The Shawl for summer

CEBU, Philippines - Booklovers may be more familiar with Cynthia Ozick’s hit short story “The Shawl” (1980) than they are with the shawl itself. Ozick’s work is a metaphorically complex and morally profound story about the horrors of the Holocaust, with her personal reverberations of those horrors some 30 years later.

“The Shawl” is no doubt among the great works of art as the shawl itself is. Making a shawl, usually via crochet, can be a very effective way of expressing one’s artistic talent. The result, aside from artistic, can be very functional.

In Ozick’s story, for lack of physical nourishment, a Jewish mother let her child suck on the shawl – which explains the title of the story – a shawl that Ozick calls magical, for it has nourished the child for three days and nights. Because the child occupies herself with the shawl, never uttering a sound, she has so far been spared from the attention of the Nazi guards.

Up to the present time, the shawl has retained its appeal – its beauty and purpose. Both men and women wear it, as protection from the elements and as fashion statement. In many regions, it is even part of the religious outfit.

The shawl is really a very handy piece of clothing. And it’s quite versatile; it is a comforting shield in both cold and hot weather. As the days are now heating up into summer, the shawl – in all its variations – is sure to be en vogue all the more, particularly the crochet type.

Crochet allows for loose knits which in turn allow air to flow through. This makes crochet shawl ideal for summer. It’s a wrap that does not seal the heat in.

And, yes, since summer is also a great time to show off one’s fashion sense, the shawl helps one a lot in doing just that. It’s nice to have one while traveling, as well as wear one while partying. And the beach – oh, the beach – is the one place where the shawl is great to wrap around.

Looking great in a shawl is no rocket science. All it takes is choosing the right design and an exquisite way of wearing it. The right shawl for summer is really a matter of personal preference – for comfort and to express one’s fashion sense! (FREEMAN)