25 pages • 50 minutes read
Manuel RojasThe Glass of Milk
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 2010A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
The Glass of Milk
The titular glass of milk symbolizes physical and emotional care. On the brink of starvation, the young man requests a large glass knowing he cannot pay for it. Milk is a maternal food, provided by a mother animal to its offspring, and this choice of beverage in the story similarly represents an essential, life-giving source of nutrition. The dairy worker also knows the young man can’t afford the milk and gives it freely anyway. This interaction encapsulates an anti-capitalist alternative, in which life’s necessities are provided to those who need them. As a result, the young man understands that he does not need to feel shame when the society that has starved him is the most morally shameful actor of all. The milk is accompanied by cookies, creating a meal that is generally thought of as a treat or a dessert. With this, Rojas asserts that those who are hungry don’t just deserve basic sustenance like bread and water—they also deserve nice things. The young man also receives a second serving of milk and cookies, signifying that the working class deserves abundance rather than a small ration.
The Sea
The narrative’s environments reflect the mental and physical constraints on the protagonist. The narrator prefers the sea’s openness: “He was possessed by his obsession for the sea, which bends even the smoothest and most defined lives as a strong arm would a thin rod” (Paragraph 22). The sea represents an idealistic, horizontal world that provides a sense of direction for the young man as he is provided with work, a home, and belonging as a crew member. It is ironic that the open expanse of the ocean—pure nature—provides him with order and direction while the city, created by people, provides him with no purpose or support and leaves him floating across an urbanized wilderness to die of starvation. With this, Rojas asserts that collectivist societies are more natural, while capitalism is a flawed, artificial system. The young man toils without pay and starves, never benefitting from the existing social contract until he has his experience in the dairy, an oasis in a harsh city. The story ends with the young man falling asleep while facing the sea, indicating that a life at sea still offers him hope and the chance at a more dignified life.
Giving
Giving is a motif in “The Glass of Milk,” evoking the Marxist belief that those with resources should share them with those who need them, in contrast to a capitalist system in which people must earn life’s necessities. The sailor is the first giver, scanning the dock with his leftovers in hand, eager to share. He first offers food to the protagonist, who refuses it as he is still invested in this society’s moral code. The vagabond, by contrast, receives the meal and is happy because of it—he and the sailor are satisfied because both have their needs met.
The second attempt at giving to the young man occurs after his shift with the longshoremen when he asks for his wages. The foreman cannot give him an advance—he is a worker, not an owner, so he does not control the money—but he offers the young man the 40 cents he has in his pocket. While not wealthy himself, the foreman offers what he has. Still, the young man is too proud to take it. Immediately afterward, he experiences intense distress from his hunger, indicating that accepting the man’s offer would have been the better choice.
In the dairy, the young man finally accepts help—the milk and cookies. The restorative effects of this gift are immediately apparent as the young man becomes himself again. Giving is shown to be both physically and emotionally nurturing, representing the intrinsic value of giving help when one can and receiving it when one needs it.
