Cynthia Ozick's "The Shawl" (written in 1989)

The shawl tells the story of Rosa and Stella in their attempt to survive in a Nazi death camp, despite the hunger, the cold, hostility and the inhumanity that they face. Rosa is carrying a baby, Magda, hidden in a shawl that she has wrapped around herself.

For the most part, the text is written in short and simple sentences that are very descriptive. This seems to enhance the state of mind that the characters are in. They have been dehumanized by the way they are treated, a single false step and they could be shot dead like animals: "But if she moved from the line they might shoot." They are barely even part of this world anymore: physically they have been reduced to almost nothing through their food deprivation, and mentally, being in a death camp, they are surrounded by death, pain, horror. It is even said of Rosa that she is "floating." She acquires an almost ghostly characteristic. She is not fully there and merely exists through her fight to protect and keep the child she is holding alive. Nothing more than instinct is keeping these characters going. The writing style mirrors the instinct that drove these people to survive, they had nothing left but their emotions.

Several times, the shawl that Rosa carries Magda in, is referred to as a "magic shawl." The shawl in itself greatly contrasts with the hostile environment of the story, as it represents the magical provision of safety and nourishment in a hellish surrounding. The shawl keeps the child quiet when roll is being called, it keeps her in a little nest, protected from the horror surrounding them and safe from the Nazi soldiers' eyes. It even nourrishes Magda when Rosa's nipples go dry: "She sucked and sucked, flooding threads with wetness. The shawl's good flavor, milk of linen." I think the way Magda is nourished by the shawl can be interpreted two different ways. First of all, the piece of cloth turning into food shows just how terrible the conditions of the camp were and just how much pain these people had to go through. When a person is so hungry that a piece of cloth represents nourishment and even takes on a sweet taste of "cinnamon and almond," they are gripping at their very last resources. But the nourishment of the shawl that keeps this baby alive also reminds the reader of how powerful love is. The shawl takes on a symbol of this motherly love and nourishment that Rosa gives the child, and that is what is keeping her alive. Amidst all this horror, and demonstration of the horrific acts that humanity is capable of, the story also celebrates love, the persistance of good amidst all this evil.