Misha vs. Pi

Author's Note: This is a character analysis assignment.  The character I chose was Misha, who I also compared to Pi from Life of Pi.

In the book, Milkweed, the main character is a young boy, named Misha who lives on the streets of Warsaw in the year 1942.  Misha has no memory of his own name, his age, or even who his family is.  His only memory is that of sealing food on the streets in order to survive.  Survival is a key theme in both Milkweed and Life of Pi. 

Misha uses his street smarts in order to survive.  In order to eat, he steals food and his small size and quick speed help him accomplish this  He does not have feel remorse when he steals the food because, to him, that's his way of life.  Since this is true in both the beginning of the book and while in the ghetto, I believe he is a static character.  Pi, on the other hand, is a dynamic character.  In the beginning of Life of Pi, Pi was a strict vegetarian.  When the struggle to survive on the lifeboat worsened, he was forced to abandon his beliefs in order to survive.

Both characters face difficult situations.  When Pi is facing starvation, he develops an alter-ego in order to cope with what he is forced to do so that he can live.  When Misha is facing starvation, he simply did what he does best, and that is when he steals food.  This is where the two boys are different.  Pi abandons his beliefs while Misha's beliefs and behaviors are almost reinforced.  Although these two faced extreme situations, one went through a radical transformation, while the other remained essentially the same.