The Magic Barrel Questions and Answers
The Magic Barrel
Please identify and explain the significance of symbols in Bernard Malamud's "The Magic Barrel."
Malamud's story abounds in symbol after symbol. I will touch on just a few. Salzman functions as a symbol of divine grace; he represents the spiritual. He is a mysterious figure, unearthly, bony...
The Magic Barrel
What message does the ending of "The Magic Barrel" give to us?
One of the most obvious messages is the old one about not judging a book by its cover. The initially somewhat shallow and inexperienced Leo has an idealized image in his head as to what kind of...
The Magic Barrel
How does Malamud conclude "The Magic Barrel?"
By the end of "The Magic Barrel," Malamud has taken a young man closed off from the world by his studies, his nervousness, his desire to act in a traditional manner, and his preconceived ideas of...
The Magic Barrel
What is it about the photograph in Salzman's envelope that Leo falls in love with in "The Magic Barrel"?
The photograph of Stella "carries the impression, somehow, of evil." Could it be that Leo falls in love with the impression of evil? Is so, why? This story established early on that Leo came to God...
The Magic Barrel
Who are the first three women Salzman describes?
In the story, Leo Finkle (a soon-to-be graduate of a rabbinical school) is looking for a wife. He enlists the help of Pinye Salzman, a marriage broker. For his part, Salzman shows Finkle the...
The Magic Barrel
Why is Salzman mourning when his daughter and Leo fall in love in "The Magic Barrel?
Salzman is mourning when his daughter Stella and Leo fall in love because Stella is "a wild one - wild, without shame." Stella has apparently committed an act of depravation so grave that her...
The Magic Barrel
What is the conflict in the story "The Magic Barrel"?
There are several conflicts in the story. One of the main conflicts is the ongoing struggle that Leo has within himself in regards to his own nature. The process of matchmaking has left him...
The Magic Barrel
In "The Magic Barrel," what are some clues that Salzman purposely left the photo of his daughter in the portfolio he...
In the story, there are some interesting clues that Salzman purposely leaves the picture of his daughter, Stella, in the portfolio he gives to Finkle. First, all six of the photos Salzman includes...
The Magic Barrel
What do you think caused Stella's father to regard her as dead?
Salzman, the marriage-broker, has been in some way disappointed by his daughter, Stella. It is likely that he put the picture of her in the envelope for review by Leo in the hope that Leo would...
The Magic Barrel
Can you search for hints, multiple meaning, irony, foreshadowing in the story "The Magic Barrel"?
In Bernard Malamud’s "The Magic Barrel," the author hints at and foreshadows the ending at the beginning of the story. When the reader first meets Pinye Salzman, the marriage broker, his “amiable...
The Magic Barrel
Please identify and explain with textual support a literary device used in "The Magic Barrel."
One literary device Malamud uses in "The Magic Barrel" is symbolism:Although it was still February, winter was on its last legs, signs of which he had for the first time in years begun to...
The Magic Barrel
What depictions in the setting suggest that "The Magic Barrel" is a fantasy story?
Although not an outright supernatural tale, “The Magic Barrel” has elements of fairy tale magic. First of all, the title gives us a clue. The first hint that “The Magic Barrel” contains elements...
The Magic Barrel
In "The Magic Barrel," why is Leo disappointed in his date with Lily?
Leo is disappointed and a little angry after his date with Lily because he feels that the matchmaker, Salzman, has misrepresented him to her. Lily is very interested in "how it was that (he) came...
The Magic Barrel
In "The Magic Barrel," apply the feminist categories of witch/monster and angel in the house, especially according to...
In Bernard Malamud's “The Magic Barrel,” there are many examples that call to mind the supernatural, such as a witch or monster or angel, in Leo’s view of women. For instance, when Leo first meets...
The Magic Barrel
In Bernard Malamud's "The Magic Barrel," is Salzman an allegorical figure or a caricature? Explain.
In Bernard Malamud's "The Magic Barrel," I don't see Pinye Salzman as an allegorical figure. Leo Finkle is something of a Christ-like figure, sacrificing himself for the redemption of the "fallen"...
The Magic Barrel
What are Leo Finkle's beliefs in Malamud's "The Magic Barrel?"
In Malamud's "The Magic Barrel," at the start of the story Leo Finkle wants to be a rabbi. He calls Salzman in to help as a matchmaker, a time-honored tradition (and an old-fashioned tradition) to...
The Magic Barrel
How could you interpret this sentence, "He then concluded to convert her to goodness, himself to God."?
This declaration comes at the end of the story, when Leo Finkle finally meets the woman he will marry, Stella Salzman. Their relationship helps Leo re-evalute his relationship with God and his...
The Magic Barrel
Is there some connection between Leo Finkle's capacity for loving man (or woman) and loving God?
Leo Finkle's capacity for loving humans correlates directly with his capacity for loving God. Finkle realizes and ruefully acknowledges this correlation during and after a lengthy and uncomfortable...
The Magic Barrel
Why is Leo disappointed in his date with Lily?
First of all, Leo is skeptical of the idea of a matchmaker. Keep in mind that he considered forgetting the matchmaker all together and wondered if he should simply try to find a wife on his own....
The Magic Barrel
Describe the structure of the story (use Vladimir Propp), which structural elements the story uses, if any?
“The Magic Barrel” by Bernard Malamud is the story of a young rabbi-in-training, Leo Finkle. Leo, after six years of intense study, is about to be ordained and is hoping to lead his own...
The Magic Barrel
In Bernard Malamud's "The Magic Barrel," in what ways are Leo's reactions determined by his environment?
Great story!! Bernard Malamud's short story, "The Magic Barrel," is full of wonderful imagery and rich characters, most especially Leo Finkle, a rabbinical student, and Pinye Salzman, a Jewish...
