CYNTHIA OZICK

(1928- )
Born, raised, and educated in New York City, Cynthia Ozick has been a on!ti"e resident o# New
$ochee, New York% &hou!h "ost widey known #or her short stories (a"on! which '&he (haw' is
the "ost ceebrated), she is aso the author o# essays, )oetry, criticis", transations, and no*es% +er
*isionary con*iction that the '+ebrew contribution to ci*iization' is the e##ort o# bearin! witness to the
+oocaust, thereby "akin! it a )art o# the hu"an e,)erience, ies at the center o# her work in a its
di*ersity%
Cynthia Ozick, by her own testi"ony, "atured reati*ey ate as a writer, a#ter a))ro,i"atey twenty
years o# writin! without si!ni#icant )ubication% -urin! these years, howe*er, as the obsessi*e
briiance o# her )rose "akes cear, she was ac.uirin! an abundance o# in#or"ation and honin! her
iterary skis% +ers is an art that, thou!h cast in )rose, e")oys the strate!ies o# )oetry%
Cynthia Ozick is the author o# nine books, incudin! her #irst no*e &rust (19//), the story coections
&he 0a!an $abbi (1911), Boodshed (191/), and 23*itation (1982)% +er two coections o# essays are
4rt 5 4rdor (1986) and 7eta)hor and 7yth (1989)8 "ore recent no*es are &he Canniba 9aa,y
(1986) and &he 7essiah o# (tockho" (1981)% &he (haw (1989) consists o# the story incuded in this
*ou"e and a no*ea in which the heroine o# the story, $osa 2ubin, is i"a!ined as a +oocaust
sur*i*or i*in!, "any years ater, in secusion and near-s.uaor in :orida%
The Shawl
(tea, cod, cod, the codness o# he% +ow they waked on the roads to!ether, $osa with 7a!da cured
u) between sore breasts, 7a!da wound u) in the shaw% (o"eti"es (tea carried 7a!da% But she was
;eaous o# 7a!da% 4 thin !ir o# #ourteen, too s"a, with thin breasts o# her own, (tea wanted to be
wra))ed in a
shaw, hidden away, asee), rocked by the "arch, a baby, a round in#ant in ar"s% 7a!da took $osa<s
ni))e, and $osa ne*er sto))ed wakin!, a wakin! crade% &here was not enou!h "ik8 so"eti"es
7a!da sucked air8 then she screa"ed% (tea was ra*enous% +er knees were tu"ors on sticks, her
ebows chicken bones%
$osa did not #ee hun!er8 she #et i!ht, not ike so"eone wakin! but ike so"eone in a #aint, in trance,
arrested in a #it, so"eone who is aready a #oatin! an!e, aert and seein! e*erythin!, but in the air, not
there, not touchin! the road% 4s i# teeterin! on the ti)s o# her #in!ernais% (he ooked into 7a!da<s #ace
throu!h a !a) in the shaw= a s.uirre in a nest, sa#e, no one coud reach her inside the itte house o# the
shaw<s windin!s% &he #ace, *ery round, a )ocket "irror o# a #ace8 but it was not $osa<s beak
co")e,ion, dark ike choera, it was another kind o# #ace ato!ether, eyes bue as air, s"ooth #eathers
o# hair neary as yeow as the (tar sewn into $osa<s coat% You coud think she was one o# their babies%
$osa, #oatin!, drea"ed o# !i*in! 7a!da away in one o# the *ia!es% (he coud ea*e the ine #or a
"inute and )ush 7a!da into the hands o# any wo"an on the side o# the road% But i# she "o*ed out o#
ine they "i!ht shoot% 4nd e*en i# she #ed the ine #or ha# a second and )ushed the shaw-bunde at a
stran!er, woud the wo"an take it> (he "i!ht be sur)rised, or a#raid8 she "i!ht dro) the shaw, and
7a!da woud #a out and strike her head and die% &he itte round head% (uch a !ood chid, she !a*e u)
screa"in!, and sucked now ony #or the taste o# the dryin! ni))e itse#% &he neat !ri) o# the tiny !u"s%
One "ite o# a tooth ti) stickin! u) in the botto" !u", how shinin!, an e#in to"bstone o# white "arbe,
!ea"in! there% ?ithout co")ainin!, 7a!da rein.uished $osa<s teats, #irst the e#t, then the ri!ht8
both were cracked, not a sni## o# "ik% &he duct cre*ice e,tinct, a dead *ocano, bind eye, chi hoe, so
7a!da took the corner o# the shaw and "iked it instead% (he sucked and sucked, #oodin! the threads
with wetness% &he shaw<s !ood #a*or, "ik o# inen%
@t was a "a!ic shaw, it coud nourish an in#ant #or three days and three ni!hts% 7a!da i#ted out o# her
"outh% (he hed her eyes o)en e*ery "o"ent, #or!ettin! how to bink or na), and $osa and so"eti"es
(tea studied their bueness% On the road they raised one burden o# a e! a#ter another and studied
7a!da<s #ace% '4ryan,' (tea said, in a *oice !rown as thin as a strin!8 and $osa thou!ht how (tea
!azed at 7a!da ike a youn! canniba% 4nd the
ti"e that (tea said '4ryan,' it sounded to $osa as i# (tea had reay said '2et us de*our her% '
But 7a!da i*ed to wak% (he i*ed that on!, but she did not wak *ery we, )arty because she was
