Like we discussed in class, many novels, especially about horrific events in history, have some type of happy ending, where the main character(s) get some type of closure, regardless of how severe the hardships were. Although this is very appealing to readers, this tends not to be the reality of a situation. I think the “happily ever after” most stories have, especially when they are historical fiction, take away from the harshness and the reality of what happened. I was pleasantly surprised to find out in class that this novel would not be like that, and that readers would get more of an understanding of the healing process, or lack their of, after unthinkable events such as the Holocaust.
When thinking about people heal after tragedies such as the Holocaust, I think that we must look at what Rosa and Magda. We never find out how Magda was conceived, but I think it is safe to say that Rosa was sexually assaulted by an Nazi officer because of the physical description that Ozick gives readers. Rosa did everything that she could to protect Magda and keep her safe, and the shawl allowed her to be successful at this for a little over a year. When Magda was discovered, she was thrown into an electric fence and murdered. Rosa was paralyzed with emotion and anxiety, but knew she would be shot if she did anything to protect Magda, and then they would both be dead. Rosa was forced to watch her infant daughter be executed.
Readers know that Rosa and Stella eventually are released from the camp and become refugees in the United States. Going back to what was discussed earlier, it would be unrealistic to have Rosa magically “heal” from what she had to endure while in the camps just because she was released and became a refugee in the United States. Although I find this book completely confusing and frustrating at times, because it is difficult to follow what is going on, the fact that Rosa struggles with what she endured while at the camp intrigues me and draws me in. It makes me wonder what is going to happen next and how the story is going to end.
This story really makes me stop and think about the healing process. So many people have gone through so many awful things, you just have to stop and wonder how they got through the experience and what they did to heal. Although none of the children at my internship have gone through an experience such as Rosa and Stella, some of them have been through extremely traumatic events. I want to be a Public Health Specialist, because I want to help children overcome all of the traumatic things economically disadvantaged children have to go through, and show them there is a better way then gangs, violence, drugs, etc, but it is hard when this is how they are raised. I think the greatest struggle I will face is finding the children that want to heal, such as Stella. Although she may not have “properly” healed in Rosa’s eyes, she did make great strides in life considering all of the hardships that she had to endure and the lack of support and love she had. The one thing she did have though, was fight, and she knew she was not going to let this experience define her. I think that Ozick showing this side of the healing process is amazing, but at the same time, I hope that Rosa does not let this define her as she has been.
No comments:
Post a Comment