identify himself. At the start of the novel, Misha finds himself being called retched names so he unknowingly adopts names like Stopthief. There are also many occurences of him changing his thoughts on what others identities are. He changes his name, religion, and overall identity quite often.

Throughout the novel the main character goes by many different names as a result of many different experiences he had been through. To start he first went by Stopthief because he stole. This was because after he would steal he would be yelled at in a bad manor. ¨´Stop! Thief´ I run¨ (Pg. 1) After stealing a loaf of bread and running the Main Character is being yelled at but with ignorance thinks that is what his name is. The Main Character does not have a name to identify as. The only attention he has really ever gotten was from other calling him names after stealing he truly believes that his name is Stopthief. Also, Later on we are Shown that Stopthief is not a name he permanently keeps, this further shows that he still struggles with his identity.¨´I, Misha Pilsudski, was born a Gypsy somewhere in the land of Russia. My family including two great-grandfathers and a great-great-grandmother who was one hundred and nine years old traveled from place to place in seven wagons pulled by fourteen horses.´¨(Pg. 29) On this page Uri makes an alibi for who we now know as Misha and due to the struggle with his identity he believes it to be who he truly is. Misha Pilsudski has now already changed names twice only twenty-nine pages into the book. 

Identity is more than just names though, in this case, we are talking about religion and nationality. To start, towards the beginning of the book he proudly announces to others that he is a Gypsy. ¨ ´No,´ I said, ´I´m a Gypsy. Are you a Jew?´ ¨ (pg. 27) As Misha is talking to a jackboot his is given a question on whether or not he is a jew. He proudly explains that he is in fact a Gypsy. This shows that at this point in the novel he is not struggling with his identity. However, later on in the novel after meeting and being accepted by a family of Jews, later being adopted by them, he decides to identify as a jew himself. ¨ ´You´re a Jew,´ he said. ´Yes,´ I answered´ ¨(pg. 192) A mysterious man finds Misha and Janina after being shot by Uri in an attempt to save them and asks Misha if he is a jew. Which Misha Promptly answers ¨yes.¨ His comfort in announcing that he is a Jew without hesitation shows that once again Misha is comfortable with his identity.

Changes in how one would refer to themselves as well as what they believe in are the  main ideologies of ones´ identity. There are many examples of this throughout the novel Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli. Misha in particular struggles with his identity in name, however even though what he believes himself to be changes constantly he is still comfortable with how he identifies himself.