ony #i#teen "onths od, and )arty because the s)indes o# her e!s coud not hod u) her #at bey% @t
was #at with air, #u and round% $osa !a*e a"ost a her #ood to 7a!da% (tea !a*e nothin!8 (tea
was ra*enous, a !rowin! chid herse#, but not !rowin! "uch% (tea did not "enstruate% $osa did not
"enstruate% $osa was ra*enous, but aso not8 she earned #ro" 7a!da how to drink the taste o# a #in!er
in one<s "outh% &hey were in a )ace without )ity, a )ity was annihiated in $osa, she ooked at
(tea<s bones without )ity% (he was sure that (tea was waitin! #or 7a!da to die so she coud )ut her
teeth into the itte thi!hs%
$osa knew 7a!da was !oin! to die *ery soon8 she shoud ha*e been dead aready, but she had been
buried away dee) inside the "a!ic shaw, "istaken there #or the shi*erin! "ound o# $osa<s breasts8
$osa cun! to the shaw as i# it co*ered ony herse#% No one took it away #ro" her% 7a!da was "ute%
(he ne*er cried% $osa hid her in the barracks, under the shaw, but she knew that one day so"eone
woud in#or"8 or one day so"eone, not e*en (tea, woud stea 7a!da to eat her% ?hen 7a!da be!an
to wak $osa knew that 7a!da was !oin! to die *ery soon, so"ethin! woud ha))en% (he was a#raid to
#a asee)8 she se)t with the wei!ht o# her thi!h on 7a!da<s body8 she was a#raid she woud s"other
7a!da under her thi!h% &he wei!ht o# $osa was beco"in! ess and ess8 $osa and (tea were sowy
turnin! into air%
7a!da was .uiet, but her eyes were horriby ai*e, ike bue ti!ers% (he watched% (o"eti"es she
au!hedAit see"ed a au!h, but how coud it be> 7a!da had ne*er seen anyone au!h% (ti, 7a!da
au!hed at her shaw when the wind bew its corners, the bad wind with )ieces o# back in it, that "ade
(tea<s and $osa<s eyes tear% 7a!da<s eyes were aways cear and tearess% (he watched ike a ti!er% (he
!uarded her shaw% No one coud touch it8 ony $osa coud touch it% (tea was not aowed% &he shaw
was 7a!da<s own baby, her )et, her itte sister% (he tan!ed herse# u) in it and sucked on one o# the
corners when she wanted to be *ery sti%
&hen (tea took the shaw away and "ade 7a!da die%
4#terward (tea said= '@ was cod%'
4nd a#terward she was aways cod, aways% &he cod went into
her heart= $osa saw that (tea<s heart was cod% 7a!da #o))ed onward with her itte )enci e!s
scribbin! this way and that, in search o# the shaw8 the )encis #atered at the barracks o)enin!, where
the i!ht be!an% $osa saw and )ursued% But aready 7a!da was in the s.uare outside the barracks, in
the ;oy i!ht% @t was the ro-ca arena% B*ery "ornin! $osa had to concea 7a!da under the shaw
a!ainst a wa o# the barracks and !o out and stand in the arena with (tea and hundreds o# others,
so"eti"es #or hours, and 7a!da, deserted, was .uiet under the shaw, suckin! on her corner% B*ery
day 7a!da was sient, and so she did not die% $osa saw that today 7a!da was !oin! to die, and at the
sa"e ti"e a #ear#u ;oy ran in $osa<s two )a"s, her #in!ers were on #ire, she was astonished, #ebrie=
7a!da, in the suni!ht, swayin! on her )enci e!s, was howin!% B*er since the dryin! u) o# $osa<s
ni))es, e*er since 7a!da<s ast screa" on the road, 7a!da had been de*oid o# any syabe8 7a!da
was a "ute% $osa beie*ed that so"ethin! had !one wron! with her *oca cords, with her wind)i)e,
with the ca*e o# her aryn,8 7a!da was de#ecti*e, without a *oice8 )erha)s she was dea#8 there "i!ht
be so"ethin! a"iss with her intei!ence8 7a!da was du"b% B*en the au!h that ca"e when the ash-
sti))ed wind "ade a cown out o# 7a!da<s shaw was ony the air-bown showin! o# her teeth% B*en
when the ice, head ice and body ice, crazed her so that she beca"e as wid as one o# the bi! rats that
)undered the barracks at daybreak ookin! #or carrion, she rubbed and scratched and kicked and bit
and roed without a whi")er% But now 7a!da<s "outh was s)iin! a on! *iscous ro)e o# ca"or%
'7aaaaA'
@t was the #irst noise 7a!da had e*er sent out #ro" her throat since the dryin! u) o# $osa<s ni))es%
'7aaaa % % % aaaC'
4!ainC 7a!da was wa*erin! in the )erious suni!ht o# the arena, scribbin! on such )iti#u itte bent
shins% $osa saw% (he saw that 7a!da was !rie*in! #or the oss o# her shaw, she saw that 7a!da was
!oin! to die% 4 tide o# co""ands ha""ered in $osa<s ni))es= :etch, !et, brin!C But she did not know
which to !o a#ter #irst, 7a!da or the shaw% @# she ;u")ed out into the arena to snatch 7a!da u), the
howin! woud not sto), because 7a!da woud sti not ha*e the shaw8 but i# she ran back into the
barracks to #ind the shaw, and i# she #ound it, and i# she ca"e a#ter 7a!da hodin!