The Magic Barrel
How does Malamud change the expectations of the reader?
Rabbinical student Leo Finkle seeks out Pinye Salzman, a matchmaker, in the hopes of finding a bride in the short story "The Magic Barrel." The reader starts out hopeful that Leo will find a...
The Magic Barrel
Find the Freudian structures in the story "The Magic Barrel": ego, super-ego, id, projection, displacement,...
Like so many works by Bernard Malamud, "The Magic Barrel" contains mystical references, as well as complex relationships and erotic symbolism. For instance, as soon as Salzman comes to his home,...
The Magic Barrel
What evidence does Malamud provide to support the thesis—or theme—in "The Magic Barrel?"
In Malamud's short story, "The Magic Barrel," the author does not present a "thesis." We can, however, discover the story's themes. A thesis is defined as... ...a proposition stated or put forward...
The Magic Barrel
Is Leo Finkle truly Jewish by Malamud's definition?
Leo does the things a good Jew is supposed to do. He attends a yeshiva, or religious school. He's planning to become a rabbi, or religious teacher. He has even hired a matchmaker to find him a...
The Magic Barrel
How do I create three thesis statements comparing and contrasting "The Magic Barrel" to the two other short stories,...
One approach for creating thesis statements that compare/contrast the stories "The Magic Barrel," "Where Are You Going, Where have You Been?", and "A Small, Good Thing," is to compare/contrast them...
The Magic Barrel
What character provides the focal point for the story "The Magic Barrel"?
The focal point of this story is Leo Finkle. He is the one who is searching for love and determined to start the next path of his life by finding the right love. Through him, readers are able to...
The Magic Barrel
Give a detailed summary of the story "The Magic Barrel".
I think the entire story can probably be summed up in about 5 sentences. It is about a Jewish man named Leo, who has studied for 6 years to become a rabbi. He has not necessarily been interested...
The Magic Barrel
Do you think that Leo is disappointed with Lily because she seems older than he expected, because her questions...
The central character in Bernard Malamud's story, "The Magic Barrel," is a man named Leo Finkle. Leo has spent the past six years of his life studying to be a rabbi, and- two months before he is...
The Magic Barrel
In Malamud's "The Magic Barrel", does Pinya always seem to be a cynical trader in dreams?
In Malamud's "The Magic Barrel," Pinya Salzman does seem to be a cynical trader in dreams, until the end of the story. Forever referring to his magic barrel, with an endless supply of unsuitable...
The Magic Barrel
Could you briefly summarize “The Magic Barrel”?
A brief summary is as follows: Leo Finkle is studying to be a rabbi. He decides he needs to get married, and consults a marriage broker named Pinye Salzman. The marriage broker sets him up with...
The Magic Barrel
Please explain this sentence from the "Magic Barrel": "Love, I have said to myself, should be a by-product of living...
This story deals with a man trying to best understand himself and his place in the world. That position is tied to his religious beliefs, and his desire to be both a rabbi and a true man of God....
The Magic Barrel
Malamud was aware of social problems such as rootlessness, infidelity, abuse, divorce, but he believes in love as...
Malamud's short-story "The Magic Barrel", collected in the National-Book-Award-winning collection of the same title, potrays the quest for love of Leo Finkle, a Jewish American studying to become a...
The Magic Barrel
In the story "The Magic Barrel" how does that $0.25 snapshot of Stella get into that envelope? Also how does Salzman...
The short answer is, readers are never told how Stella's picture gets in. Salzman says it was an accident. As readers, we have two general choices: Salzman is telling the truth, and it is an...
The Magic Barrel
Explain how Malamud often uses objects which serve as a means to describe man's confrontations with his inner...
Indeed he does. This can be seen in "The Magic Barrel" in the deck of pictures the matchmaker carries for display, and, especially, in the appearance of the picture of his daughter. If he...
The Magic Barrel
What are the similarities and differences between Finkle in "The Magic Barrel" and Gurov in "The Lady with the Pet...
Leo Finkle and Gurov both have trouble responding emotionally to others, especially women. Their emotional coldness has led to them not being able to form close relationships. Both do change in the...
The Magic Barrel
How does Bernard Malamud introduce readers to the plot of "The Magic Barrel?"
When Malamud introduces the plot to the reader in "The Magic Barrel," the first thing he does is set the mood. Then he describes how Salzman and Leo Finkle come to know each other. Leo shares his...
The Magic Barrel
In Malamud's "The Magic Barrel," how does the writer use modes such as anecdote and comparison?
In Malamud's "The Magic Barrel," the author uses a number of devices to provide information about the main characters and drive the plot forward. An anecdote is an event that is told in a narrative...
The Magic Barrel
What is the writer’s goal in "The Magic Barrel"?
“The Magic Barrel” is a fairy tale. It is intended both to poke fun at religion and to remind us of the true meaning of love. As in all fairy tales, the purpose is both to entertain and to teach...
The Magic Barrel
Identify a structural device that Bernard Malamud uses in "The Magic Barrel."
Perhaps the most outstanding aspect of Bernard Malamud's "The Magic Barrel" is his use of a motif... ... a recurring subject, theme, idea...in a literary...work. The motif is one of magic. Not...
The Magic Barrel
What is a matchmaker?
A matchmaker (sometimes more professionally called a "marriage broker") was a common profession especially in the Jewish faith. It is exactly what it sounds like. A matchmaker is a marriage...
The Magic Barrel
Write a short paragraph summarizing the story and the plot. Are the characters flat or round? Are there any symbols?...
In Bernard Malamud’s “The Magic Barrel," Leo is a young rabbinical student who contacts a marriage broker, Salzman, because he does not have the time to meet a bride on his own. He reasons that...