In “The Shawl”, by Cynthia Ozick, a baby’s blanket stands as the child’s only form of nourishment for days at a time. The baby’s shaw is a symbol of safety and nourishment within the short story by Ozick. Throughout the horrors of the holocaust we find that through anecdotes, the horrors became less distant and distinctly human. Within this context, the symbolism described above allows for the reader to relate to a circumstance that is altogether inhuman. The shawl provides Magna, the baby within the story, with the safety and protection necessary to continue living, even when the conditions seem impossible for anyone to survive. At the same time the jealous and ravenous Stella looks at the baby with contempt and savagery, a would-be cannibal.
