Generally, it is the case in literature for an object, when used for several important purposes, to be considered symbolic. In Cynthia Ozick's "The Shawl," one can see Magda's shawl is such an object. One may conclude the shawl is simply a plot device the author uses to hide Magda; however, this in not the case. The shawl, which is a protector, guardian, and friend to Magda, symbolizes the instincts of motherly love and self-protection. In her story "The Shawl," Cynthia Ozick uses symbolism to show the key functions of the "magical" shawl.

In the beginning of the story, the infant, Magda is "wound up in the shawl" (Ozick 275). Rosa, the mother, hides Magda away like this for a long period of time. The Nazi soldiers, who detest Jews and their infants, will kill Magda if they discover her. "Curled up between sore breast" (Ozick 275), the author compares...