“The Shawl” by Cynthia Ozick tells of a mother named Rosa, her child Magda, and Stella. The story takes place during World War II at a concentration camp. The setting is the main component of this story. Throughout the story, Stella shows resentment towards Magda due to her having a shawl. The shawl kept baby Magda quiet and entertained, despite her lack of nourishment. Individuals in concentration camps were given little to no food, clothes, and were treated like animals. The shawl would be a luxury for the camp prisoners in the eyes of Nazi’s so keeping it was important. The overall story was set around the setting and would not have existed without it. In the end, young Magda died at the hands of Nazi’s and their electric fences. The setting
