Have you ever had something so essential to your existence that you felt you couldn't live without it? For example, I have known many people who have said. Without that I will die! They might talk about things like their cell phone or their Blackberry. In these cases, going without these items would probably not cause them to die. Likewise, there are also people who keep objects that belonged to a loved one, who is no longer part of their life, and who believe that without this object they will die. I have a treasure chest of hope that my father built for me when I was a senior in high school. He passed away just a couple of years later and I have to say I have been guilty of the mentality of dying without that, because the chest of hope is so special to me. After reading “Lo Scialle”, however, I revised my thoughts. In the story “The Shawl” written by Cynthia Ozick, the shawl is a fundamental part of the existence of this small family. It is proven that the shawl is truly an asset that someone cannot do without. At the beginning of the story we begin to understand the importance of the shawl to a small family. We see Rosa carrying her little girl, Magda, wrapped in the shawl. Rosa and her granddaughter Stella are walking together down the street. They are very, very cold, “the coldness of hell”. (Ozick 1) Magda's baby, Rosa, is wrapped snugly in her shawl as she nurses at her mother's breast. (Ozick 3-8) In this we see how the shawl is crucial to Magda's warmth. Soon, Orick describes hunger and how Rosa is starving and has no milk for the baby. We see that the child is starving. Orick physically describes the child as being "fifteen months old and had thin legs that couldn't hold her fat belly that was fat with... middle of paper... fence and she's astonished looking at her baby." the body of the daughter. He watches trying to decide whether to go to her or stay where she is safe. She decides to stay where she is and puts a corner of her shawl in her mouth and pulls it on as much as she can. Once again the shawl is there to protect her from the screams and to comfort her loss. Throughout history we have seen the importance of the shawl and the different needs it met. We have seen it used for warmth, curbing hunger and the need to suck, entertainment, love, comfort and protection. Due to the circumstances of Magda's life and her lack of worldly possessions and emotional fulfillment, the shawl was truly an item Magda could not live without! Works Cited Ozick, Cynthia. Mrs. Brogan, English at Harry Truman High School. Ed. Brogan. August 22nd 2009. .