A Survival Story?

The word ‘survival’ has a myriad of connotations in a modern, technologically advanced society; it is heard frequently, for example, in reference to individuals who have overcome a potentially fatal disease like cancer.  In this instance, as in so many others, the word paints an image of victory—of an indeterminable spirit unable to be dampered.  

By pure definition, however, the word ‘survivor’ simply indicates that something living is still in that state of existence after a particular event has come and gone.

In the case of Rosa Lublin, the main character in Cynthia Ozick’s The Shawl, her state of mental health calls into question whether or not this compilation of two short novels is actually a Holocaust survival story.  In reality, the answer to this question depends on the particular perspective of the reader.  While it is true that Rosa lived, physically, through her experience in the concentration camps, she is clearly, more than thirty years later, not thriving in her survival.

As we discussed in class on Wednesday, Rosa’s current living conditions are not indicative of her previously successful business endeavor in New York.  She has relegated herself to a life poverty and despair, symbolically representative of the conditions under which she suffered during the Holocaust.  Rosa still harbors deep bitterness for her niece, and she truly believes that her daughter Magda is still alive.  These are all signs that indicate her continuing despair, and the fact that she has been unable to function in her life in the United States.

And so we return to the first question: has she survived? Physically, she most certainly has, although her health is suffering.  Mentally, however, the impact of such an experience cannot ever be left behind.  Whether a ‘survivor’ of a disease or a grievous violation of your personal human rights, it is impossible for such an experience to not leave permanent marks on the human spirit.  The question, then, is not whether or not a story is one of survival, but the degree to which the characters can exist in their new lives.