"The Shawl" Discussion

We've read Realist stories this year (such as Hemingway's "Hills like White Elephants," "Indian Camp," Dahl's "Lamb to the Slaughter," Diaz' "No Face" (oddly enough!), Carver's "Single Woman for Long Walks on the Beach..." the list goes on), Horror (Lovecraft's "The Shunned House" and "The Music of Erich Zann" if you wanted to read it), we've discussed the nature of "genre-stories," and now we'll be looking at a new genre: Magical Realism.

In the case of "The Shawl," there are some elements of magic which might help us begin to understand Magical Realism. For instance, the shawl that Magda is often clad in is said to be magical and can keep her safe and fed. Is it truly magical, and if it is/isn't, why is it described this way? (What's its purpose?)