The Shawl by Cynthia Ozick

The shawl was being used to secure this child, Magda, by her mother, Stella.  Stella is a very young girl who is responsible for her daughter who happens to be wrapped up in her shawl.  At this very moment, Stella is walking in a line and Magda is underneath the shawl protected and warm.  Stella is jealous of Magda and she would like to be the one protected from all that is going on around them.  So why doesn’t Stella walk away from the line? Because Stella knows that if she walks off the line she will be shot and Magda could die with her.  Stella even thought to herself, “If I just stepped out of the line for a moment then maybe I could hand Magda to someone.”  Stella’s thoughts had taken her over.  What if the person was too scared to take her daughter?  What if she fell out of her shawl and died? 

Stella’s hopes and dreams for her daughter to have a better life did not happen.  Her dreams were put into perspective.  The reality of the situation is that if she attempted to physically make her thought come true, she would be shot on the spot.  All she could do was look at her daughter and admire her beautiful round head and her small tooth.  Stella looked at her daughter’s tooth and noticed how it looked like a tombstone above a burial site.  

The shawl prevented Magda from experiencing anything unpleasant and gave her a sense of security.  All Stella could do now was to continue walking in line.  Her shawl had been used as a source of nourishment for her daughter.  Stella was unable to produce milk because her ducts were dried up.  So Stella used the shawl as a sponge.  She would allow the shawl to absorb any and all liquids she could produce.  The shawl would last up to three days giving Stella more time to think about what she was going to do next.  

I believe this shawl provided protection for Magda and the strength needed for Stella. This must have been extremely difficult for a person like Stella to be in this situation and to have a child to take care of at the same time.  For a child her age she demonstrated great strength that only love can provide.  This situation was extremely difficult for an adult to handle.  How could anyone expect a child of Stella’s age to handle or even try to understand such a situation?  No human being should ever be placed in such a situation nor should we (humanity) allow this to ever happen again anywhere in the world.