The Shawl

In Ozick's book she presents a truly phenomenal treatise on the life of a retired holocaust survivor. Ozick paints an incredible graphic picture of what Miami looks like to one who has survived a stint in a Nazi concentration camp. The story starts with a classic example of Nazi savagery, showing how the protagonist had a daughter in the camp, and how that daughter was treated with gratuitous violence and horror.Ozick clearly portrays a women with a mind that has been tortured so badly, that she feels that everything is deeply negative. The vision is of one whose eyes have been colored with blood colored glasses, and the dust and ash of burnt bodies. The story leads the reader through this emotional and psychic horror show, that runs through the protagonist's head.For a bit of additional irony, Ozick reveals the story as her character searches the city for a lost pair of underwear. This personal item is so important to her, that she exerts more energy in the search for that, than she does in the continuation of life. Her perspective is that the Nazi's "stole her life." And for so many, this was indeed the case. Whether they survived or not, they had their lives stolen from them.Through this prism Ozick reveals the way the mind is deeply and permanently affected by the exposure to a period of horror; that no human being should ever have to endure. As a result, the experience always leaves an impression on the mind which cannot be shirked, no matter how hard a survivor tries, the memory of the ugliness and the near death conditions never completely leaves their memory or present day life.The book is highly recommended for those interested in the affect that being in a concentration camp exerts on the human mind. It also is a purely exquisite tale of human suffering.

The Shawl (1989) by Cynthia Ozick was originally published as two separate pieces in The New Yorker; the short story "The Shawl" (1980) and the novella "Rosa" (1983). "The Shawl" is a harrowing tale about Rosa who conceals her fifteen month old daughter, Magna, under a shawl in order to hide her from the soldiers on their way to and in a concentration camp to save Magna's life. The magical shawl provides nourishment and pacification for the infant when Rosa can no longer provide either. Rosa's niece Stella, a fourteen year old girl, has made the journey with them. One cold day, Stella is unable to bear the cold and takes the shawl from Magna. Ultimately, this leads to Magna's discovery and horrific murder as a soldier tosses Magna into an electric fence right in front of Rosa's eyes. In order not to be killed, Rosa "took Magna's shawl and filled her own mouth with it, stuffed it in and stuffed it in, until she was swallowing up the wolf's screech and tasting the cinnamon and almond depth of Magna's saliva; and Rosa drank Magna's shawl until it dried" (Ozick 10)."Rosa" takes places approximately thirty-five years later when Rosa has moved to Florida after destroying her shop. The ghost of Magna now lives inside Rosa and the shawl, haunting her forever. In an interview with prior Chairman Dana Gioia at the National Endowment for the Arts, Ozick states, "The Shawl began with a line, one sentence in The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer. This one sentence told of a real event, about a baby being thrown against an electrified fence. And that stayed with me and stayed with me..." (neabigread.org).

"The Shawl" is one of those Holocaust themed novels that students of the subject must read. Other stories explore the events, while "The Shawl" shows the raw nerve of the survivor. Readers might be surprised by the brevity of the story - it's not even seventy pages - but Ozick intelligently composes every paragraph for powerful effect. The story takes place in Miami Beach during the late 1970's, a time I remember quite well growing up. Ozick captures the feel of the Miami Beach few remember today: a dying oven many people chose as their place to retire and die.The story resonates with me because my father is a Holocaust survivor who brought his family to Miami Beach. The alienation of Rosa Lublin, the protagonist is perfectly recreated. This is the kind of damage I expect to see in Holocaust survivors, but it's particularly horrible with Rosa. I will not spoil it for you, but I was amazed at how the first four pages of the story left me suddenly crying.Not enough stories explore the alienation of the Holocaust survivor. Read "The Shawl" and you will understand something the chronologies and statistics can never describe.

This book consists of two short stories, "The Shawl" and "Rosa." "The Shawl" takes place in a concentration camp, and tells one woman's heartbreaking story of life during this time. "Rosa" takes place thirty year's later in Florida, and shows us the affect the holocaust had on her life. I liked both stories, but neither of them drew me in like I had expected or wanted.

This story didn't really "click" with me. The first part (The Shawl) was fantastic. The second part (Rosa) was decent, but didn't carry the punch of the first. Overall it was a good book, and you might enjoy it more than I did. Definitely give it a shot!

Ozick captures in her story the deep psychological pain that is 'survivor guilt'. These stories are crafted so well that you become totally immersed in them, and the unspeakable pain of their characters. The "shawl" is the perfect foil for the pain of those who survived the unthinkable. Beautifully written, haunting and disturbing.

The Shawl is really two short stories, the one of Magda, a toddler who is killed by Nazi guards in a concentration camp, and one of Rosa, who lives in and out of sanity in Florida some years later. It seems to me as if these stories are written in stream of consciousness mode (yawn) and and something is "missing." I have read some beautiful soul-touching pieces of literature about the Holocaust, but this is not one of them. Good thing it was only 70 pages.

It was well written. It certainly gave you the feeling that you were there, suffering from th Hollocaust.

An absolutely amazing text that is not famous enough for its psychological representation of the troubles that occur after an atrocity such as the holocaust.I found it a completely new experience to read something that depicted the aftermath in the life and mind of a woman who has suffered. People want to know or learn of the suffering, what the persecuted went through, rather than caring about how the holocaust ruins lives decades after it ended.I found it heartbreaking that "there is no life after."

No doubt this is a masterpiece and it packs a tremendous punch. It's totally heartbreaking and completely authentic in its depiction of character and its honest as to how a mother who had experienced what what the main protagonist had would feel. Terribly tragic, and sad, but incredibly insightful. The influence of isaac bashevis singer is only too apparent, but Ozick's vision is decidedly bleaker. A great, but depressing read.

If one wants to know the difference between death in slow motion and the guilt of survival this is the book to read. The coming to terms with why not me is and the despair it nurtures in your sole is heartbreakingViscount Murphy

Started off promising but came to a grinding halt at two old people plodding along. Life's too short!

Essential reading for all who want to know exactly how the prisoners felt and existed in the holocaust, and how they survived and lived a different life. Very sensitively written without missing out on the important facts of the time.