The first piece to Cynthia Ozick’s novella was quite interesting. I was very surprised at how quick she was to describe Magda’s short life, which ultimately leads to an early death. It makes me wonder what the author was trying to convey in this quick chapter.
Also, I find it interesting that there is so much left out of the experience within the concentration camp considering it was without a doubt the most life altering experience for the characters. I am also curious to the fact that Magda never cried or mumbled a word once they were imprisoned in the camp until the moment she was stripped of her shawl. What was it about that shawl that miraculously gave that baby the power to keep silent for so long?
Magda’s death also made me wonder whether it was beneficial for the mother and daughter to be rid of this child that caused them both so much stress and pain. Stella almost seemed content after ripping the shawl away from Magda and falling asleep under it for that brief moment, as if it were a quick escape from their life of imprisonment. What if Rose’s loss of her child now freed her of having to constantly worrying of the inevitable death of her daughter, the needed starving of herself just to sustain the little life left in her daughter, and the constant thought of how her baby girl was growing up in one of the darkest times in human history. It might seem sick and depressing but perhaps losing this child gave Rose and Stella the opportunity to survive the camp.
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