it and shakin! it, then she woud !et 7a!da back, 7a!da woud )ut the shaw in her "outh and turn
du"b a!ain%
$osa entered the dark% @t was easy to disco*er the shaw% (tea was hea)ed under it, asee) in her thin
bones% $osa tore the shaw #ree and #ewAshe coud #y, she was ony airAinto the arena% &he sunheat
"ur"ured o# another i#e, o# butter#ies in su""er% &he i!ht was )acid, "eow% On the other side o#
the stee #ence, #ar away, there were !reen "eadows s)ecked with dandeions and dee)-coored *ioets8
beyond the", e*en #arther, innocent ti!er iies, ta, i#tin! their oran!e bonnets% @n the barracks they
s)oke o# '#owers,' o# 'rain'= e,cre"ent, thick turd-braids, and the sow stinkin! "aroon water#a that
sunk down #ro" the u))er bunks, the stink "i,ed with a bitter #atty #oatin! s"oke that !reased $osa<s
skin% (he stood #or an instant at the "ar!in o# the arena% (o"eti"es the eectricity inside the #ence
woud see" to hu"8 e*en (tea said it was ony an i"a!inin!, but $osa heard rea sounds in the wire=
!rainy sad *oices% &he #arther she was #ro" the #ence, the "ore ceary the *oices crowded at her% &he
a"entin! *oices stru""ed so con*incin!y, so )assionatey, it was i")ossibe to sus)ect the" o#
bein! )hanto"s% &he *oices tod her to hod u) the shaw, hi!h8 the *oices tod her to shake it, to whi)
with it, to un#ur it ike a #a!% $osa i#ted, shook, whi))ed, un#ured% :ar o##, *ery #ar, 7a!da eaned
across her air-#ed bey, reachin! out with the rods o# her ar"s% (he was hi!h u), ee*ated, ridin!
so"eone<s shouder% But the shouder that carried 7a!da was not co"in! toward $osa and the shaw, it
was dri#tin! away, the s)eck o# 7a!da was "o*in! "ore and "ore into the s"oky distance% 4bo*e the
shouder a he"et !inted% &he i!ht ta))ed the he"et and s)arked it into a !obet% Beow the he"et a
back body ike a do"ino and a )air o# back boots hured the"se*es in the direction o# the eectri#ied
#ence% &he eectric *oices be!an to chatter widy% '7aa"aa, "aaa"aaa,' they a hu""ed to!ether%
+ow #ar 7a!da was #ro" $osa now, across the whoe s.uare, )ast a dozen barracks, a the way on the
other sideC (he was no bi!!er than a "oth%
4 at once 7a!da was swi""in! throu!h the air% &he whoe o# 7a!da tra*eed throu!h o#tiness% (he
ooked ike a butter#y touchin! a si*er *ine% 4nd the "o"ent 7a!da<s #eathered round head and her
)enci e!s and baoonish bey and zi!za! ar"s s)ashed a!ainst the #ence, the stee *oices went "ad
in their
!rowin!, ur!in! $osa to run and run to the s)ot where 7a!da had #aen #ro" her #i!ht a!ainst the
eectri#ied #ence8 but o# course $osa did not obey the"% (he ony stood, because i# she ran they woud
shoot, and i# she tried to )ick u) the sticks o# 7a!da<s body they woud shoot, and i# she et the wo#<s
screech ascendin! now throu!h the adder o# her skeeton break out, they woud shoot8 so she took
7a!da<s shaw and #ied her own "outh with it, stu##ed it in and stu##ed it in, unti she was swaowin!
u) the wo#<s screech and tastin! the cinna"on and a"ond de)th o# 7a!da<s sai*a8 and $osa drank
7a!da<s shaw unti it dried%